By
MIKE PETERS / Staff
Writer
04.28.2006
COME FOR THE
WURST? You're in
luck: At Bavarian
Grill, there's
plenty and it's
terrific. Order an
entree plate of
sausages – mix and
match bratwurst,
weisswurst,
knackwurst, smoked
brat and Nürnberger
– or order the
platter as an
appetizer for the
table and the
kitchen will slice
everything into
nibbles.
COME FOR THE
SCENE: That
doesn't disappoint,
either. The Alpine
decor charms without
ever becoming Disney
Bavaria. Waitresses
sport dirndls and
milkmaid braids; the
male staff runs to
shorts and
suspenders. Images
of the German
countryside sigh
from the walls,
which are also
decorated with
charming plates and
steins.
Steins at a
German restaurant,
of course, are no
mere decoration. The
staff will keep
yours filled and
busy, with toasts to
every birthday in
the house – and to
the day of the week
("It's Tuesday!
Prosit!"). A
stein club invites
regulars to test
their palates and
expand their beer
lists. More than a
dozen brews, a
thoughtful mix of
lights and darks,
are pumped from the
taps nightly.
But the party
isn't just for
adults: Kids are
welcome and catered
to by the staff.
MEAT OF THE
MATTER: Jäger
schnitzel is still
the star of the menu
– the pork is
pounded, breaded,
fried and served up
so big it flops off
the plate. The
cornflake-crunchy
breading is as
flavorful and
buttery as ever, but
there's still not
enough of the yummy
brown mushroom gravy
to slather all of
the meat.
Schweinebraten,
Bavarian-style pork
roast, was a hit at
our table. The
succulent meat is
served up in a
puddle of savory
sauce, the precise
reason that Gott
im Himmel
created caraway.
SEASONAL
SPECIALS: Roast
duck, a half-bird
rendered crispy and
delicately herbed,
was a delight with a
potato pancake and
spring vegetables.
The kitchen was less
together with
foil-broiled trout.
The centerpiece fish
was tender and
gloriously pungent
with green onions,
lemon and wine, but
the sides were
lukewarm if not
actually cool, a
disappointment that
was repeated on a
second visit a week
later.
On other
platters, sides were
uniformly generous,
hearty and served at
the right
temperature: tart,
al dente red
cabbage; a bread
dumpling that would
make any Middle
European kitchen
proud; creamed
spinach; and a lusty
herbed potato salad
served warm.
PARTY TIME:
It's possible to
go to Bavarian Grill
for a quiet evening,
but why sit far away
from that lively
German music? The
band can stretch
yodeling from art to
parody – sometimes
in the same chorus –
and you'll never
think of the
Sound of Music
the same way again
after you've heard
the Elvis version of
"Edelweiss." You may
hear the "Westphalia
Waltz" played with a
grand passion – or
the theme from
Hogan's Heroes
in a sly moment,
just to see if
you're paying
attention.
Birthdays are a
big deal here: Large
mugs of dark beer
really add a fuzzy
aureole of fun to
goofy hats and the
chicken dance. It's
a favorite
destination for
anniversary dinners,
too; fellow diners
here can always be
counted on to cheer
a waltzing couple on
the makeshift dance
floor.
THE POLKA
SACRILEGE:
Polkas, we're told
from the bandstand,
are sprightly tunes
in Austrian hands
but rendered
geriatric in
Bohemian dance
halls. But it's all
in good fun, and
before Czechs can
take much umbrage,
the band has the
good grace to
acknowledge that the
song we all know as
the "Beer Barrel
Polka" was written
by a Czech (Jaromír
Vejvoda, if it comes
up on Jeopardy).
So roll out the
barrel of fun!
SWEET
FINISHES: Apple
strudel, which has
an iconic reputation
here, seemed flaccid
on our visits. But
we were totally won
over by bread
pudding studded with
cherries and
drizzled with a
kirsch-kissed
vanilla sauce.
Food –
Service –
Atmosphere –
Published in The
Dallas Morning News:
04.28.06
