Critic's Review
About a year ago they rebranded this place from "Cafe" to "Off the Grill". I was so excited about it that I didn't bother to update it until now.
I felt like a bagel, so I ran over at about 10:30a thinking that I might see venue that has been re-thunk. But the place is exactly the same as it has been for 10 years.
What's totally moronic is that they don't even have their breakfast menu above the counter anymore. How much is a bagel? I had to get a menu to find out what they had. But they only had 2 bagels left; a multigrain and some sort of raisin bagel. I didn't want either of those, and I didn't really want any of their coffee without a bagel.
So that's my review. I came here for a bagel and they were out of just about everything.
Review 4/3/2015
On Good Friday, downtown is a ghost town, with all of the banks closed for the holiday. The market is also closed, so my late morning routine was broken. A good day to wander out for some breakfast.
When I first moved here I used to go out every morning and buy coffee and a newspaper, and every now and then I'd stop in Offerdahl's. I prefer Starbuck's coffee, but this is the only place you can get a fresh bagel. Today I was having a full breakfast here for the first time.
Memories came back quickly as I placed my order. The menu is confusing. I ordered the 'Egg Scrambler', which I assumed was a bowl. From the menu I thought everything was mixed together (like a Denny's Skillet), but I had to order the sausage separately. It comes with a bagel; I got a sesame with butter.
The advertisements show a cool ceramic cup, but you just get a paper cup, even if you're eating in. This place uses the form of fast-casual that was used before someone figured out the Big Number or Beeper methods. They take your name and yell it out when your food is ready.
Coffee is self-serve. They have a bunch of flavored coffees; the standard vanilla and hazelnut. Nothing very interesting.
The thing I like least about the place is the cheap furniture; it just seems like bad patio furniture. Very lightweight and not very sturdy.
The big annoyance today was that there was some sort of easter egg hunt going on, and there were swarms of kids running through the restaurant looking for hidden eggs. Music is downright weird; Lionel Richie, The Sylvers "Boogie Fever". It didn't fit the crowd or the staff.
I hear someone yelling something; I can't quite make it out. Since there are only 3 customers I figure there's a good chance it's mine. The have real silverware as well as the plastic stuff, which you fetch from a station next to the coffee.
I was still expecting a "scrambler" to be something other than a plate of scrambled eggs, but it wasn't.
I never order scrambled eggs, because they're usually a mess and you never know if you're getting real eggs. But these were actually nicely done.
The bagel was cut unevenly and also toasted unevenly; It's important to cut a bagel exactly in half when you're toasting it with a toasting machine.
The sausage was lousy; not as good as the frozen stuff I buy in the supermarket. All in all, an OK breakfast for $10, no tipping.
Conclusion
I've never been a huge fan of Offerdahl's, but if you want a bagel and you don't feel like walking over to Einstein's this is the only reasonable choice. It's not too expensive, and very average in every way.
Review 4/19/10
Offerdahl's is a chain started by ex Miami Dolphin John Offerdahl. Its evolved over the years into a decent breakfast and lunch place, as well as an alternative to Starbuck's. Its a pretty nice place, if you don't mind green.
My first experiences with Offerdahl's weren't good. I do like the coffee. I used to go in for bagels, which you can get toasted. They charge .75 for cream cheese, and gave me so little that I stopped going in for a long time. If you're going to charge for cream cheese you'd better give enough to actually taste it. Now you can buy an 8 oz. tub of plain cream cheese for $2.49. They charge .94 for 1 bagle, but $2.49 for a "cream cheese sandwich". They really have a high opinion of their cream cheese. I guess you're supposed to buy a bagle and a tub of cream cheese and keep it in your desk or something.
They've completely changed their lunch menu; they used to just have "bowls" and "chops". The chops are gone, and only the fiesta bowl remains. They also have salads and sandwiches. The large fiesta bowl is enough for 4 lunches if you are a moderate eater; Its mostly rice underneath so I just scrape the top and get 2 meals out of it.
Enter another one of my peeves with Offerdahl's. The menu on their web site says its $7.49 for a small and $9.29 for a large. But at the store its $7.95 for a small and $8.95 for a large, which makes it pretty stupid to get a small unless you're tossing what you can't eat. The large is certainly worth the price, but the inconsistencies of their policies grate on me on a regular basis.
Their web site says they're open until 8pm, but they are shut down before 6pm. They've removed their hours from the glass next to the door. More shady policies that tick me off.
