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A Caveat Harry's Hofbrau is a small chain (it has four locations) of restaurants featuring meats and side dishes in a cafeteria-like setting. There is a counter on one side where you place your order and get your food and drinks, with a cash register at the end where you pay. The menu consists of typical American dishes such as Roast Beef, Smoked Ham, Corned Beef, New York Pastrami, Pork Loin and Rotisserie Chicken. Side dishes include mashed potatoes, vegetables, and stuffing. There are also daily specials, which vary by the day of the week. Most dinners are around $10 and sandwiches $5.50. Vegetarians may find it hard to find something to eat other than sides or a salad. Mike had lunch at the Foster City location in the past and he said it was good for what it was, but that type of food rarely appeals to me so I never felt compelled to go there. Still, one Monday night in November 2004, I had a big craving for mashed potatoes, and we figured the San Leandro Harry's Hofbrau was as good a place as any to get some. The San Leandro Harry's Hofbrau occupies a couple of very large, nicely appointed rooms featuring booths and tables and lots of wood. Some of the walls in the front room feature framed pictures of old San Leandro, which Mike found interesting. The backroom has a large bar and a gas fireplace, and we found it pleasant to eat by it. Still, the place was so empty at that time of night (9 pm or so) that it felt a little weird. It was good for our 2-year-old, however, who can't stay seated for long. There was no one for her to bother. I ordered the Danish steak, one of the specials of the evening. This turned out to be a very thick ground-beef steak (reminiscent of meatloaf or Salisbury steak but thicker), covered with gravy and served with mashed potatoes. The steak tasted fine, though the gravy was a little bit too rich for my taste. The mashed potatoes weren't that great; they tasted as if they were out of a box, and I wouldn't go back here again if I had a craving for them. Mike got a corned beef sandwich which consisted of two pieces of bread and slices of corned beef. He was expecting it would include the standard condiments, but I guess you have to specify if you want them, as the sandwich was just plain. The meat was fine, and he liked it, but it would have been better with condiments. He also had macaroni salad which he found just OK, nothing special. We ordered a side dish of stuffing, which was very soggy and I didn't like. The portions were all very large and even though we were starving when we got there, we did leave food in our plates. For desert we shared a large slice of Boston Creme Pie ($3.25). This consisted of two layers of white cake filled with vanilla pudding and topped by chocolate frosting. ALL of it - the cake, the pudding, the frosting - tasted like out of a box, and yet it was strangely satisfying. I wouldn't order it again, but I might just make it myself some time. All in all, I would say the food is coffeeshop quality and nothing would compel me to go back, but I'd have no reason to avoid it either. Harry's Hofbrau 14900 east 14th Street San Leandro, CA 510-357-1707 http://www.harryshofbrau.com/