NYC Tastes

Saturday we returned to the annual Das Oktoberfest event at the La Venue space. They had 150 kinds of beer, schnapps and wine to choose from over the 5 hour period and food to buy on the side. I was psyched when I saw Schnitzel and Things had a table. I would finally get to try out their food! I know I probably should have gone for a schnitzel but the brat smelled so delicious I had to go for that. I don’t know how delicious the schnitzels are but my heart was pretty sold on the brat. It had a great deep smoky flavor and came with some seriously sour pickled slaw and a nice squishy bun. The fries were excellent as well with a just the right amount of salt and crunch. I started out with some Goose Island and Spatan, two of my favs, and then noticed something called the Bronx Brewery set up in the front. I tried a sample and was really blown away by the rich amber tone and bold but smooth flavors of caramel and toasted nuts. I also loved their sign and slogan. So muc...

This past weekend we had a ton of fun over on the west side with the Das Oktoberfest Celebration. The event was held in the La Venue space and they really did a great job of getting a lot of people inside without it feeling like a total madhouse. Those who opted for the VIP ticket had their own separate room off to the side with some special beers and an outdoor cigar smoking section. Each ticket included four hours of as much beer, wine and spirits you could sample and a plate of classic German fare. This was our platter loaded up with a wurst, frankfurt, brat, ham and bacon. The meats were pretty good. The wurst and frankfurt were my favorites but all of the options were quite tasty. Thank goodness because the sides were awful. The spatzle noodles were dry and hard with nothing resembling a creamy cheesy sauce. The side of schnitzel wasn’t very good either. My piece was just really bland but my friend’s piece was so undercooked that the center was raw! Yuk!! Luc...