MojoMan Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Bier, I'm assuming that this applies to you, My GF is German. I've had the usual German-American-type dishes. Sauerbrauten, red cabbage, potato pancakes, rosti, herring, weiner schnitzel, sausages, hassenpfeffer, sauerkraut, spaetzle. Truth be told, I'm not too impressed with any of it. Last night we sent to a pretty nice German restaurant on Capitol Hill. I wanted to try something I've never had before so I tried the Rahm Schnitzel which was served with spaetzle. She had a special of venison with rosti (the venison seemed to be braised in a red wine sauce/demi glace). Frankly, the food kinda sucked. I don't know what cut of veal it was but it was tough and gristly. It had a creamy mushroom sauce that was better than Campbells Cream of Mushroom but wasn't that much better. The spaetzle was soggy although had been exposed to a lot of butter. Her venison was OK. I tend to like strong flavored food...lots of ethnic stuff-Thai, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese. I also like French and Italian (both the NYC garlicky red sauce kind and the refined stuff you get in Italy). I appreciate fusion and other forms of fine dining. My take on German food is that it's heavy and kinda bland. No distinctive flavors or cooking techniques. Is this just the way it is (German food will be edible for me but not good) or are there some German dishes that you can suggest I try? My favorite German dish is the sauerbrauten/red cabbage/potato pancake dish if that helps. German sausages are fine but nothing I'd go out of my way to eat. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 (edited) the dishes you mentioned are the traditional german dishes. go north and south and you'll get different versions of it. it is hearty food that originated for an alpine, hunting, farming community and ingredients came from those regions. i don't see it as food that is going to blow you away. when you follow the german borders, you will see influense of those countries in the german food and will have more flare... the seasonings you find are mustards, hoersraddish, caraway, paprika, parsley, chives, thyme, cardamom. i think you just got a fatty cut last night. sounds like you got something like a jagerschnitzel (which is my favorite). i've had spatzle several different wasy and love using it as a side dish (i do more eclectic versions) and it sounds like it just wasn't done well.... how is the restaurant rated? perhapse it is not a good german restaurant.i really wouldn't consider german cuisine fine dining, but there certainly are amazing german fine dining in germany. you will also find austria and switzerland take major steps up in level of dining experience. i happen to really enjoy german food, but i tend to like it after a hard day of skiing. edit: i don't have any further suggestions on dishes, but might encourage you to try a few other restaurants. my favorite: jagerschnitzel/red cabbage/spatzle but have loved sitting out at the biergarten drinking my bier, macking on different sausage. Edited February 10, 2007 by Bier Meister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 .... anything Pork & Kraut i call German.......loin/ribs/brats........just love Kraut.... interested in what else Huddlers throw it on......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MojoMan Posted February 10, 2007 Author Share Posted February 10, 2007 the dishes you mentioned are the traditional german dishes. go north and south and you'll get different versions of it. it is hearty food that originated for an alpine, hunting, farming community and ingredients came from those regions. i don't see it as food that is going to blow you away. when you follow the german borders, you will see influense of those countries in the german food and will have more flare... the seasonings you find are mustards, hoersraddish, caraway, paprika, parsley, chives, thyme, cardamom. i think you just got a fatty cut last night. sounds like you got something like a jagerschnitzel (which is my favorite). i've had spatzle several different wasy and love using it as a side dish (i do more eclectic versions) and it sounds like it just wasn't done well.... how is the restaurant rated? perhapse it is not a good german restaurant.i really wouldn't consider german cuisine fine dining, but there certainly are amazing german fine dining in germany. you will also find austria and switzerland take major steps up in level of dining experience. i happen to really enjoy german food, but i tend to like it after a hard day of skiing. edit: i don't have any further suggestions on dishes, but might encourage you to try a few other restaurants. my favorite: jagerschnitzel/red cabbage/spatzle but have loved sitting out at the biergarten drinking my bier, macking on different sausage. Thanks for your thoughts bier. The restaurant, Cafe Berlin, is supposed to be one of the best German restaurants in DC although it wasn't veru expensive (high teens for an entree). The GF said it had really good German food (she'd been before) although she backed off when I pointed out how not great it was. Good to know. There's nothing wrong with German food but I doubt that I'll ever go crazy over it. I do love the German desserts though. YUM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Here's a great place near Chi. Bier, it's the one I told you about: http://www.bavarian-lodge.com/ Checkout the menu. Deeee-Lish!! I had the Duck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 looks good..... wish they were closer... employment sounds good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 I also really like the same sort of spicy interesting cuisines like Korean, Thai, etc, but I do have an appreciation of german food. Tends to be a high fat sort of cuisine, but when done correctly, can be more than just heavy stick to your ribs stuff. There is a place near me that is fabulous. Traditional sweet suerkraut but a red cabbage that is incredibly good. I simply can't find a red cabbage as tasty anywhere. Really good sweet/sour bite. Same goes for their varied sausages. VERY flavorful, better than most I've had on the several occassions I've been to Germany. No blood sausage, unfortunately. I've also had spatzle that was awful.... but it's all about the chef. This place does it right. If the mushroom gravy/sauce tasted like out of a bottle, it probably was. There is NO excuse for grizzly veal cutlets. Go to a pizza place and get veal parm, expect thicker more grizzly veal. In a good Italian joint, they buy better veal and more importantly, know how to tenderize it. Get the meat hammer out. Pound the crap outta that sucker. Never had German styled duck, but the pork dishes tend to be great in a good joint. The eastern parts of Germany have a French influence on their gravies, especially mushroom based gravies. It's all about the quality and the chef.... German cuisine can be really, really good. They also do awsome chit with apples for desserts. I'm curious what Bier thinks about this.... especially when it comes to veggies. I have found there to be great differences in potato and carrot quality. Might sound esoteric, but the difference in the taste of potato is quite remarkable at times. Some carrots are bland, others quite sweet and flavorful. Stews are very big in Germany, yet few, if any German restaurants in the US seem to offer it. I had some stews in Germany that were incredibly good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 German food is rather bland. At least the stuff I've had. I'm mostly German and had a grandmother who made it often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 rovers- a lot of veggies i've had in germany have been what i thought was overcooked and soggy. might be hit and miss quality of product. also a lot of those stews are coming over from hungary, czech, austria.... so restaurants might shy away from them. i know a lot of german places i've been offer goulash (which is hungarian) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 looks good..... wish they were closer... employment sounds good Bier, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 I have tried to enjoy German food on several occasions, but never managed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 Jaegerschnitzel (Hunter's Veal Cutlet) when done correctly is quite the treat. I like mine topped with an egg and capers. But like most have said, it's a working man's meal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 but have loved sitting out at the biergarten drinking my bier, wacking on my sausage. A little too much information bier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 A little too much information bier. you know you love watching bier and his brat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownsfan420 Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 I have one fond food memory of the 5 years I lived in Gemany as a kid. Maultaschen Eat it any time you get the chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJoTheWebToedBoy Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Jaegerschnitzel (Hunter's Veal Cutlet) when done correctly is quite the treat. Good Info here. I lived in Germany for 4 years and loved the food and wine. But with only one exception (In Madison Wisconsin) every "German" restaurant I have been to in the states doesn't even come close. Don't bother with American versions, the meat is of lesser quality, it tastes like the cook is getting his recipes from the "Betty Crocker's how to cook German" cookbook. Oh, and I'll say it out loud. You haven't had a real brat, until you have had one in Germany. The US version is just not quite the same. A bit watered down in flavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Good Info here. I lived in Germany for 4 years and loved the food and wine. But with only one exception (In Madison Wisconsin) every "German" restaurant I have been to in the states doesn't even come close. Don't bother with American versions, the meat is of lesser quality, it tastes like the cook is getting his recipes from the "Betty Crocker's how to cook German" cookbook. Oh, and I'll say it out loud. You haven't had a real brat, until you have had one in Germany. The US version is just not quite the same. A bit watered down in flavor. I agree, but there is that one place I mentioned in Mineola LI, called Rheinhardt's. The Brats aren't these tasteless things that american meat packagers produce, they are really good, and so is the knockwurst. I mentioned the red cabbage.... it's awsome there, but I can't find any near as good elsewhere. Having said that, I've never had a German potato dumpling that was edible. Even in Germany. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 That German Potato Salad recipe that Bier posted on here is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 That German Potato Salad recipe that Bier posted on here is awesome. unleash the hounds..........gotta get that......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 (edited) i'm not a big fan of mayo, so i often stay away from those items. but i do make some good stuff..... do you like german potato salad? 2 1/4 pounds medium-size red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 6 bacon slices, chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 1/2 cup white wine vinegar 1/2 cup water 2 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill Steam potatoes until tip of knife easily pierces center of slices, about 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Cover with foil. Sauté bacon in large skillet over medium heat until brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Discard all but 2 1/2 tablespoons drippings. Heat drippings in skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Whisk in next 6 ingredients. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Add potatoes to skillet and toss to coat with dressing. Let stand 3 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped bacon and fresh dill; toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer potato salad to serving platter. Serve warm looking back at this i'd slice my potatoes 1/8 inch.... and the times are approximations... bacon takes a little longer to crisp Edited February 19, 2007 by Bier Meister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 UDAMAN.....thanks Meister........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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