UPDATE!

I awoke to a cold drizzle this morning. As I pulled myself from slumber and made my way out the door and to the gym I began thinking about what to do for lunch. Maybe seven A.M. is too early for some people to be thinking about their midday fare but I’m also not most people. While I had more than a few places in mind none of them really felt right for the way the sky hung low and let loose with a mixture of slow drizzle and quick, pelting rain. It was only after returning home from my workout, and reviewing this site, that I remembered a place I had reviewed back during the heat of Summer, a bar that I had committed to returning to once the weather turned cool again. Yes, Feierabend and its German cuisine, along with a stein of beer, should provide the necessary carbs to help me keep warm today. Now the countdown until noon begins.

As during my first visit the bar was empty when I arrived so I had no trouble in finding somewhere to sit. While one would expect this would mean quick service as it turned out one would be wrong. It seemed to take forever just to get a beer delivered to my table and my simple lunch of a sandwich and salad took even longer. The level of service, in my mind, seemed to have evaporated from my previous visit and now that I had my lunch set before me, I was wondering if the food’s level of quality had suffered a similar set back.

I had decided upon the Bratwurst Sandwich mit Pommes Frittes ($8.00) and Gurken Salat ($4.00). I stabbed at the salad first, coming back with a forkful of thinly sliced, crunchy cucumber rounds. Upon the first bite I knew I had a Jekyll and Hyde on my hands. While the dressing of sour cream and dill was tasty it was spottily applied to the cucumber slices, some being nicely coated and others just dry, raw vegetable slices. As I got closer to the bottom of the plate I gave up on the “salat” altogether as the dressing turned from thick and creamy into a watery mess that drowned out the few sprigs sad, wilted lettuce that acted as a foundation for this offering.

As I turned my sights to the sandwich I was hoping for a little more care from the kitchen. The sandwich that sat on my plate was interesting in that it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Thinking I’d be getting something that looked more like a glorified hotdog than what was there; I was surprised by the hearty slice of French loaf, its heft and substance being greatly appreciated in a few minutes hence. The drawback to such a large piece of bread though was that the meat of the sandwich, a mild tasting bratwurst link, was swallowed up and nearly lost. But first things first, I had to close this monstrosity and get it up to my mouth for a bite. Piled high with slightly sweet sauerkraut and topped off with enough German mustard and curry ketchup to drown a small horse I had a hard time keeping my hands clean. As the sauce toppings oozed from the top of the sandwich onto my fingers half of the split bratwurst slid from the bread onto the plate. I would be this half of a link that would give me a taste of bratwurst as most all I got from the sandwich was sauerkraut and blend of the mustard and ketchup sauces. If it seems as though I’m spending a lot of time on the condiments and not much on the rest of the sandwich, well there’s a reason. I found, overall, that the sandwich lacked any real flavor to make it anything more than just stomach filler for an afternoon of beer drinking.

My hopes were high that, as time passed, the newly opened German pub with the tiny exposed kitchen would settle in and provide some hearty fare to go along with large steins of flavorful German beers. The concept is a good one, the menu offerings fairly impressive but where they fail is in the execution from the kitchen. Yes, it is a bar this is true, however, I can’t help but wonder what kind of meals could be enjoyed by the bar’s patron’s with a little more attention to detail by the staff. Maybe in a few months I’ll have the desire to return to Feierabend for round three but for now I’ll get my German meals elsewhere.

June 18th, 2006

I won’t typically review the culinary offering of bars. For one, when I decide to go to a bar, it’s with adult beverage consumption in mind, not a culinary repast. Secondly, when I think of bar food I think little nibbles. Don’t get me wrong, many bars, taverns, pubs, etc in Seattle have great food offerings. But I can think of few that I’d visit in order to have a full meal. That is until I heard about a spot in an overlooked area of South Lake Union dubbed Cascadia. While “German pub” is not a terribly unique theme in the Seattle metropolitan area the combination of location and portion sizes on the menu peaked my interest in Feierabend. So off I went.

I stopped by Feierabend a little after 1 PM to find most of the bar empty. People were gathered at this table and that, in groups of one and twos, some watching the final World Cup match of the day, some just enjoying a beer. I sidled up to the counter overlooking the petite, open-air kitchen. It was nice to see the cooks at work.

While an appetizer is not something one normally starts with at a bar, after perusing the list of available small bites, I decided to mark my visit with a full meal. Catching my eye was the Semmelknodel mit Pilzrahmsobe ($6.00) and while I had no idea how to pronounce it, the waitress was more than happy to except my pointing and grunting for the “bread dumpling”. Instead of the standard ball or lump that one thinks of with most dumplings what arrived were actually small disks of sliced bread-y goodness. Studding each disk were bits of crispy, smoky bacon and mild, diced garlic. Arranged four to a plate the rounds of dumpling were topped with dark brown mushroom gravy that held little quartered button mushrooms and diced, smoked pork. This last ingredient gave a strong, smoky, cured flavor to the gravy that was not unpleasant. Sautéed in butter the rounds had a barely perceptible crispness on their exterior yet remained moist and delicate inside. The flavor overall reminded me of Thanksgiving stuffing, rolled into a log, sliced and then sautéed.

Not simply satisfied with small bites I also ordered Jagerschnitzel in Pilzsobe mit Spatzle und RotKohl ($13.00). The most expensive item on Feierabend’s menu arrived filling the plate. A large pallard of pork loin languished on tender spatzel, draped with the same mushroom sauce as the dumplings. Only a quarter of an inch thick the pork was tender and juicy, the provided steak knife not really needed to cut the monster into bite-sized portions. The gravy added extra meatiness to the cutlet and underneath lived a peppery crust that had a voice that would speak out from beneath the other flavors here and there. The included spatzel started out nice, buttery and cheesy. But words of caution: Eat them quickly otherwise the cheese seizes up and turns the serving into a hard, rubbery mess. A nice counterpoint to buttery and peppery was the red cabbage. Slightly pickled it gave a nice sweet and sour note to the meal with undertones of fresh dill.

Located on the ground floor of a new apartment building on Yale Street, Feierabend has little in the way of exterior promotion. In fact, I passed them twice before noticing the tiny, hanging sign outside their door. While I’ve never given much thought to the “Cascadia” neighborhood, simply using it as a corridor from one neighborhood to the next, it’s good to see places like Feierabend taking a chance. As the neighborhood grows and more people make the area a destination I can the German fare of this apartment dwelling pub taking off. Though I will give this caveat; the food is filling, substantial and more suited to the ten months that aren’t Summer in Seattle.