Bite Feature
Issue #21.02 :: 08/05/2009 - 08/11/2009
Willkommen
New Augsburg Haus location has everything that customers have come to expect, and a bigger space that is sure to garner the restaurant even more regulars
BY SHANNON POWELL
AUGUSTA, GA - Augsburg Haus German restaurant on Walton Way is moving, but don't worry: You won't have to go very far in search of a bottle of bock, a brat and spaetzle.
We have been happy here - it is not easy to leave our little cozy place, says owner Adolf Hermann. We thank all our regulars for their support our regular customers have become family to us. Without them, we would not be so successful and be able to expand.
Since November 2004, Augsburg Haus has offered some of the most authentic, delicious German food and spirits this side of the Rhine River. Its delightful all things German ambiance, good service and great food, combined with wines, beers, ales and liquors, has made it a favorite for diners all over Augusta. In an attempt to preserve the same cozy atmosphere so familiar to regular patrons, the plethora of German antiques, trinkets, flags, plates, photos and beer steins have been carefully moved to their new home in Liberty Square shopping center across Washington Road from the super Wally World. The new location will open this week.
It was time, we needed more space. We are going from 1,600 to 2,800 square feet with newer equipment, lots of parking, but the same great food, Hermann says. We will be able to serve more people, make them all happy with our food. The transition has been good, really, from the inspectors to our new neighbors.
Think of German cuisine and you probably think of sausages, sauerkraut and beer. But Germany's central location in Europe has made it a melting pot of culinary influences, from Italian pasta to lamb kebab. German cuisine is not very different from the all-American meat and potatoes only served with beer. The traditional German recipes are carefully created by chef/owner Hermann, a native of the southwest region of Bavaria - Augsburg.
Hermann found his passion for cooking early alongside his mother in the family's kitchen. After coming to the United States in 1992, he worked in the food and beverage industry until deciding to leap out on his own, opening Augsburg Haus in 2004. All of his family is still in Germany but he has their full support, My brothers send me things from German to put in the restaurant, things that remind me of home.
The menu offers bratwurst, currywurst, gulasch (meat and noodles), chicken cordon bleu, schnitzel (breaded, pan-fried pork), sauerbraten (roast beef), Gypsy Schnitzel (pork loin), roulade (beef steak roll stuffed with bacon), salmon and trout, to list a few delicacies. Hermann says the Augsburg Special is the most popular dish, breaded and pan-fried pork covered in Swiss cheese and sauerkraut served with mashed potatoes and gravy. The obviously handmade, misshapen spaetzle (a type of egg noodle or dumpling) are a delight to eat, with a bit more substance to them than the average pasta, and absorb sauce in a way that smoother noodles don't. Par-cooked and then saut in butter before being slid onto a plate, they offer a welcome change from other work-a-day starches. Served as a side, they are wonderful, but they also make a swell appetizer in their own right when covered in grated cheese and caramelized onions, and then passed under the broiler.
Come prepared to eat; there are no small portions at Augsburg Haus. But no matter what, make sure you leave room for dessert. The flaky, homemade apple strudel with vanilla ice cream is to die for! The black forest cake and red velvet cake are homemade masterpieces; the fresh whipped cream icing is heavenly.
Don't worry if you don'T know the difference between Franziskaner Wheat (beer) and Dinkle Acker (lager) or the difference between a bratwurst and a currywurst. You only need to know one thing - it's all good.
