After strolling through the new downtown farmers' market in San Leandro, we were hungry and ready for dinner. The logical thing would have been to eat at Meyers BBQ stand, where you can get huge hot dogs and teriyaki sticks - but for some reason Mika wanted to eat at The Englander, so that's where we headed. Other people seemed to have the same idea, as The Englander was buzzing last night - I heard they had to bring extra staff. In any case, it was a very warm day, so eating outside was very nice.
I wish I could say the same thing about the food. I love The Englander: the concept, the beers, going there to watch Argentina lose in the World Cup and the Americas cup, but the food just isn't very good. And last night was an example of it. Perhaps it wouldn't be so terrible, if it wasn't so expensive as well. Dinner (with one appetizer and no desserts) for three adults and two children came up to $84 after tip!
Kathy got the tri-tip plate ($11), and she was disappointed. The meat was tender but it tasted as it'd come out from a bucket of Lloyd's BBQ. She didn't like the coleslaw either.
I got the fish and chips ($12). The fish had a very thick batter which was undercooked, merging the fish with what felt like raw batter, it had a creamy, not pleasant, texture. The fish itself was unseasoned and had no flavor. The chips were OK, coated.
Mike did like his bangers, chips & beans ($14). The sausage was fine and the beans were good.
The onion rings we ordered (~$9), were grossly overpriced but otherwise good - they were a little bit on the brown side, but I loved their sweet flavor. The Englander makes some of my favorite onion rings in town.
Both kids got the Mac & Cheese ($5 each) - and the portion is large enough that I really should have ordered just one. They ate only a tiny bit of it, but they can be finicky so that doesn't mean much.
I have to say that at least the portions at The Englander are generous - as they should be for those prices.
As for drinks, Mike and I had cokes ($2.25 with refills), Kathy had a cranberry juice, which she didn't like at all ($3) and the kids had chocolate milks ($1.50 each), which they did enjoy.
Service was good and efficient, though the waitress was clearly busy.
I'm sure I'll go back to The Englander for the next championship - and the place is great for events - but I think I'll keep away from it until then.
