Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh

As part of pre-wedding celebrations, I got into Pittsburgh last night and a group of us went to Hofbrauhaus for dinner and drinks. The restaurant is situated into three sections: A quiet room, outdoor seating, and the large dining hall. We chose to eat in the dining hall to be a part of the singing and drinking festivities.

The beer I drank all night was the Hofbrau Dunkel. The color is a dark amber. The aroma hints at the barley used with a sweet undertone. It has a malty taste with hints of caramel. The after taste is toasted. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I enjoyed this beer so much that I ordered two liters of it for our dinner. The picture above it the beer in the signature 1-liter glass.

For dinner we started with the soft pretzels with bier cheese and sauerkraut balls. Both were excellent. I ordered Wurstlteller, which is a sampler of mettwurst, bierwurst, and bratwurst. On the side was German potato salad and sauerkraut. The food was absolutely fantastic and extremely filling.

I enjoyed my first visit to Hofbrauhaus in Pittsburgh. I highly recommend that you make a visit to stand on the benches and sing along to the German polka band that plays every night. It really is quite the fun atmosphere and experience.

WMD

So for dinner tonight, my buds and I whipped up our recently named Weapon of Meatball Destruction (WMD)(Patent Pending). To make this sandwich monster, you start with a nice piece of Italian bread. The end is preferred as it does not allow any items to fall out. You lay our three to four Friday's mozzarella stick. Next, you lay down some McDonald's french fries over top of the cheese sticks. Finally, cover the fries and sticks with meatballs and marinara sauce. The result is amazing. Feel free to thank me when you try it.

Heidelberg and Das Boot

While in New York City, my buddies and I stopped in at Heidelberg restaurant. The draw for this restaurant is being able to drink out of a boot, also known from the movie Beerfest as "Das Boot." A picture of the boot can be seen below, with my boy Jeff peeking out from behind it.

From 04-18-09

I had my boot filled with Hofbrau Oktoberfest (appropriately). The beer was excellent and by the time you get through 2 litres of beer, the alcohol begins to kick in. The experience with the boot is very cool. Note that we decided not to chug out of it since it was more of a restaurant setting. However, I did make sure to spin the boot to avoid the bubble.

From 04-18-09

For dinner I ordered smoked bratwurst, with sauerkraut and potato salad. The meal was phenomenal, and I was most impressed with the potato salad. It's consistency was similar to lumpy mashed potatoes, but had a taste of vinegar. I could eat a whole plate of those alone.

Next time you are in the city, I highly recommend you check out Heidelberg. However, bring $20 in cash for a deposit on the boot, which is returned provided you return it to them unbroken.

White Castle

Today after helping my boy Matt coach his girls' soccer team (beautiful weather ,btw), we stopped at White Castle on the way home for lunch. Working out all morning definitely increased my hunger, and the food definitely satisfied. I ordered a #1 (four burgers with fries and a drink) with cheese and two jalapeno burgers. Amazing. 

In-N-Out Burger

From Day 4

While in Las Vegas, our group checked out In-N-Out Burger. Some of the group had been there previously, but many, like myself, had not. On first arrival, I was amazed at how busy the place was.

From Day 4

It took about 5 minutes to order, and about 15 minutes to receive the food, but it was totally worth the wait. I ordered a Number 1, which is a Double Cheeseburger with fries and a drink. It came "Animal Style", which has Thousand Island dressing.

From Day 4

The burger was fantastic. I think the best part of the burger is that the ingredients are fresh, especially the onions. The burger was juicy, greasy, and very tasty. As for the fries, I thought they were underdone, which seemed to be a consensus of the group. The people who had been there there before said that the fries were excellent, so for this visit I will blame the massive crowds. All in all, the food was excellent and I plan to visit again.