Hey, another Buckeye! The last time I went to German Village (about a year ago) it was the same as when I was at OSU (I left in 92). There are several Schmidt's in Columbus. I've only been to the one on Henderson Road. Schmidt's sells their bahama mamas at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, which I never miss. The only other place I know in German Village is the original Max & Erma's (which is really great).

The best Oktoberfest (outside Munich, of course) is in Cincinnati. Some people prefer the calmer Covington version. I think the Cincy Oktoberfest is the best. Big enough to be a great party, small enough to not feel overwhelmed or unsafe. Mmm I can almost taste Izzy's potato pancakes.

I saw someone mention Black Forest Inn, one of my favorite restaurants when I lived in Cincy. What happened to their saurkraut balls? They used to be so delicious, last time I had them they were really lame.

By the way, all of Cincinnati's street names were German before WWI.

Sorry...one more.

Veruca:

Thanks for the info. I left OSU long before you...I did not know that there were more than one. And Max & Erma's was the thyer restaurant I couldn't remember.

And...I just remembered I have an ancient aunt in Cincinnati. Sounds like a good place to crash during Oktoberfest.

Thanks again.

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is September 16 and 17, I believe. See you on Fountain Square!

Check out www.gccc.com/oktofest/oktfest.htm for information on Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. Definitely the one of the best free parties going! I never miss it.

To Veruca: The Black Forest still has their wonderful sauerkraut balls. I get them first thing, when I arrive at Oktoberfest or their restaurant!

I LOVE German food! Am in Minneapolis now and still trying out all of its German restaurants--don't bother with the Black Forest. Here are a couple favorites out of town...

If your in the Portland (Oregon) area try Der Rheinlander or its "pub" style other half Gustav's. Very good jaeger schnitzel, wiener schnitzel, fondue und rotisserie.

Also, can't remember the name, but there was a German restaurant on one of the major freeways in San Diego that served a killer sacher torte.

Nora: I'm from Milwaukee, but that city has already been covered!

In Washington, DC (my current home), the most popular German restaurant is Cafe Berlin, on Capitol Hill very close to Union Station. Another place with very good German food in Upper Georgetown is called Old Europe.

If you are ever in Hawaii, go to the Swiss Haus. http://www.starbulletin.com/2000/12/...es/story2.html Yeah, yeah, it says "Swiss" not "German" but you asked for "German style!" Freddie is the BEST!

Both Karl Ratsch's and Mader's are very good German Restuarants, but my favorite is John Ernst Cafe. Gary, I was there recently and it is still #1 as far as I am concerned.

Philadelphia also has a centuries old German heritage; we even have a Germantown which was a separate German settlement in William Penn's time. (However, that neighborhood is not German now.) The Blue Ox Brauhaus in Fox Chase (N.E. Phila) has incredible authentic German food and the Austrian Village just a few blocks further up in Rockledge has cheaper German eats that seem to satisfy a fun crowd whose first language is definitely German. I'd also recommend the Pennsylvania Dutch country--Lancaster and so forth--as that "Dutch" is for Duetsch, not Netherlandish.

There are some real good German restaurants in the Western Chicago suburbs and some on the North side too- better than Berghoff's. There are a couple Chef Klaus locations in the Southwest suburbs that are excellent. We also have some very very good German and or German/Polish cooking in the western burbs, especially Berwyn area. The restaurant Mablanka near 79th and Cicero Ave. is terrific.

Last year we attended Germanfest at the Milwaukee lake front and they had excellent German dishes and authentic dancing groups. It's not as attended as Milwaukee's Italianfest- but it was well worth the drive. Food was very varied and delicious.

Mexicans then Germans were the highest immigrants to Texas. Most Germans settled into the Hill Country near Austin and spread toward Houston. YOu can find a number of good German cafes/restaurants there. In Dallas, Kuby's and Black Forest Bakery/Cafe come to mind.

The Edelweiss in Staunton, VA. I've eaten in Germany and the food here is the same as I ate in Berlin.

OK- I know this isn't travel related but just a note of interest. I saw an article in the paper a few years ago on the "average American" based on statistics. More Americans (I believe it was around 40%) claimed some German heritage than any other ethnic heritage.
I guess there should be German restaurants everywhere in this country.

Another German restaurant to try in Wisconsin: Essen Haus in Madison.

Excellent! Great atmosphere with beer mugs hung all over and on the weekends they have live music. Wonderful warm pretzels!

Is Dinkle's Bakery still on the north side of Chicago? Mader's was our favorite when we lived in Chicago. It made traveling to Milwaukee a treat. We were at the Berghoff about a year ago and felt it's suffered since about 15 years ago. Hope it was just that one night because it was an institution in Chicago. And, the Old Europe in D.C. is good as well.

Hello,

when I visited the US for the first time my uncle who lives in the Catskills picked me up at JFK and took me to a place in N.Y.City called Heidelberg. Sorry, I can`t remember where it was exactly. He thought it would be great fun for me...but, honestly coming straight from Germany I refused to eat there. But I had a chat with the lady who owns it and she was German (from Stuttgart) and the menu really looked authentic( Sauerbraten, Kloesse, Spaetzle etc.)
I also had a look at the menu of the "Old Heidelberg" in Hollywood near Ft.Lauderdale last Christmas and they offered everything you`ll get in Germany for a Christmas dinner, plus real German wheat beer! They have a store, as well, where they sell German sausages and other stuff. I can`t recommend it, because I wouldn`t buy German products when I´m on vacation, but it maybe good.

Miriam

One of my favorites is Zum Stammtisch on Myrtle Ave, in Ridgewood, Queens, NYC. It's a nice, old-fashioned, neighborhood, German, family restaurant that's been there forever (since there was a German neighborhood there, I guess). The food is great, wonderful dumplings and sauerbraten, duckling roasted to perfection, steak tartare (my mother's favorite), schnitzels and wursts, etc., beautiful strudel and cakes, selection of German beers on tap, nice German wines. I am amazed that they are still there after so many years, as most of these old neighborhood places have vanished. Very good food for reasonable prices. The last time I was there was several weeks ago. We went on a family outing to the photography exhibit at Brooklyn Museum of Art, and had dinner at Zum Stammtisch afterward (the only reason my mother's husband would agree to go to the exhibit), and the food was just wonderful. The place was very busy, people waiting for tables. It's a bit of a hike to get there, unless you live nearby, but well worth the effort.

I didn't read all the responses so I'm not sure if this restaurant was already mentioned, but we ate at an awesome German restaurant in Winterpark, CO. It's called Gasthaus Eichler. Fabulous German beer and food!

THE BLACK FOREST INN IN STANHOPE,NEW JERSEY IS WORTH THE TRIP .THE FOOD IS TERRIFIC.

I love a place called Rudi Lechner's in Houston, TX. I eat there about once a week. It i svery authentic and very good!