It was time to expand the cuisine to a new ethnicity, so for this week’s Dining with Dad, we went with some good German food from Hofbrauhaus. I knew the kids aren’t really into brats or sausage, but I thought they might like some of the other options that German food has to offer. They saw the fermentation tanks outside and were a little nervous about the choice, thinking it was another distillery option. They don’t let me forget how much they didn’t like the food there!

As soon as we went inside they were getting very interested. Alex headed straight to the gift shop and started looking around while we waited to speak to the host who was cleaning the front door as we walked in. Alex came out of the gift shop saying he was definitely going to get something after we eat (but he didn’t).

We had reservations for 5:30 but I was able to get off work earlier than expected so we headed on down. We arrived right about 5 so it was still early enough that the place was pretty empty. Getting there early meant we had plenty of time to enjoy the happy hour prices as well! They have 0.5L beers for $4 so I went with their Original Lager to start.

After getting our drinks, we took a look at the appetizers, both on the happy hour menu and the regular menu. The kids immediately gravitated towards the soft pretzels. I really wanted to try the Reuben balls myself. We had decided on those two and Chloe was saying that she already wants to have this as a “rewind” so she can try the potato pancakes. As I was telling the server our two choices, I noticed that there was a sampler that had all 3 of the appetizers we wanted plus fried pickles which by now you know the kids love. It was as if they created this sampler just for us! How could we not get this?? Chloe’s favorite was the potato pancake, dipped in the apple sauce so I’m glad we switched this up. Alex and mine favorite were the reuben balls.

We decided to take our time and not rush so we didn’t put in our entree order until after we finished our appetizer. This slow pace gave me time to enjoy yet another brew as well. I knew that I wanted to try the Oktoberfest since it was a seasonal and won’t be around forever. As with the lager, it was very tasty!!

Chloe knew that she didn’t like sauerkraut or brats but didn’t want to settle for her normal safe chicken tenders and fries which they do have there. I’m glad that she didn’t settle for her go-to and wanted to get something else. Knowing that she doesn’t like sandwiches and wasn’t thrilled about the pork options, I wasn’t sure where she’d land. She ended up finding the Dunkel Bourbon Salmon. I was a little worried about this simply because the last time she had a bourbon sauce she didn’t like it, but this time was different. She loved it, especially mixing it with the mashed potatoes. She gave me a bite and I must say I agree it was fanstastic.

I knew that Alex would venture out and try something he hadn’t had before. He was asking about a couple things and I didn’t know what they were exactly and had to look it up. He ended up going with the Bavarian Jägerschnitzel. I had looked at the menu before I went and had my eye on that dish. I was very glad he chose it because that meant I got to try it and get something else for myself. He liked his meal as well. He let me have a bite and after tasting that, it’s definitely what I am getting when I go back! The bacon and the schnitzel tastes so well together, along with the onion straws! Yummmm.

I’m the one exception in the family and I in fact DO like brats! I also wanted to try the schnitzel as I’ve never had that before. Sure enough, they had something just for me. I went with the Munich Sampler which had both the things that I wanted, plus some sauerkraut. While it wasn’t as good as Alex’s, it was a very good dish and I’d have it again if I weren’t getting the Bavarian Jägerschnitzel next time.

As you can see, I only had about 1/3 of my Oktoberfest left when our meals came out. We still had time left in happy hour so I went back to the $4 biers and ordered the Hefe Weizen. I’m not sure which drink was my favorite so I may have to go back and try them all some more so I can report back. =)

We were all stuffed so we ordered dessert to go. Because of this, there’s no pictures and they got eaten when we got home before I could do so as well. Both Alex and Chloe got the Bavarian Cream Puff. I had a bite of it and I liked it better than Schmidts. So if you’re a fan of Schmidts, you may want to try Hofbrauhaus.