The family-owned Hofbrau has been in business for 16 years, serving business professionals and blue-collar workers who crowd its rough-hewn dining rooms to load up on steak sandwiches and char-grilled ribeyes.
During a recent lunch visit, we seated ourselves at a table and awaited the attention of a busy waitress. The menu is a simple, one-page affair, with daily specials chalked up on a blackboard hanging on the wall.
Orders taken, we sipped iced tea and enjoyed the rugged atmosphere -- dark, cozy and masculine, with lots of neon beer signs, mounted trophy fish and deer antlers, and worn linoleum.
The chicken-fried steak dinner was excellent, with two large portions of meat that were tender and covered with a crisp, golden-fried batter coating. The cream gravy was thick, smooth and well seasoned.
Accompaniments included thick slices of potatoes and onions that were grilled to tenderness. The potatoes were good, but we would have liked a little more seasoning on them.
We had ordered stuffed jalapenos to go with our meal, and they turned out to be among the best we've had. The jalapenos were wrapped in a blanket of sour cream, then coated with bread crumbs and fried to a crunchy perfection, offering a savory contrast of bland and spicy tastes.
Our meal also came with a salad that seemed almost an afterthought, just a bowlful of chopped lettuce and sliced tomatoes coated with a thick ranch dressing.
And don't expect anything fancy in the way of bread either -- we were served two slices of store-bought bread, and a half-dozen crackers.
However, the entrees are all satisfying. A companion's fish sandwich was hot and tasty, and came with thick steak fries with the skins still on -- a nice touch.
Visitors enter via the narrow barstool-lined bar, then go on to the two adjoining dining areas. The walls are a green-and-cream painted stucco, adorned by the aforementioned beer signs, and an occasional poster.
Deep booths line the sides of one of the restaurant's two dining areas, and worn tables fill the remainder of the space.
Service was prompt and pleasant. The prices are great. This place is definitely worth a repeat visit.
Caller-Times restaurant reviews are written by a team of free-lance writers. The Caller-Times pays for meals. From time to time the writers revisit previously reviewed restaurants to update the information.
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