Bierbrunnen Pub: Amid the sightseeing, tattoo/piercing shops, clubs, and touristy bars
littering A1A, one bar lies hidden from view, concealed for the rest of
us homegrown Lauderdalites who want a place on the beach we can still
call home, a place that doesn't look like mini-Mardi Gras hour.
Don't
worry; we know we have to share. And if you tourists wander in, feel
free to sit. But Bierbrunnen is our space, even though it's technically
German. It's got the best beer selection on the beach, from Pabst to
Rogue to Oktoberfest and Holy Mackerel, and the essential ingredients
for your nonfruity cocktail: Stoli, Grey Goose, the Captain. Hungry?
The menu has bratwurst dishes galore. So relax, play some pool, feel
the beach breeze keep you cool in the intense Florida sun, and get your
schnitzel on.
Edelweiss European Bakery and Deli:
"Edelweiss, Edelweiss, every morning you greet me." And that's because,
in Fort Lauderdale, you're not just a song, you're a bakery (2909 E.
Commercial Blvd., 954-772-1529). "Small and white, clean and bright,
you look happy to meet me," and serve me all sorts of delectable baked
goods. I especially love your apple strudel, black forest cakes,
honey-grain breads, seeded kaiser rolls, and hot-from-the-oven
pretzels. My favorite might be the butter-and-sugar cookies, the
varieties of which take up an entire glass deli case. "Blossom[s] of
snow may you bloom and grow, bloom and grow forever" in my bakery bag,
so that I may never run out. I'll even pay the $13 a pound for them.
International House of Schnitzel: It's safe to say the thin, breaded meat cutlet known as schnitzel is
not quite as buzzworthy as pancakes, the specialty of another,
well-known international house. But even if it doesn't always get the
respect it deserves, schnitzel is undoubtedly more popular worldwide,
whether it goes by the name "milanesa" in Italy and Latin America or
simply "chicken cutlet" here at home. The International House of
Schnitzel -- a quirky restaurant next door to the Fox and Hound Pub --
specializes in the chicken version of the dish (not pork or more
expensive veal). The tiny lunch spot pounds its schnitzel to a perfect
quarter-inch thickness, coats it in bread crumbs, and bakes it until a
luscious, crisp coating forms on the surface. IHOS completes the
working-class dish with amazing, German-style red cabbage and a side of
mashed potatoes for just $5.95. The same thing stuffed on a kaiser roll
and served with lettuce, tomato, and homemade garlic mayonnaise costs
less than $5. The entire menu is made from scratch daily by owners Rudi
Pollak and Eli Herschkovich, two 30-year industry vets who have an
undying love for the feel-good dish. IHOS serves breakfast all day, as
well as subs, soups, burgers, salads, knishes, and some of the
flakiest, freshest homemade apple strudel you'll find.
This Lake Worth German restaurant is becoming as known for its indie-rock shows as for its schnitzel. The simple Bavarian menu has been accented
in recent months by live musical performances by the likes of the
Dewars and John Ralston. Little Munich has beer on tap and a late-night
menu of German pub grub to go with the tunes.
German Bread Haus: Deiter and Norma Dauer, who've owned the German Bread Haus for 20 years
-- that tiny gingerbread-looking concoction you've passed a thousand
times on Commercial Boulevard -- import some of their flours from
Germany and offer several entirely organic loaves studded with seeds
and nuts (like their popular Jogger's Loaf, Survival Power, and other
multigrains also sold at Whole Foods) in addition to classic German
wheat-rye mixes, sourdough, sweet raisin-inflected stuten, Christmas
stollen, and a cornucopia of rolls to fill Little Red Ridinghood's
basket. They'll let you stand and taste (heavily buttered) samples for
as long as it takes you to make up your mind. And by that time, you'll
be packing up cherry strudels and bags of ginger and pepper nut cookies
too.
Did I miss any? Please let us know in the comments field and we'll add it to our list.
