Thursday, February 21, 2013
First Bite First Bite: Viener Fest
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Thu, Feb 21, 2013 at 5:42 AM
I'll admit that while I was intrigued, I wasn't as excited as some Bites readers who've been all atwitter, including on Twitter. I expected something similar to Cori's around the corner, with a walk-up counter serving some of the best wurst if we were lucky.
I was very surprised when I first walked through the side door (after searching a while for parking) and discovered I was in a nicely decorated, tasteful room of a refurbished bungalow. There's a full bar that features a happy hour I haven't experienced yet and several rooms comfortably furnished with tables of various sizes. Currently, they are serving wine, liquor and high-gravity beers while they await a variance from the beer board due to their proximity to Centennial Park. It sure would be nice to have a pilsner with a wurst.
The menu is much more expansive than I expected, with a large selection of appetizers, soups and salads, sandwiches, sausages, main courses, spaetzle and desserts. I took advantage of a $5.99 lunch special, which included a drink, a sausage dish and a side item from a list that includes sauerkraut, apple sauce, french fries, spaetzle, German potato salad and more. Any of the the lunch sausages can be served on a roll, on German rye bread or stuffed into a baguette that has has the end sliced off. I decided on the European baguette-style.
At my server's suggestion, I chose the Kaiserkraner, a pork and beef sausage mixed with Swiss and Emmenthaler cheeses and seasoned with garlic, pepper and onion. The bread was warmed but not toasted and contributed a perfect chewy/crunchy cradle for the wurst. The sausage itself was delicious and juicy. I can't wait to get back to try some of the other options like the Currywurst and the spicy Debreziner.
I did not avail myself of dessert, but from the looks of the German Chocolate cake towering over the top shelf in the dining room, you'd better save a lot of room for one of those. Viener Fest is open Monday-Friday, from 11 a.m. until late, and on the weekends, brunch starts at 9 a.m. Willkommen!
Viener Fest
117 28th Ave. N.
(615) 730-5085
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