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Chances are, that old guy on main street on his riding lawn mower doesn't have grass to cut. He's running errands.*
A Guide For Newbies and Out-Of-Staters.
THERules
Maybe it’s the German in me, but when autumn rolls around, I yearn for Bavaria and promise myself that next year – scout’s honor – I’ll find a way to visit Munich for Oktoberfest.
When Hessen Haus opened its doors a few years ago, I was skeptical that it could replicate the true German experience. Theme bars are a dime a dozen, always promising to be something that they rarely are. Even though the owners of Hessen Haus had already launched an excellent British pub with terrific food (The Royal Mile, 210 4th St., Des Moines, telephone: 515: 280-3771), plus a popular Cajun restaurant and, more recently, a Baja Mexican style bar.
But the Hessen Haus (210 4th St, Des Moines, (515) 280-3771)
is perhaps the company’s greatest dining success. They successfully converted an old railroad depot into a traditional German bier hall, replete with the long wooden tables where strangers quickly become friends. Their bier selection is impressive; what you can’t get on tap they offer in bottles. But even the most enthusiastic German bier fan should never, ever leave Hessen Haus without sampling the food.
There appetizers are great to help moderate the effect of heavy German beers. I’m a sucker for their meat and cheese platter, which includes an energetic wild boar sausage that is terribly addictive, as well as a wonderful Black Forest ham that really does seem to melt in your mouth. The German nachos are another good bet, although not exactly authentic German fare. The menu also features a nice selection of German and American sandwiches.
If you go to Hessen Haus with a group of friends (and it’s a spot that seems ready-made for a large group, particularly because of its big, long tables that seat ten people comfortably) it’s almost essential that you give Das Boot, a two-liter glass vessel a try.
For $18, the wait staff will fill one of the bier hall’s seven glass boots with two liters of your favorite German beer (there are 22 beers on tap) and pass it around the table without breaking any of the rules. If you do, you pay for the next boot. Luckily, there's a limit of three boots per group per night.
The best way to sober up after a game of Das Boot is with the Grosse Platte, the real star of the show at Hessen Haus.
The Grosse Platte is a gigantic entrée ($59.95) that can easily fill up two or three very hungry people. (The menu promises it’s enough food for four to five. My friends must be a lot hungrier than most.) The Grosse Platte is really a sampler of all the best that the Hessen Haus has to offer.
The Grosse Platte includes an extra large pork shank, wiener schnitzel, sauerbraten, Rinder Rouladen (sirloin wrapped around a pickle with spicy mustard, onions and bacon), a half chicken, bratwursts, sauerkraut, roasted potatoes, asparagus and four shots of Apfelcorn Schapps. You can add two more brats for $3, which we recommend.
HOT PLATE
Specialties At Some Of Iowa's Best Restaurants:
Des Moines' Hessen Haus offers authentic taste of old Baveria
Photograph Copyright Stan Richards
Hessen Haus offers great German food and a variety of bier.