Schnapps and schnitzel

The way we conduct restaurant reviews at Metromix is hardly covert—flashbulbs  going off on every course, direct questions at the owners and feverishly scribbling on the notepad at the table—they know what we are doing. Does this give them ample chance to perhaps skew the meal in a more favorable stance than the regular patron? Perhaps. But it also gets the attention of those, let’s call them, civilian eaters. They see the camera, they see that two people have ordered enough food for six, and naturally they put the pieces together. With that, every civilian in the joint joins in the critique. Therefore what we lose in element of surprise we gain with honest customer input. In a recent trip to Café Berlin here is some of the table fodder we got from our fellow diners that wanted to chime in on the experience:

Diana from Florida: “My daughter lives here and every time we come to visit this is always where we eat.”

Cody from Denver: “I lived in Germany for four years and this is the best German food I have had since I left there.”

Jake from Littleton: “My grandpa was born and raised in Berlin and now lives in Colorado. Either he cooks for himself at home or he comes here. Period. He goes on and on that this is the only place in Denver you can find real German food.”

We love it when other people do our job—it makes life easy. But as Oktoberfest is upon us, it would be disrespectful to ignore the details.

Starting there, during Oktoberfest Café Berlin will be doing a special happy hour from 3-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri. with specials on food, and of course their amazing Oktoberfest brew. There will be German sliders (which are essentially schnitzel sandwiches) and specials on their brats.

The massive steins and the happy hour should be plenty motivation to stop in, but if you are there you would be fool not to sit down and dive into the menu.

Food: You could side dish your way into a coma, as the complimentary food almost garnishes more compliments than the main event. The potato pancakes, or Kartoffelpuffer in the native tongue, will make you scoff at any hash brown thereafter. Thin, crispy on the outside soft and warm on the inside, a topping of applesauce and sour cream gives it a sweet bite that could be enjoyed anytime of the day. The spätzle is a hearty staple on the German table, but Berlin adds their own epicurean twist on the traditional egg noodles with a shiitake mushroom cream sauce—stupendous, again.

The tomatensalat, fresh tomatoes marinated in parsley vinaigrette; and the gurkensalat, thinly sliced cucumbers in sour cream dill dressing, both are cool and smooth on the palate, tightening things up for the richer dishes to come.

Erbsensuppe, or split pea soup, might just be the perfect cure for the lingering wintertime blues. This critic is not particularly fond of split pea, but this could warm the belly all season long with no complaint.

Sauerkraut is not a topping, contrary to the ballpark mentality. It is a dish, and at Café Berlin, a damn fine one at that. Directly translated, sour cabbage, it doesn’t sound as appealing—that’s why we say it in German. The thinly sliced strips have the perfect balance of the vinegar from the pickling and the natural flavor of the vegetable.

On to bigger and better things, the Jägerschnitzel is a must. To move your mind away from association of “Jäger” and “Bomb,” jäger means “hunter” and this game couldn’t be sweeter: a breaded veal cutlet topped with a mushroom cream sauce. It inspired us to eat so fast it caused what my dining partner coined as “the meat sweats.”

The halbe ente is a little bit more approachable fare for those new to German cuisine—a half duck topped with a plum sauce, a favorable combination of the fatty fowl and the fresh fruit.

Be forewarned, the brats will spoil any backyard BBQ from here on out. Regular, veal or smoked, you can’t go wrong, it just depends on your preference and the dinner plate gives you a choice of two. The currywurst is another option: a brat topped with curry tomato sauce.

Vibe: More on the upscale side, this isn’t the mass Hoffbrau-like party haus. It isn’t stuffy though. The two-room area is small, reminiscent of an Eastern European tavern with a small bar offering only a few seats. Make reservations and you’ll be fine.

Drinks: You have to end the meal with schnapps. And no, we’re talking about the froufrou peach nightmare kind of liqueur; these are real schnapps with real bite.  The Stroh Obstler will clear your sinuses and the Dornkaat is a nice digestive as well. The Pflümli is a little bit lighter, as it is a plum-based schnapps.

There is a full wine list, but it’s Oktoberfest—drink beer. They have several variations on the Munich-based favorite, Paulaner, as well as Warsteiner pilsner.

 They come in big, bigger and black out; 1/3 Liter, 1/2 Liter and 1 Liter, respectively.

Bottom line: If we’re all Irish for a day on St. Pats, we all get to be German for a couple weeks during Oktoberfest, and there is no place more authentic in town than Café Berlin. Prost!