Cary Parkway and Tryon Drive
Cary, NC
http://www.carybrats.blogspot.com/
Entrees: $23-27, though you can get just a bratwurst for cheaper
Disclaimer: I went to Bavarian Brathaus with a German friend who thinks it is fantastic and has tried many things on the menu. I think if I were a bigger lover of meat, I may have liked it more. Also, portions are large!
This traditional German restaurant, complete with servers in traditional dress and beer steins and flags decorating the indoors, is a very welcoming environment. The owners and several workers are actually German, which delighted my companion as she could speak her language freely. The outdoor seating area is gorgeous.
Inside, there is plentiful seating with an interior that feels both like a castle and a pub. We also lucked out and went on a day when they had a German band and dance troupe performing out front.
Nothing can put you in the mood better than that! I believe they aim to have musicians play at least once a month.
There is plenty of German beer to choose from for the beer drinkers among you, including sample portions. Not being a beer drinker, I ordered one of the King's Champagne Cocktails which, well, could have been better.
A basket of white and dark bread rolls, honey butter and tomato salad was served with all entrees. While the bread was nothing special, the tomato salad was delicious. Tomatoes, onions and parsley, I believe, were mixed in a creamy and oily dressing that was invitingly sweet.
I ordered the goulash and the huge chunks of stewed pork were very tender and served in a sauce with a nice, light flavor. It was a good, solid dish and came with a pile of spaetzle and a side of red cabbage. The spaetzle was tossed with chopped parsley that really added a lot to a normally flavorless, yet fun due to its spongy texture, pasta-like side item. The red cabbage surprised me, as I don't usually like it due to the convention of combining it with a lot of vinegar. This was not at all sour but rather a bit too sweet, with the flavors of added apple and cinnamon most strong. If not for the vivid purple of the dish, I wouldn't have known the cabbage was there at all.
My husband had Mama's Schnitzel, which was a veal schnitzel as their website indicates that they do not make pork schnitzel. It was topped with tomato sauce and a slice of muenster cheese, making it nearly identical to a chicken parmesan at an Italian restaurant. I actually liked it more than my goulash as it's hard to compete with breading, but due to our friend's rave reviews, I'd recommend trying one of the several other options that are more in line with German sauces.
I couldn't resist dessert, though I wish I had stuck to the more authentic apple strudel rather than trying the peach one instead. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and topped with sprinkles, the pastry was, of course, very flaky, but I think the peaches and cream cheese mixture made for too much heavy creaminess. It was a soothing dessert, regardless.
Jagermeister shots were ordered to finish off the evening. If it were just my opinion, I would rate the Bavarian Brathaus as a
but since I am not a beer drinker, nor a lover of meat-centric cuisine, I will take my companions opinions into consideration and call it an
Reviewed 6.20.09.
