Penn Brewery

TGW and I went to Penn Brewery after the Art Museum & Aviary on Friday, and I wanted to do a quick review (I have photos this time!).

I am ashamed to say I've never been to the Brewery before, and now I realize how much of a mistake that was. It was an excellent dinner, and the atmosphere was great. I really liked the brewhouse style seating - large tables with benches - and we were seated immediately. It wasn't too loud, and when we arrived (around 5pm on a Friday) it wasn't super busy and was mostly populated with families. We sat in the restaurant area, but my brief wanderings to the bar showed that it was all a pretty comfortable place.

First, the beer.

I had the Penn Dark. 

It was excellent. I really enjoyed it, and after we started eating I found that the flavored changed with different foods - after the cheesy appetizer it was sweeter, but then after I had my spicy soup and entree, it was smokier and more full.

TGW had the Marzen.

He says, "It was crisp, and delicious. It was mildly spicy - zesty maybe?"

For an appetizer, we had KÄSE KUGEL MIT SPECK($6.95), which I will recommend strongly to anyone who ever goes to Penn Brewery. It was cheesy goodness with pasta and bacon and chives. I cannot explain how delicious it was. It's like German Mac & Cheese - an ultimate comfort food. I even made TGW stop eating so I could take some home.

Look at that. It's glorious. We were too busy eating it to take a starting picture. 

I ordered the GULASCHSUPPE (Cup, $2.50) - I have never had soup like this. It was so spicy and beefy and delicious. It was like someone took regular beef stew and injected heat into it, and I thought I tasted paprika (one of my favorite things). Next time, it'll be a bowl of this.

This photo doesn't do this justice. It was so rich!

For our entrees, we had the HUNGARIAN GOULASCH ($15.95) and SCHWEINEBRATEN ($17.95). The goulasch was pretty great - I actually ended up adding the remnants of my soup to it, though, because I felt that it needed a little extra spice, and after that, it was perfect. The pasta was just right, the beef was a little chewy but it balanced well with the pasta, and the mushrooms were cooked perfectly.

The sauce was great, but I would have liked more heat in it.

The schweinebraten, though, was - both from TGW and my own words - the best pork we've ever had. I rarely eat pork because it typically makes me violently ill, but this pork was so good I had multiple bites at dinner, and then I made TGW let me have his leftovers the next day. It came with mashed potatoes and some of the best sauerkraut I've ever eaten. The pork was so tender and practically buttery - I would eat that any opportunity I had. This is seriously the star of the menu - if you like pork, you'll love it, and if you don't like pork, it might convert you!

The best pork loin of all time, paired with some creamy potatoes and delicious sauerkraut.

With my goulasch, I had a side of the Hot German Potato Salad. It was enough to be practically a meal. I would eat this stuff every day if I could get my hands on it. It is so freaking delicious. It's like lemon and bacon and butter and vinegar all banded together to make potato love. Definitely one of my favorites!

This deserves nothing less than an omnomnomnom.

At the end of the meal, I sorely wanted to try the strudel ($4.95), but we were so stuffed we couldn't eat anything more! It was really such a filling, delicious meal, and we were completely sated before we even finished our entrees. We had an entire second meal the next day from our leftovers, and I cannot wait to go back to Penn Brewery again. 

So many leftovers. Just as tasty the next day!

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