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Top Hog in Gainesville

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    Top Hog in Gainesville

    For several months, I've been watching carefully for the opening of a new location for Top Hog at Kanapaha Station in Gainesville just a couple of miles from my house. Their original location is in Jonesville, about 15 miles to the northwest. I hadn't tried the original location. I noticed today that the new one was open and had time to drop in for lunch.

    I really should have known better. In perusing the website for the original location, I had noticed that most of the meats in their photos didn't have much bark and had very little to no smoke ring. And it didn't dawn on me until I was driving home from my fiasco of a lunch that I realized what was missing when I walked in to order: there was absolutely no smoke smell outside or inside.

    At any rate, I ordered what was described on the menu they handed me as a brisket melt French dip. I swear the menu said it had provolone.

    Here's what came:

    Click image for larger version

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    No dipping sauce. Clearly not provolone. Clearly not melted.

    And look at this pitiful meat:

    Click image for larger version

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    That might as well be pot roast. In fact, I've had better pot roast. Why cook brisket to pulling stage? I mean, this honestly looks like pulled chuck roast, but there was absolutely no smoke taste to it at all. Worse yet, the meat was barely at room temperature.

    When I was asked how I liked it, I was honest and said I wasn't impressed. They offered to replace the sandwich, but I said I really didn't think they could fix the meat and that I just wouldn't be back.

    After getting home, I found that their menu online doesn't have the French dip but does have a brisket melt with gouda and cheddar. That would appear to be what they tried to do here. So maybe some of this is the new location starting up, but that meat was so bad I just don't see how this operation can be salvaged.

    Part of the problem for me is that this location used to be a really high end chophouse that we loved. That chef has moved to a new location that fortunately is only a couple more miles away than this one.

    Oh well, I'll always have the barbecue that I can make at home...

    #2
    Agree with your thoughts on the meat.

    However, those fries also look terrible. And no grilled bun?

    Ouch. You’d better go and cook a brisket to drive the memory out of your system.

    Comment


    • Jim White
      Jim White commented
      Editing a comment
      There's a 14 pound prime brisket wet aging in my fridge. It will get cooked this weekend or next.

      The fries were the standard commercial frozen supply with the very light breading. Like I said, edible but they certainly weren't noteworthy.

    • Mr. Bones
      Mr. Bones commented
      Editing a comment
      Jim White Foods mighta been more nice if'n cooked to temps, or even colour, stage of meltiness...

      That bein said, yers looks like a drive thru fast food trainwreck...

      "See yall, but wont be seein yall, again... "

    #3
    I considered liking this post but unfortunately the food shown and the lack of even a fair attempt seems to be more and more common now days.
    The Kansas City area BBQ go to's seem to be in a nose dive also in the past 2 years.
    Not sure if it is a decline in supply or just a not really care attitude.
    A lot of our old favorites we visited for years have been put on our no go list.
    We find ourselves more and more taking the time and putting in the effort to do our own BBQ.
    It would be interesting to know what that BBQ plate sold for?

    Comment


    • Mr. Bones
      Mr. Bones commented
      Editing a comment
      Yall oughtta jus come westward bout ~30 mikes, an have some bbq fer free...

      Have yall ever tried BB's Lawnside BBQ, 85th an Holmes?

      I usedta play lotsa Blues guitfiddle up in there, a whole bunch...

      Lindsey Shannon is th Proprietor...Also th decades Long Host of th KC Blues Show on 101.1, th Fox

    • Debra
      Debra commented
      Editing a comment
      Mr. Bones We will definitely check it out.
      My Husband and I both CCW so it makes a trip up there less stressful unless the area has changed a bit.
      Last edited by Debra; October 23, 2021, 03:14 PM.

    #4
    A disgrace to Hogtown! You took one for the team!

    Comment


    • Jim White
      Jim White commented
      Editing a comment
      Heh. My wife just thanked me for not dragging here there.

    #5
    Regarding the lack of smoke smell, is there any chance they cook at the original location and send it in warmers to location #2? I could see that working if you had two restaurants that were close together, although nothing excuses the crappy food you were served today.

    Comment


    • Jim White
      Jim White commented
      Editing a comment
      I wondered about that. But then I thought about how my kitchen smells when I reheat barbecue that's a day or two old. And absolutely no smoke smell or taste on the "brisket".

    • Sid P
      Sid P commented
      Editing a comment
      Jim White Yeah, you’re right.

    #6
    The pickle looked pretty decent.

    Comment


    • Jim White
      Jim White commented
      Editing a comment
      I didn't have the heart to try it. I'm not a huge fan of dill pickles anyway.

    #7
    Man that is sad and that bread. Wow.

    Comment


      #8
      I'd be opting for the paper they served it on by the looks of it.
      This is always so disappointing, a few years ago we went to a newly opened 'awthentic' Texas BBQ joint.
      Now apparently I've been to Texas more than the owners because we got into a real good argument about Texas smoked brisket as opposed to thinly sliced roast beef.
      He told me I didn't know what I was talking about, didn't know brisket from a hole in the ground....then my wife stepped in....
      He got a new blow hole....


      Comment


      • Panhead John
        Panhead John commented
        Editing a comment
        I’d have given anything to be there for that! 😂 I’d love to see you rip someone a new one.

      • smokin fool
        smokin fool commented
        Editing a comment
        It wasn't me, I was arguing....my wife had the scalpel out performing the holectomy.
        Being married to me she knows the truth from BS

      • Mr. Bones
        Mr. Bones commented
        Editing a comment
        Speakin as a SF Veteran, rider in Outlaw MC clubs, an many other things I won't legally lay claim to...

        There is, indeed, a time to be scared.

        There is, indeed, individuals to be scared of.

        How ya react to em is up to yerself, an desire to survive,, or protect others.

        Pissed off wife? Ahm'a takin cover , Brother...

        Hopin she blasted th Management, an not th poor server...
        Last edited by Mr. Bones; October 23, 2021, 03:39 PM.

      #9
      FWIW, I usually carefully examine Yelp pics of the food before I try any new place. It is pretty easy most times to tell the quality of the food as some of these 5-star reviewers have super low standards or no idea what passes for good in this food niche.

      Still, this place is awful.

      Comment


      • Jim White
        Jim White commented
        Editing a comment
        Yes, I usually rely on pics in Google maps to help choose places. But I really wanted this place to be good since it's so close and disregarded what I had already seen on their own site. That will teach me!

      • Mr. Bones
        Mr. Bones commented
        Editing a comment
        Sigh. Jim White Lesson learned....
        I tend to give folks, an businesses way too much rope, initially, an lament when they jus insist on hangin themselves...

      #10
      Seasoned with salt and pepper rub and call it a Texas-style brisket.
      I am so glad you did not defame PBR with that lunch.

      Comment


        #11
        Maybe it was not BBQ,

        Comment


        • smokenoob
          smokenoob commented
          Editing a comment
          D’oh!

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