One of the best things about welcoming the fall season in New England is...
Oktoberfest!!
Oktoberfest in America is an homage to the 16-18 day event in Germany that starts in late September and goes into the first few weeks of October. Beer flows, music rolls, and hearty and flavorful comfort foods are featured at its core.
This year, to celebrate the autumn season, we traveled to West Redding CT to visit the
Redding Roadhouse on Redding Road. (That's alot of Redding!). We were so excited to be invited to this great promotion! What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than to take a drive through Fairfield county and view the beautiful fall foliage in this picturesque area of Connecticut.
Now, let me start by saying, I'm a big fan of any restaurant that calls themselves a roadhouse.
The name itself conjures up images of great little "local taverns" alongside winding country roads, that feature hearty food, good drinks, and great music. A place where you can get a good meal and have some fun, all in a comfortable setting. And that's just what the Redding Roadhouse is!
The restaurant is owned and operated by Ted Stonbely,Wirt Cook and Karen Cook. Wirt also doubles as the Executive Chef and brings a comfort menu packed with classic favorites and a laid-back approach of New England cooking to the Roadhouse.
I knew I was in for a great time the minute I walked in and was greeted by a lovely Fraulein offering me a pint of
Half Full Brewery Pumpkin Ale with a cinnamon sugar frosted rim! And it just kept getting better from there!
We met up with our group in the bar, chatted for a few minutes, and then were greeted by owner and the night's host, Ted, who escorted us to our tables in the main dining room to start sampling some of the Oktoberfest menu items.
We began our meal with a cured meat and cheese board called the Charcuterie Plate that consisted of pastrami, head cheese, tongue, cornichon pickles and wurst pate, and browsed the special Oktoberfest sampling menu we'd be enjoying for the evening.
And then Chef Karen brought out some lovely made on premise bacon. To say that it was fabulous would be doing it a disservice. It was wonderful. Amazing. Delicious. We could have eaten this all night and been happy.
But then came the potato pancakes. Again, a German classic and these did not disappoint! These were just as good as my friend Oma used to make.
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Karen explains the process for the made on premise bacon,
potato pancakes with applesauce and sour cream, and my appetizer plate. |
And because it's an Oktoberfest, right as the delicious Burgoo Stew was being served, the German Oompah Band started up! They were assembled in one of the adjoining tavern rooms, close enough that we could easily hear (and sing along!) - but not so overpowering that it hindered dinner conversation.
We also sampled a few more beers, Octoberfest by
Hooker Beer and the Okto Festival Ale by
Widmer Brothers Brewing. Each of the evening's beer samples embodied the flavors of autumn.
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| Burgoo Stew (German immigrant stew) |
And then came our entrees and sides! A sausage sampler plate of smoked bratwurst, weisswurst and bauernwurst, all steamed in beer, and served with sauerkraut and steamed red cabbage. A big bowl of the German egg noodle spaetzle, and a side of homemade spicy mustard, that I could eat out of the glass with a spoon. (And did!)
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smoked bratwurst, weisswurst and bauernwurst, with steamed red cabbage and sauerkraut,
spaetzle and homemade mustard |
But, no, wait... there's even more!
A deliciously tender Weiner Schnitzel, and, then, hands down my personal favorite of the night, Saurbraten, a Bavarian style pot roast, served with sweet and sour gravy thickened with gingersnaps.
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Saurbraten, my wonderful dinner plate, wiener schnitzel |
And, for the finishing touch of the meal, dessert was served, a wonderfully flaky, buttery, apple streudel aka strudel, with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream.
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| Apple Streudel |
If you're looking for a great place to welcome fall with an Oktoberfest Special, or wonderful meal for every season - the Redding Roadhouse is the place to go! It's a little out of the way if you're not in the immediate area...but definitely worth the trip for a hearty homestyle meal in a comfortable setting.
Oktoberfest is running September 29th through October 27th - but visit the restaurant any time!
We sang - we danced - we had a great time! You will too, at the...
406 Redding Road
West Redding, CT 06896
203.938.3388
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Have you been to an Oktoberfest this year?
What are your favorite German foods?
I'd love to hear about them in the comments below!
Auf Wiedersehen - Good Bye!
Disclaimer: I was invited to a promotional Oktoberfest sampling at the Redding Roadhouse, however, the views and opinions expressed herein are my own.
