Oktoberfest

The Oktoberfest in Munich opened today. Weird how that always starts in September. They had an accident on the first day on the ‘Höllenblitz’ (Lightning from Hell) roller coaster with a couple of cars smashing into each other ... eight minor injuries.

There have been attempts at German style beerhalls here in the City, several in the old Schuetzen Gesellschaft Building on St. Marks, it's an ornate building used by German immigrant social clubs back before WWII. Since then it's gone through many incarnations, in my days it has been a Third World bookstore during the heydays of the hippies, and beerhalls that didn't last long.

No beerhall there now, it's a pleasant Korean hangout by the same owner who runs the Japanese Market across the street. As far as I'm concerned it's a hit and may it last for many moons to come. All meals are accompanied by five small dishes of various pickled veggies, a stack of kimchee cabbage being my favorite and mung beans being the least only because I developed a dislike of all kinds of sprouts one week many years ago while substituting for a friend in a dank basement bean sprout factory in SoHo, rotating sprouts and scrubbing beds for the next load. I couldn't get the smell out of my nose for weeks after.

Ahem ... no such problems here. Able service starts us off with Steamed Pork Dumplings and a large Kimchee Pancake, we pick from the pickles as we go. It's mostly warm, spicy home cooking with a Codfish Steak and stewed radish sauteed in a spicy sauce turning out to be one of the best cod I recall having. The obligatory Short Ribs are extra tender and delicious though a noticeable coating of grease soaks onions and green peppers on the serving dish.

There is a selection of Japanese and Korean rice wines but we opt for Terrazas de los Andes Malbec 2005 from Argentina, a good choice as it turn out, smooth and peppery and a nice fruity tart body to deal with the spices and meat.

On the way home we pick up plain vanilla Häagen-Dazs to go with slices of cake donated by a friend who is experimenting with extra-heavy doses of real ginger. I expect the ice cream should make it possible to deal with that.

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