Prost! Oktoberfest at Redding Roadhouse

German charcuterie

I know what you're going to say, "Haven't you done enough celebrating of Oktoberfest this year?" Yes, it's been a stellar year for Oktoberfest celebrations, but I needed one more event to round things out.

Cue Redding Roadhouse. During our recent impromptu lunch at Redding Roadhouse we saw the flyer outlining their month-long Oktoberfest festivities. After enjoying our lunch so much we knew we had to add just one more German fest to this year's calendar. It just so happened that last Sunday they invited us to join a group of bloggers as their Oktoberfest guests.

For the entire month of the October, you can enjoy German fare and drink at Redding Roadhouse. There's a special menu of German favorites like wursts, schnitzel, and spaetzle. Plus, lots o' beer with flights of three German and US craft brews for $12.

When we arrived on the rainy, blustery Sunday afternoon the bar was hopping so ordering a beer while we waited for our table was a no-brainer. I chose a pint of Half Full Pumpkin Ale rimmed with cinnamon sugar. Brilliant idea!

Once we were seated, we started with some pretty intense charcuterie: head cheese, blood sausage and tongue, pastrami, wurst pate, cornichons and toasted flaxette bread slices (Fairfield Bread Company). Admittedly I'm not a head cheese fan, but I actually really liked the blood sausage and tongue. Surprised me on that one.

BACON!

Of course, who could resist an appetizer of house-cured, uber thick cut, crispy bacon? Not this gal. I could have eaten the entire plate myself.

Crunchy potato pancakes

Another great nosh was the kartoffelpuffers aka potato pancakes served with applesauce and sour cream.

Did I mention there was beer? Spaten Oktoberfest came next to my glass.

Burgoo - a German immigrant stew

Then the feast really started rolling, with a German immigrant stew called Burgoo. It was rich with meat "leftovers" and potatoes in a hearty broth. I've said it before but it bears repeating - peasant dishes are sometimes the best dishes. They give you comfort and warmth. This stew was a particular standout for me.

Another beer? Yes please!

More beer? Yes, please. This time it was Widmer Bros. Okto Festival. FYI: This was my favorite beer of the day.

At 4pm the Oompah band started up. As the beer flowed and the band played there was much smiling, laughing, singing and clinking of glasses.

Prost!

Zicke, Zacke, Zicke, Zacke, Hoi, Hoi, Hoi!

But, wait there was more food.

Sauerbraten - sweet, sour and amazingly tender

smoked bratwurst, weisswurst, brauernwurst
with red cabbage and sauerkraut

Buttery spaetzle

We tried wiener schnitzel, sauerbraten, spaetzle,  three kinds of wursts, red cabbage, sauerkraut and housemade mustard. Standouts were the amazingly tender sauerbraten and buttery spaetzle. Sauerbraten is a sweet and sour German-style pot roast and is one of my favorites. If you've never had it I highly recommend it.

More beer? Why, yes, please. The final beer the day was Oktoberfest by Thomas Hooker.

As a palate cleanser after all that beer and meat, they served a light, fresh salad at the end of the meal.

Rounding out an afternoon of decadence was a piece of apple strudel with vanilla ice cream.

The Redding Roadhouse Oktoberfest celebration ends on October 27th. Go there. Bring friends. It's a boisterous good time!

And, hey if you want to see even more photos from Redding Roadhouse Oktoberfest visit Local Food Rocks on Facebook.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. The meal was free of charge. The opinions contained herein are my own and reflect my experience. Your own may differ.


Redding Roadhouse
406 Redding Road, West Redding, CT
203.939.3388
www.reddingroadhouse.com
Facebook: Redding Roadhouse
Twitter: @reddingroadhous

Hours:
Oktoberfest ends Oct. 27th
Tuesday-Wednesday, 12noon-10pm
Thursday-Saturday, 12noon-12pm
Sunday, 11am-10pm Brunch starts at 11am

Photos by Renato Ghio