Hoggy's Restaurant & Catering in Crestview Hills, Kentucky

If it were not for the quality time spent with family, shared anecdotes, and boisterous laughter, our Mother's Day dinner would have been a bust. The food and service at this year's restaurant selection, Hoggy's, did not stand up to its reputation.

Hoggy's opened its first of seven restaurant locations in Linworth, Ohio on June 27, 1991 with a commitment to bring real BBQ to central Ohio. Spurred on by a recommendation from my husband's cousin, our family journeyed 30 minutes over the river from various locations within Cincinnati to meet for dinner. The nearest Hoggy's restaurant is located at 2807 Town Center Blvd in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.

Reservations were a pre-requisite for any restaurant selected for this special day and Hoggy's met the bill. A party of 10 can easily wait an hour for seating on Mother's Day, without reservations. We were pleased when the Hoggy's server seated us within five minutes of arrival.

The size of the restaurant was surprising. Hoggy's boasts a down home environment with hardwood floors, wooden tables and chairs, as well as life size portraits of farm animals, backside only, covering the walls. A beautiful dark wood bar lines the front of the restaurant where patrons can pull up a bar stool and relax with one of Hoggy's many signature drinks. There is another small bar setup to service seated diners; both stocked with a variety of liqueur, beer, and wine.

The cuisine is best defined as southern style cooking with a Texas flair. There are classic menu items like Big and Meaty Smoked Wings and Hoggy Quesadilla for appetizers, the Monster Half Chicken and Marinated Sirloin for entrees, Jumbo Baked Potatoes and Fancy Green Beans for sides. The Hoggy's chef introduces a southern flair through appetizers like the Colossal Onion Rings and Hearty Chicken Gumbo; Sliced Brisket Sandwiches; Pulled Pork and Smoked Baby Back Ribs for dinner; and Whipped Sweet Potatoes and Chili-Mac for the made-from-scratch sides. Overall, the prices are comparable - ranging from 4.99 to 12.99 for appetizers to 10.99 to 24.99 for an entrée with sandwiches and salads falling somewhere in between.

Having dinner at Hoggy's in Crestview Hills, Kentucky was our family's attempt to do something a little out of the ordinary for Mother's Day. This was our first visit to Hoggy's, so our dinner party of 10 ordered a variety of menu items. We always enjoy taste testing the different appetizers and entrees ordered by each family member. Unfortunately, Hoggy's did not meet our expectations. While flavorful, the pulled chicken was soft to the point of mushy. The Colossal Onion Rings were the largest I have ever seen, but bland and barely seasoned. The Smoked Baby Back Ribs were meaty, unfortunately the extra sweet Original BBQ sauce detracted from the taste. Simply stated, the menu items were missing that down-home savory taste I expect to receive at a southern restaurant.

The service was mediocre at best. It took an inordinate amount of time to receive our entrees. I initially attributed this delay to the size of our party; however, I was later proven wrong. The one thing a restaurant can do to retain me as repeat customer is to resolve a complaint quickly. I ordered the Lemon Sesame BBQ Shrimp Salad for dinner, but received the Grilled Smoked Lemon Pepper Salmon Salad, which I immediately sent back. It took about 15 minutes for the server to return with the correct salad. When I looked at the salad, I discovered that it was missing the asparagus and asked for a menu to confirm. The server returned 5 minutes later without a menu, stating asparagus was not supposed to be on the salad. Forced to locate my own menu, I discovered that not only was the asparagus missing, but the green onion, fresh green beans, and Bermuda onion as well. Starving and with no server in sight, I resolved to eating the incomplete salad. There was no offer to remove the aberration from my check or to compensate me in any manner. I was about half way through the salad when the manager returned with yet another salad, made correctly this time, as a replacement.

Hoggy's is famous for their applewood smoked barbecue and hideously large food portions; however, the food quality and service are less than impressive. Receiving a half chicken for dinner means very little when I could have had a better meal at Kentucky Fried Chicken at a third of the cost. After all, ambience is not everything.