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| - I love German food and am thrilled whenever I discover a new restaurant, but I think the trick here is knowing what to order. I'm going to give four stars for gemütlichkeit (coziness), since I had a great time hanging out in the bar listening to accordion music coming from a table full of regulars. The bartender was also personable and conversational, so I stuck around after my first beer in order to quaff a second and order some grub off of the bar menu.
I was intrigued by the bratwurst sliders. I'm pretty tuned in to what decent bratwurst should taste like, since I lived in Germany for nearly three years. I'm partial to the Thüringer style, which is what I came across growing up in West Berlin, but everyone in the Phoenix area appears to favor the Nürnburger variety. The Nürnburger style is perfectly acceptable to me however, as I had eaten a delicious one on the street at the Mesa Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market) just a few days earlier.
Let me offer my comments about where Black Forest Mill got it wrong. The bratwurst sliders were served with sauerkraut which was just too darn sour. I glanced at some fellow bar diners who left their sauerkraut nearly untouched. They really need to cut back on the brininess (rinse it better before preparing or add some apples to balance it out). I don't think this is an "American palette" issue... it really is nearly inedible. Now the bratwurst "slider" is a novel idea I applaud. But they were served on sweet dinner rolls which were soft (almost like Hawaiian bread). Not only did they get soggy sitting in some sauerkraut juice drifting over from the other side of the plate, but it was the wrong flavor and texture counterpoint to the sausage. A sturdier more rustic European-type brötchen is what I was hoping for. And the bratwurst themselves were unremarkable. Tasted boiled... should've been grilled. The mustard that came with them was the standard American substitute for German mustard, Gulden's spicy brown mustard, which isn't bad. However, I had just shopped next door at the German Sausage Company (presumably the same owners?) and noticed they had authentic sharp German Löwensenf. I think it would've been a real treat if this restaurant could've offered some of that on the side instead.
So, call me picky if you must. But I think I know German food and, although I loved the atmosphere and the beer, I think the Black Forest Mill could step it up a bit on the food preparation. I will post an update if I return and try something here that hits the mark. The waiter kept talking up the schnitzel sampler, and the gulasch and spätzle sound awfully tempting. But again, it might just be that you have to be careful what you order.
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