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| - Mabel's isn't cheap but the food was really good.
The first time through I was seduced by "pig parts". There are fried tails ($7), which are delicious, crisp, fatty and meaty at the same time. I had wanted to try a fried pig tail ever since I was a kid (Laura Ingalls and her sister had one a year) and I was not disappointed.
I also got pig ears ($7), which are also fried, and served with a little bit of something sweet. Also great! But there were more ears than I wanted to eat.
Mabel's sauce is a thin mustard-vinegar type. I usually don't like those thin vinegar sauces but I liked this one and enjoyed dragging my brisket through it. The brisket was excellent!
The woman at the next table recommended the pork belly. I also wanted pork ribs but Mabel's only sells the meat in half-pound increments and I had already had tails, ears, and brisket. And spaetzle. Funny thing, spaetzle. It's one of my favorite foods and you don't see it on menus very often. But it's one of those foods you can make at home just as well as the restaurant can, so there's no reason to order it out. Mabel's tried pretty hard; theirs has cabbage and some miscellaneous other stuff. It was good spaetzle but I can make good spaetzle at home for less than $6.
Anyway I wanted the pork belly and the ribs but I had enough food already. Fortunately Mabel's was good enough to justify a return trip a few days later. The pork belly was outstanding and the ribs were good too. I got roasted carrots this time but I don't remember them.
Both nights I got cider. (Bottled once, draft once.) The total cost the first night was $42 and the second night was $47. Both nights I had some leftovers to take home, but not as much as you might expect. I thought those pig tails might be yucky eaten cold but they were pretty good.
Four stars means "I look forward to going back". In this case I was already looking forward to going back after the first visit and then I did go back, so four stars is a slam dunk.
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