I got there just before 6pm and my wife didn't show up until at least 30 minutes later (which gave me an opportunity to have a half liter of Dinkel Acker Pils which was quite nice after a long day at work). It has a classic German taste to it that transported me back to Kassel with a medium hoppy finish that gave it some bite.After the wife arrived, we put in an order of Pommes Frittes with Curry Ketchup. They were little shoestring fries with just the right sprinkling of salt and drizzled with the ketchup which I've had many times before. It was just what we both needed: a quick snack to start the night off.
After the fries arrived, I ordered another beer, this time the Franziskaner Weissbier in its
lovely, curvaceous wheat beer glass (BTW, at Feierabend every beer arrives in its own branded glass purposefully shaped to maximize the flavor and aroma of the chosen brew). The Franziskaner has a yeasty, lemony fragrance and bold flavor and it goes down quite well.We ordered dinner: Die Frau ordered the Jägerschnitzel with Rotkohl and Spätzle while I wanted something different (I always order Jägerschnitzel when I can to compare it with my homemade version of the German classic) so I ordered the Kassler Ripchen (Smoked Pork Chop) with Sauerkraut and warm German potato salad. I quaffed my Franziskaner until we had finished up the order of Pommes.
Our entrées arrived and we started right in on them. I always sample the sides first, so I immediately tried the Rotkohl and Spätzle from my wife's plate. :) The Rotkohl was definitely overcooked as it was almost broken down into a purée of near baby food consistency. The flavor was alright, but the texture just really put me off. The Spätzle, on the other hand, was very good (though it was clear that the boiling water was under-salted). I rarely need to add salt to dishes, but this was one time where it was necessary.
Then Die Frau gave me a hunk of her Jägerschnitzel and it was pretty good (crunchy breading and flavorful sauce). Then, she exclaimed "These aren't mushrooms, what are they?" She put a piece of something that was in the sauce. It did NOT look like a band-aid to me, so I put it on my fork and tried it. It tasted like Landjäger (a German-style type of jerky-like cured meat you get at the butcher shop). I'd never seen such a thing in a Jäger sauce. Just odd, but it didn't stop me from eating all of the gravy-covered bits. :) This may be a variety of the sauce that I've never seen before, but the licorice nub toothiness was certainly distracting to the dish.
Then I figured it was time to stop mooching and dig in on my own entrée. I tried the Kassler Ripchen first. It was crispy on the edges and tender in the large part of the two nice-sized pork chops. The rich, smoky flavor was great and that first bite was like a little gift from Heaven. I tried a fork full of sauerkraut with the next bite of the steak and the sour flavor of the kraut worked very nicely together. The sauerkraut was a little over-spiced with caraway seeds, but not a fatal flaw to be sure.
As an American, I've always met warm potato salad with a healthy dose of skepticism; it just ain't right! However, I've come around to the idea a little in the past few years and the potato salad accompanying my dinner was satisfying and spiced just right. I liked the lightly cooked onions and the potatoes were cooked perfectly.
Mid-way through our meal I'd finished up the last of the Franziskaner Weissbier so I attempted to order the Einbecker Pils but apparently it had gone off of rotation. The waiter suggested the Reissdorf Kölsch 
which wasn't on the menu, and being a big fan of the variety, I readily agreed. Unfortunately, its taste didn't match up to my expectations. It didn't taste like any Kölsch I'd ever tried. It was really quite insipid and tasteless. I think that this may not actually be the case for two reasons: I'd had a very flavorful beer just preceding it and I'd been eating several dishes with a pretty high salt content, so this may have just been palate fatigue. I'll try it again at the beginning of a visit and see how it stacks up.We did order a couple of side orders of the Spätzle to go despite the lack of salt (you can always add that, right?), but it would be better if the boiling water was salted.
And one huge surprise was that there were no desserts on the menu. Even pubs have desserts available, so this was a disappointment. I suppose if they were poorly executed though, it's best to leave them off.
Parking was ample, but I could see that if you show up for Happy Hour while other nearby businesses are still open, you might have difficulties parking, but we had no trouble after 6 on a Friday.
Our server was excellent and very attentive to our needs (especially making sure I wasn't for want of something to drink).
Feierabend is located in the Cascade district of Seattle near REI. The address and phone are:
422 Yale Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 340-2528
Three-line Review:
- Great Selection of German Beers
- Nice adult atmosphere
- Mediocre menu execution (and that Jäger sauce recipe was just bizarre, but the Kassler Ripchen was to die for)
P.S. Next time I'll share my recipe for Jäger sauce.
