Harry's Hof Brau

Joining me for lunch today at a place she recommended was Shantel. We dined on the patio at Harry's Hof Brau. My idea of a Hof Brau was sloppy counters, meat, and grease everywhere. To the contrary, this establishment was clean as a snowflake. The service was best described as pleasurable. When you walk in, there is a large overhead menu and the folks at the carving station are happy to explain each of their dishes in addition to offering you samples of their various fresh meats.

I'm starting to think I'm losing my knack at making the right sandwich selection. For the second time this week, I believe I was bested by my lunch guest.


This is the incredible sandwich Shantel ordered. Constructed of Tri-Tip, BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, crispy onion strips, lettuce, tomato, and served on a fresh french roll. Once I saw this thing being erected I knew I had made the wrong selection. That's what I get for cutting in line. Now I know why they say "Ladies First".

Shantel rolling her eyes in bliss as she experiences extreme goodness.

I ordered the Roast Pork sandwich, with lettuce, red onion, tomato, and pepperoncini on a french roll. They offered to dip it in Au Jus sauce, and I was imagining them dipping the whole sandwich in Au Jus like an Italian Beef sandwich. Instead they dipped a millimeter of it in Au Jus, barely enough to stain the bread brown. Sandwich was dry, meat flavor was good. I used some of their house mustard that was available at our table, which helped out a bit. The star of the show for me was their decadent macaroni and cheese that I ordered on the side. Rich, thick, creamy and cheesy, with some crispy panko breadcrumbs on the top. It truly was everything Mac and Cheese should be!!

Kenzie was a little camera shy, her mama not so much.

Harry's Hof Brau offers an astonishing amount of tantalizing choices for your enjoyment. They have turkey legs, frankfurters, enormous enchiladas, and daily lunch specials. If you are in Livermore, and you love meat, Harry's Hof Brau should be your next lunchtime destination.

You can visit them online at:

http://www.harryshofbrau.com/

Or in Livermore at:

2491 1st St
(between Maple St & Mcleod St)
Livermore, CA 94550

Galvin's Market

A lot of my friends and loyal B Food Blog followers have been asking me lately how I'm able to afford going out to lunch everyday. Well, yes it does get expensive. So, I'm going to make an effort to eat on the cheap as much as possible, starting today. There is a beautiful park in San Leandro called Chabot Regional park. They have a small 9 hole disc golf course, in addition to hiking trails, and picnic benches. I decided to stop into Galvin's Market in San Leandro. This local meat shop offers homemade sausages, gourmet imported cheeses, wide selection of fresh fish, and also a full meat counter. Luckily for me they also have a small deli where they make sandwiches to go.

The selection was pretty standard, 4 types of bread, 4 cheeses, 7 meats, and standard produce options. When I asked my sandwich maker what their most popular sandwich was, he crinkled his forehead and acted as if I asked him to recite Pi in binary. So I rephrased the question and asked him which sandwich he makes the most, "oh, um, I guess the turkey". Great, so I opted for the turkey on a ciabatta roll with mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, red onions, and pickles.

When I viewed the finished product I was less than impressed. It looked like it was mostly fabricated of bread. I don't have a personal hatred of bread (or any food really), but I like my sandwiches to be well proportioned. Bag of chips, and a sandwich $6.75. Next I walked a block to the liquor store and selected a Hop Rod Ale for $2.99. My total was $9.74, ok so not terribly cheap, but it's a start right? Cheaper than usual.

When I arrived at the park there weren't any tables in the shade, but it was still early and not too hot yet.

So, I'm looking at this sandwich and I gotta tell you I'm not terribly excited to dig in.


First bite...and it's delicious. This ciabatta roll is a work of art, dusted flour on the top of the roll, tender with just the right amount of chewy.


The turkey is full of flavor, the produce fresh, the pickle chips are crunchy and surprisingly large. The provolone cheese is mild and creamy. Most times, I have a really good idea of what to expect when I order food. This time I was way off, and very pleasantly surprised.


I have the honor of recommending a Galvin's Market sandwich and definitely try the ciabatta roll.

You can visit Galvin's Market at:

1275 MacArthur Blvd
(between Bridge Rd & Estudillo Ave)
San Leandro, CA 94577