It sounds like the perfect Easter Sunday lunch combo to the GLOB Master. Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille pork tenderloin medallions topped with portabello mushrooms, cracked black pepper sauce, a big splash of smashed potatoes, fresh al dente baby green beans, and watch the Mighty Gators try to beat the University of Michjgan Wolverines to advance to the NCAA College Basketball Division 1 Final Four. I love the Harry's Menu. The seafood entrees are wonderfully seasoned and cooked perfectly. The Cajun casseroles of Jambalya and Red beans and rice are unrivaled in the GLOB Master's opinion. The secret prize on the menu is the aforementioned pork tenderloin. Cooked wonderfully tender, this other white meat selection in a land of fish and crustaceans needs your serious consideration. Some GLOBers would call this a hearty lunch, others would call my Easter dinner a working man's lunch of meat and potatoes. The GLOB Master is calling the Harry's PTM's meat lover's paradise. The GLOB Master really got into enjoying his Easter Lunch., the Gator game not so much

- Mike Sanfod, GLOB Master

Harry’s: A long time personal favorite

By Mike Sanford, GLOB Editor

Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille has been one of my favorite restaurants for over 10 years.

There I've said it.  I'm staring at the horns of a dilemma here.

When I started this blog idea, my objective was to be journalistically correct by being impartial, fair, and objective about the restaurants I write about.

I can't do that in this GLOB entry -- I enjoy Harry's and the zillion of memories floating around the great old historic building in downtown Gainesville where Harry's lives.

All right, so I go to Harry's a lot. I go so often I'm surprised there isn't a seat emblazoned with 'Mike Sanford, Favorite Customer'. And there are many good reasons why Harry's is at the top of my list.

At Harry's they fry their seafood just like my daddy did -- using an egg wash so the cracker meal and spices create a light coating on the shrimp, oysters and fish. The result is a lightly crusted, golden brown, supremely tasty morsel from the sea that makes me smile just thinking about it.

For the late lunch GLOBers there is a Happy Hour special every day from 2:00-7:00 p.m. with drink specials and an early bird menu. In this professional's eaters point-of-view, there are no better chicken wings in town. 

When you order their chicken wings, tell them you want them the Mike Sanford way: blackened, extra crispy, tossed in hot sauce. You can't beat 'em.

An important plus at Harry's is a staff of customer friendly folks that make you feel special. They are attentive, and supremely professional. Sebastian, Jessica, Colin, and Steve always make me feel welcome.

Remember the TV theme song that had the line, 'Every one knows your name?' Well people are not just names at Harry's. Long time patrons Bob and Jane, The two Pams -- either one of them --, the Alachua County government I T guys, a professor here, professional there, are all nice people with interesting opinions they like to share.

So do you see my dilemma?

Everything about Harry's makes me smile. How do I hide that glee in a shroud of objectivity and impartiality when I'm trying to convey to you what I think is a very special place for lunch?

All the food groups are right in front of you. Rice, beans, veggies, citrus, proteins, starches. The only thing this mage is missing is the Trinidad Green Sauce that I dollop generously on my Harry's Hand Held Fish or Shrimp tacos, blackened or fried. Harry's toasts the taco shell slightly on the grill and then molds the corn tortilla into a perfect container for the glorious flavors of the ingredients previously mentioned. I have the same flummox every tome I order this entree. The Flavors are bold and dramatic, But I have to concentrate very hard to recognize either, or the fish or shrimp component in my tacos. The textures of these proteins end up alerting the GLOB Master that he is in fact eating a meatless lunch! This is an excellent lunch but I have to be honest. I doubt I would order these tacos if the Trinidad Green Sauce was unavailable . . .

- Mike Sanford, GLOB Master

The Harry's Seafood Bar and Grille 'Harry's Style' burger with bacon, caramelized onions, mushrooms, jack & cheddar cheeses is a really good hamburger. Nestled next to French fries the Harry's Burger fills your lunch plate with an extra large patty of excellent ground chuck is strategically embedded in the organized chaos of the juicy, savory flavors of bacon, onions, pickles, tomato, lettuce, mustard and catsup. This burger is so good that you don't mind the burger's juices and gooey goodness dripping onto your fingers. However I do try to remember, from time to time, to make sure I'm not wearing burger condiments on my shirt after lunch. One of the GLOB Master's better after lunch lines is pointing at the giant mustard stain on my shirt and remark, "I am saving that for a snack later . . ."

The Pluses and Minuses of Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille:

The Harry's + indicators: Did I mention the great blues and Cajun music that adds to Harry's New Orleans ambiance? It makes a trip to the rest room feel like walking into the largest set of walk-in head phones around. It's a perfect Harry's moment for me when I go to the restroom only to hear 'I love you baby, like my dog loves meat' is playing. Yep, that's one more thing that makes me smile about Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille.

The Harry's -  indicators:  Like all of the down town restaurants and shops there aren't any parking spaces available because all the worker ants fill the parking spaces up at 8:00 in the morning and never give them up . . .

Offer your GLOB comments, lunch photographs and opinions about Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille.  Please identify your opinions with a PLUS SIGN (+) for positive comments, and a MINUS SIGN (-) for your negative comments.  - THANKS!