With a mission to make the world better, one biscuit at a time, Holler and Dash updates comfort food and redefines fast food. Owned by Cracker Barrel, Holler and Dash has been described as the “Cracker Barrel for Millennials.” I stopped in for a quick bite of sustenance before a day of adventure in Kissimmee, Florida.
Location: 6268 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Celebration, Florida
There are six locations, all in the southeastern United States. Locations include Homewood and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Brentwood and Nashville, Tennessee, Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina
Menu: The common denominator with the restaurants in the chain is that they all serve biscuits. They also all buy locally, which means the ingredients they procure can be different at each location. Menus at each location vary slightly, but there is enough of a common theme between them that fans will enjoy visiting multiple locations if travel allows for sampling them all.
A variety of traditional and innovative biscuit dishes are offered. There are also plenty of healthy, everyday options, most with unique flavor twists. This tells me even a biscuit aficionado acknowledges you shouldn’t eat biscuits and gravy every day. But it is not necessary to completely disregard a food with so much American history, like the biscuit, even if it is mostly white flour and butter. I also appreciate the menu variety, because it means a couple or a family with very different eating styles can enjoy a restaurant together without anyone feeling compromised.
The buttery biscuits are 3 inches wide and 2 ½ inches tall, creating a consistent base to build a menu around. The Signature Biscuits are the highlight of the menu, with six creatively named options of familiar, but interesting combinations.
Three of the Signature Biscuits involve fried chicken, a cheese, and a bit of a kick. The chicken is marinated in buttermilk, then dredged in flour laced with secret spices. The Chicken Holler adds cheddar and a pickle. Chicken Kickback is topped with goat cheese, green onion, and sweet pepper jelly. Chicken.Set.Go uses pimento cheese, jalapeno, and sorghum.
The chicken isn’t the only animal to make the sacrifice for the sake of the biscuit. The Pork Rambler tops a biscuit and fried pork tenderloin with blackberry butter and fried onion straws. Vegetarians will appreciate the Garden Goat, which combines fried goat cheese, kale, lemon Dijon vinaigrette and tomato jam.
I tried the Hollerback Club. It started with a fried green tomato atop the biscuit, then guacamole and bacon topped with the secret Hollerback sauce. The secret spices in the coating of the fried green tomato are the best I’ve ever tasted. The Hollerback sauce did not holler back too much, giving my choice just a hint of zip.
For those who don’t care about the flavor profile, you can order a plain ol’ chicken and biscuits, biscuits and gravy or simply biscuits and jam.
Healthier but somewhat traditional menu items all seem to have a unique or trendy twist. These include Peanut Butter and Banana Toast with Chia Seeds and Honey, Maple and Banana Overnight Oats with almond milk, granola, banana and honey and the most beautiful offering of Avocado Smash Toast topped with a watermelon radish, lemon Dijon and paprika. The watermelon radish made me do a double take, asking, “What is that?” It’s always good to discover a new vegetable.
It wouldn’t be a Millennial menu without Brussels Sprouts. The Every Day I’m Brusslin’ Bowl of shaved Brussels sprouts, sun dried cranberries, apples, pecorino cheese and lemon Dijon vinaigrette satisfies the health conscious. Not sure if it is cheating to order this with a biscuit and jam on the side, but something green with your biscuits sure can’t hurt.
Kids are not forgotten at Holler and Dash with a one-egg Kids Breakfast Scramble. Many of the other offerings, like the peanut butter or avocado toast, or the decadent New Orleans-style beignets will also be appealing for young ones.
Thoughts: If this is what Millennials are looking for, then bring it on. I love that old, traditional recipes are being adapted with new food trends. I’m still a fan of sitting at a table and being served, but there are times, like when you want to get to the theme parks on vacation, when a quick, healthy meal is appreciated.
This is an order at the counter, pick up your meal when it is ready, and bus your own table kind of restaurant. Basically, fast food style, but with an upscale flare. The line was long when we entered but moved quickly. It doesn’t take long to eat a biscuit sandwich, so the tables seemed to turn at a fairly rapid pace.
I also appreciate a restaurant with a good sense of humor. To carry on with the self-serve theme, a sign in the gender-neutral restrooms instructs, “Seat Yourself.” After searching for a paper towel dispenser or hand dryer, I discovered the new age hand dryer in the restroom is part of the faucet. You can thank me later for sparing you from wiping your wet hands on your pants. Don’t pretend you would have figured this out quickly on your own without a bit of prompting.
Central Florida is a hub for international travelers. Just about any cuisine available in the world is available here. Holler and Dash gives the international traveler a taste of true down home, southern United States cuisine in a location convenient to many resort hotels.
I’m glad Holler and Dash is now on my radar screen. Although there isn’t one in my hometown, I will be on the lookout for more during my travels in the south.
Price Range: Signature Biscuits $8.50-$9.50, Classic Biscuits $5.00-$7.50, Biscuit Sandwiches $9-$12, Bowls $5-$7.50, Sweet Treats $5-$8.
Disclosure: The author was a guest of Experience Kissimmee.
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