I haven't had many good experiences with gas station barbecue, but I had heard some good things about Pearl. On a drive back from Tampa, I decided to make a mid-afternoon detour of a couple miles to the small town of Micanopy and try it for myself. The gas station/convenience store/restaurant sits beside Highway 441 and was easy to find. The food is served from a counter at the back of the store, which along with the standard milk and bread also sells locally produced foods and books.
The menu is quite large for such a small place, but having already eaten lunch, I only ordered a small pork sandwich. The two friendly attendants pulled a hunk of pork out of the display case, chopped up a good amount and piled it on a large plain sandwich bun, then poured on a little sauce, joking with each other the whole time. I took my order to the checkout counter, paid and was on my way.
The meat was fairly moist, having just been chopped. It had a little bit of smokiness but definitely needed more flavor of some kind. The sauce helped a little and it was a decent sandwich, but nothing exceptional. Although it was an interesting stop and I will return to try it again if I'm in the area, this time I found myself wishing I had just kept driving. Extra points for character, middle of the road food.
FOOD RATING: 2.5 OF 5
1 comment:
The pearl is simply good vittles
Wish it where closer to Gainesville
The best is a pork plate, collards and mac cheeze
Don't speed ASO is watching
The atmosphere is classic southern
Yall stop by you hear
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