Cuisine type: American pub fare
Atmosphere: sports bar, pub
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 8
Nina
I made the rookie mistake of assuming that having my mother with me in the car (thus qualifying us for the coveted commuter lane) would ease the commute east towards Livermore in the afternoon, not realizing that the commuter lane vanished on highway 680 and would leave us stuck in the sea of cars for the better part of the drive. This brought us to the city of Livermore much later than expected, and well hungry for a delayed dinner.
Based on recommendations from Ben’s colleagues, we went straight for First Street Alehouse, a restaurant/pub with the setup of a classic sports bar, but more of a family dining vibe (smooth music as background for the muted TVs with sports). The place appeared indeed to be very popular, for on this Wednesday evening the waiting time for a table of 3 was about half an hour. We noticed the heating lamps on their patio and offered to sit outside, which got us a table right away to our relief. Unfortunately, from that point on it took 10 minutes (and almost as many passes of our waitress by our table without seeming to notice us) before we were even greeted and asked for our drinks order. I can blame part of the delay to how many people were in the restaurant and the permanently understaffed state of every California establishment we’ve been to, but I still think we could have at least received an acknowledgement and maybe even a “sorry for the delay, I’ll be with you in a minute” sooner than we did.
After nursing my Alaska Amber Ale for a while before having the chance to order, I wasn’t feeling quite as hungry anymore. We shared an order of spicy buffalo wings for an appetizer. The buffalo sauce wasn’t all that spicy, but it was served on the side, which allowed the deep fried wings to remain crispier when served and allowed for some freedom in choosing how much sauce you really want to eat with your meat. I also played around with combining the buffalo sauce with some barbecue sauce for more depth of flavor, but the barbecue sauce (if not both sauces) were store bought and fairly plain.
After an appetizer on the heavy side, I decided to go for a smaller entree, without compromising on taste entirely (so I wasn’t planning on getting a large garden salad). I went for the black and blue salad (steak and blue cheese) with blue cheese dressing. Aside from the lettuce (iceberg) which was plan and slightly watery, the rest of the salad was quite delicious. One thing is for sure - I was definitely glad I ordered the small salad, since the amount of meat, blue cheese and shredded/sliced veggies made for a satisfying meal. Oh, and I shouldn't forget a very important detail - they don't serve dessert of any kind, but instead offer a tootsie lollipop with every meal, a whimsical way of replacing a sweet offering on the menu.
This left me with the impression of a solid pub with well made food and a decent selection of bottled and draft beers, good happy hour deals and well made food. Also a good place to watch sports with family/friends, but only if you’re not too keen on actually hearing the commentary since the sound seems to be always off.
Based on recommendations from Ben’s colleagues, we went straight for First Street Alehouse, a restaurant/pub with the setup of a classic sports bar, but more of a family dining vibe (smooth music as background for the muted TVs with sports). The place appeared indeed to be very popular, for on this Wednesday evening the waiting time for a table of 3 was about half an hour. We noticed the heating lamps on their patio and offered to sit outside, which got us a table right away to our relief. Unfortunately, from that point on it took 10 minutes (and almost as many passes of our waitress by our table without seeming to notice us) before we were even greeted and asked for our drinks order. I can blame part of the delay to how many people were in the restaurant and the permanently understaffed state of every California establishment we’ve been to, but I still think we could have at least received an acknowledgement and maybe even a “sorry for the delay, I’ll be with you in a minute” sooner than we did.
After nursing my Alaska Amber Ale for a while before having the chance to order, I wasn’t feeling quite as hungry anymore. We shared an order of spicy buffalo wings for an appetizer. The buffalo sauce wasn’t all that spicy, but it was served on the side, which allowed the deep fried wings to remain crispier when served and allowed for some freedom in choosing how much sauce you really want to eat with your meat. I also played around with combining the buffalo sauce with some barbecue sauce for more depth of flavor, but the barbecue sauce (if not both sauces) were store bought and fairly plain.
After an appetizer on the heavy side, I decided to go for a smaller entree, without compromising on taste entirely (so I wasn’t planning on getting a large garden salad). I went for the black and blue salad (steak and blue cheese) with blue cheese dressing. Aside from the lettuce (iceberg) which was plan and slightly watery, the rest of the salad was quite delicious. One thing is for sure - I was definitely glad I ordered the small salad, since the amount of meat, blue cheese and shredded/sliced veggies made for a satisfying meal. Oh, and I shouldn't forget a very important detail - they don't serve dessert of any kind, but instead offer a tootsie lollipop with every meal, a whimsical way of replacing a sweet offering on the menu.
This left me with the impression of a solid pub with well made food and a decent selection of bottled and draft beers, good happy hour deals and well made food. Also a good place to watch sports with family/friends, but only if you’re not too keen on actually hearing the commentary since the sound seems to be always off.
Food 7
Drinks 9
Atmosphere 9
Service 6
Value 8
Ben
Probably the highlight of downtown Livermore, the center of first street with a constantly packed crowd filling the large alehouse and spilling into the tables outside. We arrived around 7 PM for dinner, were told the wait (for 3) would be 30 minutes. After inquiring, we found we could seat right away outside (which we preferred anyway, due to the great weather). The place has almost everything you could ask for in regards to beer and solid bar / comfort food, with some interesting twists on burgers / wraps. I was impressed to see the bavarian classic, Paulaner Hefeweizen on the menu, and went with that, some spicy buffalo wings, a chorizo smoked jalapeno tortilla soup, and a cajun chicken sandwich with pepperjack. The wings were breaded and fried (and tasty), though the sauces (buffalo and bbq) weren't homemade - really the only complaint I had to push this place over the edge (how difficult is it really to make your own sauces ..). The soup was pretty interesting and tasty (i finished it) and the sandwich was generous and flavorful. The atmosphere is a very lively and busy, with servers trying to keep up. Overall it's a fun place to get some good bar food and great beer from a huge selection.
Food 8
Drinks 10
Atmosphere 9
Service 7
Value 8
Drinks 10
Atmosphere 9
Service 7
Value 8
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