Oktoberfest at Plattduetsche Park Restaurant

Oktoberfest at Plattduetsche Park Restaurant
1132 Hempstead Turnpike
Franklin Square, NY 11010
516-354-3131
10/15/2010
$45 - Unlimited German buffet, beer, wine, and soda

Oktoberfest, whether you spell it with a "c" or a "k", usually brings to mind liter mugs filled with a copper beer, piles of sausages, and waitresses who define the meaning of cleavage. However, there is a rich history behind the affair. According to BeerAdvocate.com, "This festive celebration was established in October of 1810 by Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (crowned as King Ludwig I) in celebration of his marriage to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen." BeerAdvocate also notes that the odd thing about the celebration is all people from all walks of life were invited to attend, a social taboo to this point, where peasants would be in the company of royalty. Ironically, the original celebration was based upon horse racing and an agricultural show and not until 1818 did the beer and food vendors arrive. (BeerAdvocate)

Even more ironically, the Plattduetsche Park Oktoberfest actually brings together people from all walks of life. Jess and I attended this celebration last year for the first time with another couple. It is held indoors in a huge banquet hall, not unlike a classic wedding setting. The odd thing is that if you do not have enough people in your reservation to fill a large, circular table, you will find yourself sitting with people that you do not know. It was admittedly awkward at first but as the beer began to flow, little did it seem to matter. This year, we were seated with an older couple. We exchanged pleasantries and never spoke again. And that is fine with me. Last year, we sat with two couples that were similar in age. Everything was fine until they started ordering beer for the whole table opting for "whatever they had" instead of the fine imported beer that could also be attained. I will speak about this more as things have changed in a year.

Yes, it is much like a wedding. Loud music, lots of food and drink, awkward company, and lots of time spent chatting. However, the music is provided by The Continentals, who roar through sets of classic German songs, bad jokes, and plenty of chant-response ditties enjoyed mostly by those who are drinking heavily. Dancing is done by the Original Enzian Dancers (do not be fooled by imitators!) who provide plenty of knee and ankle slapping and circle-skirt twirling, demonstrating old-style German dance. It is enjoyable and if you have enough beers, it is pretty fun to watch.

The food is the highlight of the night. I would imagine that the critical question behind the unlimited food is, "How much German food could one possibly eat in one night?" A peek at the non-vegetarian menu would lead one to schedule a session with the cardiologist. Here is list of what I had the pleasure of enjoying:

1) Sauerbraten - Slightly thick fork-tender medallions of bottom-round (top-round? rump?) in a sweet brown gravy.
2) Loin of Pork - Tender and in a slightly-spicy sauce.
3) Leberkase - German meatloaf (minced pork and beef) with the consistency of a thick cut of bologna. It is horrifying to most people, has a uncanny resemblance to Spam, but has a wonderful, meaty flavor. Slap it on a roll with sauerkraut and mustard. Bring it to work and jam it in someone's face!
4) Wursts - An assortment of bratwurst (pork and beef), knockwurst (smoked beef with garlic), weisswurst aka bockwurst (pork, veal, and milk!), and peanut franks (mini hot dogs). All were excellent.
5) Mashed Potatoes - Heavenly, loaded with butter, bacon, and cream, and topped with fried onions
6) Potato Dumplings - Gelatinous white orbs that might have been the densest things I have ever eaten. A decent flavor but the consistency took some getting used too.
7) German potato salad - Al-dente potatoes with a nice vinegar kick and salty, smoky bacon.
8) German cabbage salad - A focus here on crisp cabbage with vinegar and a nice note with the addition of fennel seeds.
Other items included sauerkraut, red cabbage, a garden salad, split-pea and ham soup, and a slice of apple strudel as dessert. All of the food is excellent here and well cooked despite the buffet style.

They offered two types of beer. Warsteiner Original was the pale beer offered, a hoppy pilsener that went nicely with the food. They also offered a mystery Oktoberfest. I deduced that it could not be by Warsteiner because it had too much of a rich copper color (Warsteiner Oktoberfest does not vary much from the original). From the taste, color, and "wallop," I believe that it was Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest. Last year, I was able to taste many of the great beers offered on tap at the bar but this was no longer an option. I had my fill of the Oktoberfest, so I did not leave unsatisfied.

It is funny that I should mention "last year." Last year, the Oktoberfest celebration was much livelier, much more crowded, and we even noticed that the lights were dimmer. There also seemed to be many more younger people at the celebration last year. I have to think that the moving of the date of the Beer Tasting Festival to the weekend before the Oktoberfest (last year the tasting was in May) left people with empty wallets, massive headaches, and little desire to do it all again in less than a week, now with the addition of unlimited food. Even I had to select between one of the two events. Obviously, I was in the minority by choosing this.

I believe that this event is worth attending at least once, regardless of age. There is enough German culture here to make it semi-educational and enough beer and food to make $45 seem like a steal. However, upon my return for a second time, a lot of the "wonder" and "excitement" was lost. I still got full value for the money but I think I would rather have had a nice, sit down dinner in the restaurant, which I have heard is very good.

Notes:

- Visit the The Plattduetsche Park website. Here they have a calendar of events, menus, beer pairing dinners, festivals, etc. There is a lot going on here most weeks. Join the beer club! Think you can hold a full liter of beer for a while? Enter the Masskrugstemmen! Visit the beer garden!