Hogs Hollow is a BBQ joint in Utica, located on Cass/old Van Dyke area. I have been there on 3 different occasions. The first time, was to watch a band called Blue Spectrum play there. Hogs Hollow has a large upstairs area that is great for live music. The bar has a nice selection of beers including craft beers on tap. Now the wait staff and bartenders were very nice and attentive. Quick shout outs to Nikki, Kaya, Ashley and Mallory just a few of the aforementioned employees. That night the band was awesome and the beer was cold.
My second time here was also to see the above mentioned band. This time it was a day after my birthday. I was feeling peckish that evening, so I ordered the smoked wings. The wings, come dry so you have to put your own sauce on. They have 5 sauces that they make in house. Now, they came very dry since the wings were incredibly overcooked and burnt. No amount of sauce could saturate them enough to bring them back to life. The sauces themselves were not very memorable except for the cloying sweetness they had. However, the staff got wind that it was birthday and bought me a shot and all my beers that night, so another shout out to the same crew I mentioned earlier. And as always, the band kicked ass!
The third time, I brought my gorgeous wife there to play trivia in the upstairs lounge area. We are trivia geeks and try to play all over town when we get the opportunity. The upstairs area have large accordion style windows that they can open or close. It must be said, that the hot August evening we were there, the windows were open. Not the wisest move. The poor ladies upstairs were sweating while pouring drinks and serving tables, not to mention the patrons were as well. Close the windows and put on the air please when its 90 degrees upstairs.
Jen and I split an order of Hogs Rolls, which are rolls stuffed with peppers, smoked pork and cheese top with garlic butter. This did not disappoint, the rolls were golden brown and loaded with savory smokiness. Jen ordered a Caesar salad. Nothing exciting really except the hair she found in the dressing. Now to be fair, hairs fall out on us all the time. The manager apologized and gave her a new dressing and took it off the bill. I ordered the French Dip sandwich, which they make with smoked brisket. It is an interesting take on a classic but the execution is just okay. One other aspect to our dinner was that Jen had floatie things in her water. Not sure what they were and I didn’t have any in mine but it happened to her with two different glasses of water and like most people, Jen finds weird things in her food and drink quite off-putting.
All in all, Hogs Hollow has a great hardworking staff and nice management that is helpful. However, having trivia and bands play they are great adjuncts to the business but ultimately, as a bbq joint its just not quite there yet.