Somewhere between Labor Day and Halloween, New Yorkers need a last hurrah of summer before the weather turns cold and we have to start hoarding calories for the holidays. Well, danke, Oktoberfest!
The 16-day Bavarian holiday was originally instituted more than 200 years ago when Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese, and the rest of Munich was invited to join the festivities. As it spread to our fair city, it became the ideal excuse to chug a lot of beer, eat sausage and wear lederhosen. (You got a problem with that?) Here are some of our favorite Oktoberfestivities and Oktoberfest dishes around the five boroughs.
Best fancy-pants pork
On Oct. 17, for $80, DBGB (299 Bowery) is offering a three-course feast including sauerbraten, braised pork cheeks, and crisp pork belly, which will be paired with different beers. Plus, it has recently added a weisswurst, a polonaise and a Vienna sausage along with four Oktoberfest beers, to the regular menu.
Best Oktoberfest for uptowners
Those who live in the nosebleed section of Manhattan should rejoice in not having to trek downtown this Oktoberfest — they can check out some of the new nearby beer gardens. First up is Bier International (2099 Frederick Douglass Blvd.), which is hosting parties this weekend and next with music by the Oomphasters, and the crowning of a Harlem Oktoberfest Queen.
Harlem Tavern (2153 Frederick Douglass Blvd., above) did most of its official Oktoberfest partying last weekend, but the expansive outdoor space, with its menu of sausages and slaw, and collection of brews (including some very nice wheat beers) is still open for boozing business.
Best take on a soft pretzel
Sure, you can always go Times Square-style to the R Lounge at the Renaissance (714 Seventh Ave.) for a soft pretzel paired with Saranac Octoberfest ale or Saranac Pumpkin Ale. But Oktoberfest is also about pomp and circumstance, so head to Sigmund’s Pretzels (29 Ave. B) in Alphabet City, where pretzels are stuffed with feta or coated with caramel and nuts.
Best place to get sloshed
Calling the Boot — the two liter glass of beer in the shape of a leg that goes for $30 at Brooklyn Buschenschank (320 Court St.) —“a drink” is a little like calling Australia “an island.” Gird your loins before attacking the boot. You are guaranteed to have a lot of fun or a massive hangover before the night’s over. (We’re rooting for fun!) Through Oct. 7, Buschenschank is hosting DJs, giveaways, lederhosen contests and drinking contests, culminating in a pig roast and apple-pie bake-off.
Best spaetzle
The war for the best spaetzle in the city is over. Prime Meats (465 Court St., Brooklyn, inset) the German-inflected steakhouse, has won. Its spaetzle is served two ways: with gruyere and herbs, and with smoked haddock, beets and poppy seeds. It will make you wonder how french fries ever became the dominant starch in this country. The sauerbraten, weisswurst and bratwurst are also among the best in the city and one can try it all today when it has its Oktoberfest party in the backyard.
Best fest crossover
Mexican crossed with barbecue sounds like a stretch, so why not throw Oktoberfest into the mix? That’s what they’re doing at MexiBBQ (37-11 30th Ave., Astoria), where the craft beer spot will offer suds like Dogfish Head Punk’n — a brown ale with pumpkin and spice.
But possibly even stranger, Yotel (570 10th Ave.) is doing a Japanese Oktoberfest menu until Oct. 9th, for which they’ll pair a selection of Japanese beers with soft pretzels and miso mustard and kimchi empanadas with sweet sausage.
Best meatless sausage
Every group of friends has at least one pescatarian, one vegetarian or an all-out vegan who refuses to eat anything resembling an animal. Take them to the California sausage place Rosamunde, (285 Bedford Ave.) that opened in Williamsburg earlier this month.
In addition to the pork, beef and chicken goodies one would expect, there are three vegan offerings on the menu including a vegan apple sage sausage (above), an Italian sausage made with red wine, garlic and fennel and vegan kielbasa.
Best hipster happenings
Last weekend, Berry Park (4 Berry St.) hosted a Polka Brothers performance. Brooklyn Brewery (79 N. 11th St.) is serving its seasonal Oktoberfest beer. And Spritzenhaus33 (33 Nassau Ave.), serves up krainerwurst and bratwurst on a pretzel bun. But the Williamsburg venue that has truly gone whole hog for Oktoberfest would have to be (no surprise) Radegast Hall & Biergarten (113 N. Third St.), which through Saturday is offering a host of Oktoberfest contests, pig roasts, beer tastings and even brass bands. It also has the most authentic menu — featuring goodies like Biersuppe (beer and cheese soup) and Bavarian roast chicken.
Best Oktoberfest dessert
When you’ve gotten to the end of this long odyssey of food and drink, there is really only one dessert to have: German chocolate cake. And what goes with that? Why, beer, of course! Harold Dieterle’s Perilla (9 Jones St.) is offering a four-course $60 dinner every Monday in October — including beet salad, bratwurst, crispy pan-fried schnitzel and German chocolate cake. And everything down to the cake comes with a pairing. For dessert, diners will get a Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel (beer). Bet you won’t be able to say that by the time you stumble out!