Do you ever have a Friday when you just know you want something different but you don't know what? Well, I think I found just the thing for you to try when that Friday comes around for you…German food! Yup, I kid you not, this is just the thing to do. For many people, Friday evening marks the official point of, "let you hair down, sluff off the week's work vibes and shift into kick back mode." My husband and I are no different and it's usually my thing to find something for us to do on Friday evening. A few weeks ago, during my Friday activity quest, I was excited to learn that Rocklin had a German food restaurant! Kathrin's Biergarten is a family-run restaurant owned by immigrants from Germany and that’s about as authentic as it gets. I could hardly wait to try it. While I'm not of German descent myself, I am a huge fan of ethnic food so this was quite the find for me and I just know it will be the same for you. Read on to learn why.
A Big Hug to its Culture
Nothing is as inviting and inclusive as when you enter an environment that gives you the prompts to fit in, right? Kathrin's Biergarten does an EXCELLENT job of embracing its German culture and you feel that the second you walk through the doors (because either front or patio doors are welcoming). But it isn't just about embracing its own culture, it's about making others feel competent enough in what they're experiencing to feel comfortable. Wow, NICE job to the proprietors of this very lively restaurant for conveying pride in their culture from floor to ceiling and giving guests tons of ways to understand it!!! The overall ambiance in Kathrin's Biergarten is welcoming and buzzing with excitement. The wall in the entry proudly displays a large map of Germany that can be used as a way to "meet the Germans." You’re invited to take a pin and place it on the map in the area you're from and look for other guests who may be from the same area. The evening we were there, I saw several pins on the map. Of course, when you leave the restaurant, you remove your pin from the map until next time. Now let's talk food.
Slow Down in a Fast-Paced World
One of the goals advertised by the proprietors of Kathrin's Biergarten is to make guests slow down in a fast-paced world. Not only does the restaurant's vibes encourage everybody to ease up on themselves, the food and beverages put an exclamation mark on that goal. From the DELICOUS baked to order, handcrafted pretzel as an appetizer to the over-the-top rich bienenestich (bee hive), a dessert of sweet dough baked with almonds and then filled with French vanilla custard and cream, everything invites you to just savor the moment you're in with each bite. But between appetizers and dessert, there's a whole wonderful world of entrees that invite you to taste Germany's culinary culture. Because neither of us could decide on one thing, my husband and I did the obvious and ordered the Oktoberfest Sampler. We could have easily invited two more people to join us and none of us would have been hungry. This dish consists of schnitzel (a choice of pork or chicken that is well pounded, breaded and lightly fried), three types of sausage of your choice (too many choices to list here), two pork links and one Frankfurter. This is served with sauerkraut, rotkohl, fries, salad and two kinds of German mustard. Everything came to the table very freshly served and despite the busyness of the place, our waitstaff was extremely accommodating in explaining everything we ordered and the best way to enjoy it (for example, it is almost mandatory that you squeeze fresh lemon on schnitzel to get the maximum flavor experience from it). So that's the food but wait, there's more! The biergarten, of course!
Biergarten Lives up to its Promise
It sounds like this is THE place to enjoy a great beer. I can't speak first hand of trying the beer offerings myself, but between what is named on the menu to what is listed on the bier board, I’d say you'd have to try extremely hard to not find a beer to be satisfied with. WOW!!! Fear not, you will find something to enjoy! Of course, if beer isn't your thing, there are several wines to choose from as well as the usual non-alcoholic beverages. No one leaves thirsty from Kathrin's Biergarten. No one.
Fun to the Last Detail
I don't want to underestimate how much effort is made at Kathrin's Biergarten to maintain an ethnic authenticity while adapting to cultural differences. When you walk in, you'll see that the décor is a blend of hip contemporary statements with sweet smatterings of bygone era. There are blackboards with handwritten specials of the day and week and the menu's items are written in German with English explanations. Menus also contain fun facts about the German culture and even a list of German words for visitors to learn. Everything about this place makes you feel like a welcomed visitor to another country's offerings. So, if you're in the mood to end your week with a taste of something new, please visit Kathrin's Biergarten!
Stanford Ranch Self Storage for Your Cooking Equipment
For some of us, cooking is a necessity and part of what we do to run a household. But for others, it's more than that, it's a hobby and possibly even a source of income. If you fall into that second category and are like many a chef, you may run out of storage room in your home quickly, a self storage unit is the easiest and most efficient way to store your equipment in a safe and organized way. As your neighborhood self storage facility, Stanford Ranch Self Storage wants to partner with you in coming up with storage solutions for your cooking equipment needs. Please come by to see what we have to offer. We're always happy to meet our neighbors and, just like we did about Kathrin's Biergarten, to share the exciting things we find right here in our neighborhood.
Kathrin's Beirgarten
916-251-7502
4810 Granite Dr. Ste 1A
Rocklin, CA 95677
kathrinsbiergarten.com
