Sure, sure, sure Oktoberfest is traditionally celebrated in September. But, whatever. It’s October, so what better time to be transported to Bavaria and celebrate Oktoberfest.
With this in mind, I sent out a group text to some friends informing them of my need for beer, brats and Bavarian frivolity. On a perfect October day, gray and rainy, we headed to Brat From Deutschland, a Bavarian-style restaurant tucked into a strip mall just off Highway 204 in Lake Stevens. The address is 512 91st Ave. NE, Lake Stevens
The minute you walk into Brat From Deutschland you feel like you’ve been transported to Germany. You’re practically handed a beer stein as you enter, the polka music gently bubbles in the background and blue-and-white checkerboard flags ring the top of the walls.
A young man named Chantz talked me into a beer — OK, I didn’t need much convincing — and suggested I try Progusta, a German IPA.
He poured me a bright orange-colored beer in a tall stein and I took a seat at one of the stools and bellied up to the L-shaped wooden bar that hugs the outside of the dining area.
The dining area at Brat From Deutschland is rather cozy. If more than a dozen customers crowd in at once, you might find yourself sharing strudel with a stranger.
While I waited, I sipped my beer, which was floral and hoppy, and studied the German map in the corner of the room. The map is sectioned out into the 16 different states — Lower Saxony, Thuringia, etc. — that make up Germany and is dotted with brightly colored tags and some German Deutschmarks pinned at the top. The brightly colored tags represent where Brat From Deutschland customers have visited or lived.
After a while I leveled my focus a bit to the right and took in the glorious menu. It’s not complicated: Split into Sides, Wursts and Schnitzel, the main menu at Brat From Deutschland is about what you’d expect from a place that believes in the power of the brat. There are also authentic German-style rolls and pretzels at the cash register to grab to, you know, wash down all that wurst.
I heard the door open and my two friends waltzed in. I half-expected them to be wearing traditional alpine hats and lederhosen. Unfortunately, that gift from the comedy gods eluded me.
They both asked about the beer on tap and Chantz gave them a rundown. Brat From Deutschland keeps on a tap a number of authentic German beers, including Raderberger Pilsner and Schofferhofer Hefeweizen, as well as a selection of beers from Marysville’s 5 Rights Brewing. 5 Rights’ authentic Bavarian Hefeweizen and Righteous Indulgence Altbier were both on tap and one of my dining partners grabbed a big stein of the altbier. It was dark and delicious.
We then started to decide on what to eat. Before my friends arrived, I told a couple that this was my first time visiting and quizzed them on what they thought I should order. Their reply in unison: the schnitzel sandwich. So that’s what I went with. My buddies decided to get the classic bratwurst and the knockwurst, choosing them over the weisswurst, stuffed with lemon parsley pork sirloin, and thuringerwurst, mostly pork with caraway and oregano.
Then we decided to get a bunch of sides. We got the eins zwei fries, basically potato wedges, fried pickles and the liverwurst, much to the chagrin of my friends. We also wanted to try the spaetzel, an authentic German egg noodle dish. Chantz said they didn’t have any fresh, but he’d make some.
One of the great things about Brat From Deutschland is the number of specialty dishes they put on. At any given time, the menu could have truly authentic Bavarian meals like stuffed cabbage, rouladen, a German meat dish akin to meatloaf, jager eintopf, like a German shepherd’s pie, and Schillerlaken, an Austrian cream pastry.
Served on a homemade roll, the schnitzel sandwich was made up of two giant chicken cutlets rolled in breadcrumbs and cane with homemade sauerkraut on the side. The chicken was crispy yet moist and the roll provided a nice kick of extra salt at the end. It was as good as promised.
The wursts are hand stuffed and served in a roll. Our favorite was the brat, which was simple and tasty. The knockwurst was also good, especially dipped in one of the varieties of homemade mustard provided.
The fries and pickle were solid options, but it was the liverwurst that was the showstopper. Expectations were low, but the liverwurst, served alone, delivered. When I think of liverwurst I think of bland bologna. Not so here. Brat From Deutschland’s was tender and full of flavor.
Chantz then dropped some spaetzle by our table. He just whipped it up and it was easy to tell how fresh it was. With the butter melting right into the small bed of noodles, we gobbled it up and thanked him for the extra effort.
As I looked at the nearly finished feast in front of me, I had one simple question. “How do German people not weigh 500 pounds?” I asked my buddies.
“They dance to this polka music a lot,” said one of my buddies.
Sounds like a party, say an Oktoberfest.
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