Shane's? Hoggy's? BBQ in N. KY

There are 2 (two!) Q restaurants opening up in the renovated Crestview Hills Town Center mall in Erlanger, Kentucky: Shane's and Hoggy's. Shane's appears to be a chain. Does anyone know anything about either restaurant? Are either of these worth a try?

We have been fans of Eddy's Southern Barbecue in Florence, KY but Eddy seems to be focused mainly on his catering business and the restaurant never seems to be open. I really miss his rib tips, collard greens, sweet potatoes, and catfish (with great cornmeal breading).

I've never heard of Shane's, but there are four Hoggy's in the Columbus area. Hoggy's started out as a single location in Worthington, Ohio, and now has locations in Columbus and Gahanna. I used to enjoy the pulled pork and ribs at their first location, but when they added the store in Gahanna the quality fell off and the prices went up.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

I've never heard of Shane's, but there are four Hoggy's in the Columbus area. Hoggy's started out as a single location in Worthington, Ohio, and now has locations in Columbus and Gahanna. I used to enjoy the pulled pork and ribs at their first location, but when they added the store in Gahanna the quality fell off and the prices went up.

Thanks for your response, Michael. Sounds like Hoggy's is so-so.
Shane's RibShack has a website with the following statement:

"Unlike the “old school” BBQ joints that fire up their expensive smokers two times a week and are satisfied serving machine ground pork that might be 3 to 4 days old, Shane’s serves, fresh, clean pork. We smoke it overnight, hand chop it this morning and serve it today so our customers enjoy the best tasting, freshest pork around."

Could be good, but who knows? We might try carry-out some evening when they open. I'll report our findings.

By the way, I heard an ad on the radio for Burbank's this week. it made much of the fact that Gary Burbank is involved once more and that the restaurant has returned to its former quality. We used to frequent the Burbank's in Florence when it was at its peak and enjoyed it a great deal. We really noticed the decline (dry, scrawny ribs and inedibly gritty greens) right before they pulled out of Kentucky. Does anybody know anything about Burbank's revival?

Apparently Hoggy's has even more locations than I thought. Here's their website:

http://www.hoggysrestaurants.com/pages/locations.html

We had carry-out from Shane's Ribshack in the Crestview Hills Towne Center last night and I thought I'd provide a brief report. Shane's opened about two weeks ago. They put a "two for one" coupon in last week's Kenton County Recorder so we decided to give them a try. Before we ordered, I printed off the menu from their website so we could make our choices. The website addy is:
www.shanesribshack.com/index.php.

When I got to Shane's, there were a number of people waiting to be seated, all armed with the same coupon. I quickly learned that there are a few errors on the website menu. You only get one side order with the sandwich combo instead of the two listed on the website. When I showed the printed website menu to the young woman at the counter, she quickly offered to honor the website menu's claim. I decided to upgrade to the chopped pork dinner anyway, so it wasn't an issue since all dinners come with two sides. The website fails to mention all the sides available at this location. Collard greens and mac and cheese are available in addition to the fries, corn on the cob, slaw, baked beans, and brunswick stew mentioned on the website menu.

I ordered 2 dinners with the baked beans and slaw. My order was filled quickly, and with the "twofer" coupon, I paid about $8.35.

The dinner proved to be a huge mound of fresh pulled pork, somewhat smoky to the taste. A cup of Shane's homemade BBQ sauce on the side was thin and of the Carolina-type of vinegary sauce (our favorite), perhaps faintly sweeter than the Carolina sort but not offensively so. The sauce had a rather pleasing peppery taste as well. There was so much pork that we couldn't finish it. The remaining pork is in Tupperware and will be eaten for lunch this afternoon.

The baked beans were not sweet but again a bit peppery and quite good. Cole slaw was good but not particularly special. We're likely to try Shane's again and plan to try the collards and the mac and cheese. I also want to see what they do with ribs.

Shane's is a chain that is based in Georgia. It looks like they're trying to expand rapidly, primarily across the south.

Hoggy's has yet to open at this location. Why they'd want to have two 'Q joints in one mall is beyond me. It'll be interesting to see which one survives.

I have been to Hoggy's in Coumbus a number of times. The pulled pork is ok and the ribs are pretty good if you have a real craving for them and can't convince your wife to go to City BBQ. The highlight there is the sides. I love the macaroni and cheese (which is even better in the chili mac) and the onion rings are also great. I have also really enjoyed the sweet potatoes and the grilled asparagus. The cole slaw and baked beans are pretty standard though not bad.

One thing to absolutely avoid is the brisket. It is not brisket. It is pot roast. I went to lunch there with a friend who had lived in Texas and I told him not to order the brisket becasue he would hate it. He got it anyways and when I asked him how it was he said, "It was ok for pot roast. But terrible as BBQ." When will people learn to listen to a fat guy when ordering food?

You're right about Hoggy's onion rings. Terrific. I've not had the brisket from Hoggy's in more than seven years, but back then it was pretty darned good. I'm sorry to hear they've changed it. But I stopped going to Hoggy's shortly after they built the one in Gahanna. The prices went up and I thought the quality went down. I did go a few more times to the one in Linworth, where the prices remained the same, and the quality remained. Still, I have a City Barbeque around the corner, so there's no need to go anywhere else. By the way, regardless of the quantity of meat I get at City, I always order a quart of the macaroni and cheese.

I'm not familiar with Hoggy's, but I am familiar with Shane's. The original Shane's Rib Shack was opened by a friend of mine in Stockbridge, GA -- just south of Atlanta. Shane cooked the best ribs ever! His original location was a true "shack" -- it was an old house with 2 covered, screened-in decks added on. The service was excellent, and the food was great! Shane's was so popular that he eventually opened 2 additional locations, both with the same "quirky" appeal. He also had a successful catering operation.

He sold his concept to the people that started Moe's Southwest Grill, Planet Smoothie, and Mama Fu's Noodle House (if you are from Atlanta, you are probably familiar with these). I haven't tried the ribs since the buyout, but the original recipe is the best!

I would recommend that you try Shane's to see if they have retained the flavor.

Sandy,
My wife brought home some pulled pork, a 1/2 chicken and a rack of ribs from a place called Tina's in Carrollton, KY, last Friday night. I was sick and couldn't even think of eating at the time, but everything smelled great. She and the kids had some of the pulled pork and chicken, but no one wanted to try the ribs, so I had them last night for dinner. I put them in the microwave to warm them and pulled out a bottle of Stubbs Original BBQ Sauce, one of my current favorites, because I was sure I was going to need it. I never even opened the bottle. There was some sauce on the bottom of the container, and it was more than enough to make sure I wound up covered. The ribs were great, meaty and smoky and not overly easy to strip from the bone. I'm not a BBQ expert, but they were the best I've had in a long time. I used a piece of bread to mop up the excess sauce, something I've never been tempted to do before. All last night at work my hands smelled of smoke because of my efforts working over the ribs. Again, I'm no expert, but a meal that has you fondly remembering it nine hours later has to have something going for it. Apparently Tina's is not a newcomer to the game, but was recently forced to relocate by a highway project. My wife works down that way, so we'll definitely be giving it another try some time this spring after the weather breaks. If you aren't familiar with the area, Carrollton is about 45 minutes outside of the Campbell/Kenton/Boone area off of I-71. There's a Vanity Fair outlet mall down that way if you need an excuse.
Now that I think of it, I need new jeans! Maybe I'll get to Tina's sooner than I thought. I'll have to remember my camera so that I can do a TJ-style report.

thats a hell of a long way to go for q :-)

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

thats a hell of a long way to go for q :-)

Not if you need jeans.

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

Sandy,
My wife brought home some pulled pork, a 1/2 chicken and a rack of ribs from a place called Tina's in Carrollton, KY, last Friday night. I was sick and couldn't even think of eating at the time, but everything smelled great. She and the kids had some of the pulled pork and chicken, but no one wanted to try the ribs, so I had them last night for dinner. I put them in the microwave to warm them and pulled out a bottle of Stubbs Original BBQ Sauce, one of my current favorites, because I was sure I was going to need it. I never even opened the bottle. There was some sauce on the bottom of the container, and it was more than enough to make sure I wound up covered. The ribs were great, meaty and smoky and not overly easy to strip from the bone. I'm not a BBQ expert, but they were the best I've had in a long time. I used a piece of bread to mop up the excess sauce, something I've never been tempted to do before. All last night at work my hands smelled of smoke because of my efforts working over the ribs. Again, I'm no expert, but a meal that has you fondly remembering it nine hours later has to have something going for it. Apparently Tina's is not a newcomer to the game, but was recently forced to relocate by a highway project. My wife works down that way, so we'll definitely be giving it another try some time this spring after the weather breaks. If you aren't familiar with the area, Carrollton is about 45 minutes outside of the Campbell/Kenton/Boone area off of I-71. There's a Vanity Fair outlet mall down that way if you need an excuse.
Now that I think of it, I need new jeans! Maybe I'll get to Tina's sooner than I thought. I'll have to remember my camera so that I can do a TJ-style report.

Hey, thanks, Wally. Sounds like a road trip to me! I'd go just for the Q, but the prospect of buying some new undies makes it a lock. Is Tina's near the I-71 exit or near the Rte. 42 end of Carrollton?

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

Sandy,
My wife brought home some pulled pork, a 1/2 chicken and a rack of ribs from a place called Tina's in Carrollton, KY, last Friday night. I was sick and couldn't even think of eating at the time, but everything smelled great. She and the kids had some of the pulled pork and chicken, but no one wanted to try the ribs, so I had them last night for dinner. I put them in the microwave to warm them and pulled out a bottle of Stubbs Original BBQ Sauce, one of my current favorites, because I was sure I was going to need it. I never even opened the bottle. There was some sauce on the bottom of the container, and it was more than enough to make sure I wound up covered. The ribs were great, meaty and smoky and not overly easy to strip from the bone. I'm not a BBQ expert, but they were the best I've had in a long time. I used a piece of bread to mop up the excess sauce, something I've never been tempted to do before. All last night at work my hands smelled of smoke because of my efforts working over the ribs. Again, I'm no expert, but a meal that has you fondly remembering it nine hours later has to have something going for it. Apparently Tina's is not a newcomer to the game, but was recently forced to relocate by a highway project. My wife works down that way, so we'll definitely be giving it another try some time this spring after the weather breaks. If you aren't familiar with the area, Carrollton is about 45 minutes outside of the Campbell/Kenton/Boone area off of I-71. There's a Vanity Fair outlet mall down that way if you need an excuse.
Now that I think of it, I need new jeans! Maybe I'll get to Tina's sooner than I thought. I'll have to remember my camera so that I can do a TJ-style report.

Hey, thanks, Wally. Sounds like a road trip to me! I'd go just for the Q, but the prospect of buying some new undies makes it a lock. Is Tina's near the I-71 exit or near the Rte. 42 end of Carrollton?

According to Google:
http://www.google.com/local?hl=en&lr=&q=tina%27s&near=Carrollton,+KY+41008&sa=X&oi=locald&radius=0.0&latlng=38669565,-85173036,903430585875045685
The only thing off the I-71 exit is fast food. Looks like this is east of town on Rt. 227.

Wally, Thanks for the review of TINA'S. We have seen the place several times when we stop for gas at the WalMart or Krogers across the street. The place is located much closer to the Interstate (I-71 Exit 44) than it is to the River and the Business District of Carrollton. For some reason Gas at those two stations is pretty cheap compared to the stations in town or near the Interstate. We stop there almost every trip up or down I-71. Now we will have a reason to test the 'Que also.
It is only about an hour for us here on the West side of Louisville so a run up the River isn't all that far.
Thanks again for the tip !! BTW what were their prices like??

EDIT- The Google Map is off a bit. TINA's is closer to the Interstate than it shows. It is between the Highway and the State Park Entrance. It is directly across the street from the WalMart and Kroger Gas stops...in a building with a Health Spa and Tanning Salon like all good BBQ places in Kentucky are .

Wally and Al - Thanks for clearing up the question about the location. I'm eating sparingly throughout January to compensate for the wretched excess of December, however, this sounds like a good spring trip. We have often taken Rte. 42 into Carrollton. There is an abundance of American redbuds, tulip trees, dogwoods, and other flowering trees along that route that are glorious in spring.

Al, does Vince Staten still have a BBQ place in the Louisville area?

Yes he does. It is located on US 60 (Shelbyville Rd. between the Watterson and the Gene Snyder (I-264 and I-265)
I have tried it several times and am not impressed at all. As one of the early promoters of the study of BBQ I expected more than I got at his store. I rate it a 6 on a 10 scale

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

Wally, Thanks for the review of TINA'S. We have seen the place several times when we stop for gas at the WalMart or Krogers across the street. The place is located much closer to the Interstate (I-71 Exit 44) than it is to the River and the Business District of Carrollton. For some reason Gas at those two stations is pretty cheap compared to the stations in town or near the Interstate. We stop there almost every trip up or down I-71. Now we will have a reason to test the 'Que also.
It is only about an hour for us here on the West side of Louisville so a run up the River isn't all that far.
Thanks again for the tip !! BTW what were their prices like??

Uh, I don't know. It was a freebie brought in by one of the vendors that my wife deals with. There was a mix-up on the time and the BBQ was brought in and left in the fridge. My wife was the only one present in her department who was interested in it, so she packed it up and brought it home. As far as I'm concerned, they're welcome to screw up the time anytime. I hope it's as good when I visit or I'm going to be CRUSHED!

I'm told that we can expect another BBQ place in the Cincinnati NKY area very soon- City BBQ- I have eaten at Shanes, Hoggies, Burkanks BBQ revue & this place is the Mac Daddy of BBQ places, not only is the place cool looking, jointish, the people care about you enjoying the food, the ribs are killer (puts Ribs Kings boiled ribs with sweet sauce to shame.)I had something called the samper platter, it had sooooo much food & it was all great, they have a smoked turkey around the holidays that some friends had that was to die for. The closest one to Cincinnati is Centerville & somebody told me they have one in Beavercreek also.

Correction, good sir....there is a very fine City BBQ location (albeit rebranded as "CityQ" - this is explained on the City BBQ website) in Mason very close to the Tylersville Road exit off I-75.

It has been open since late 2005 :-)

Here's a link to a local review: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050915/ENT01/509160302/1026

Might I suggest you also try Pit to Plate BBQ in Mt Healthy, which is just simply outstanding...

I've been to Vince Staten's BBQ in Prospect twice. The first time in 1999, both my buddy and I really enjoyed everything we had. It was also nice that they sold bottles of sauce from famous barbecue parlors from all over the country.

When I went back in 2003, both the food and the service was terrible. Bad enough that I have no plans to ever try them again. I also expected more out of a place with Vince Staten's name.