Friday, June 3, 2011

German fusion? Oh yes please.

We, along with two dear friends, decided to check out Eiderdown tonight.  I have been very curious about this place, mainly due to advertising at Sunergos Coffee and good word-of-mouth.  We looked at the menu beforehand and decided this wasn't true German food; it seemed like German influences mixed with American gourmet with local and seasonal ingredients to boot.

The atmosphere is nice--not too dark, but not too bright either.  Lots of happy people at the bar and at the tables.
We started with the 3 Pretzels appetizer (left) and the Bier Kase (right), which was gouda today.  The pretzels tasted very good, although they were a little greasy.  You can pick 2 house mustards with the pretzels, and our friend chose the Sweet-Hot and the Porter.  The Sweet-Hot was nothing but the latter!  It was worse than wasabi.  :-O  The Porter was mainly just sweet.  The gouda was delicious (but I am a sucker for gouda).
This is my Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier---1/2 a liter!  This was great, nice and smooth.  (Sorry....not a beer connoisseur.) 
My entree was the Gnadinger Pork sandwich with red cabbage slaw.  The sandwich was moist and tasted like pulled pork---it had the right, pull-apart consistency. The currants and pistachios didn't add much to the flavor, other than a slight background sweetness.  The red cabbage slaw was okay; not as tender as I've had before, but more raw.  It was sweet as well, but not as tart as I expected.  I still enjoyed it though.
Mr. S. had the Mood Indigo, a calf tongue, smoked blue cheese, & sauerkraut sandwich, along with braised collard greens.  The flavors of the sauerkraut and blue cheese shone through, and the bread was nicely toasted.  I typically detest collard greens, but I liked these more than my own side.
This was our friend's Saison Spaetzle, which included squash, zucchini, pearl onions, basil, goat cheese, and toasted walnuts.  She said that it was good, especially the goat cheese. 
This was our other friend's Homer's Daydream, pork ribs in sauerkraut with potatoes and apples.  He seemed to enjoy it immensely as well.

Verdict:  Our bill was $36 for 2 beers, 2 sandwiches, and an appetizer---not bad.  Would I return?  Yes.  I like that the menu changes, portions are reasonable, the atmosphere is cozy, and the food is comfort food at its fundamentals...but with a German twist.  

Eiderdown on Urbanspoon