Brewhaus delivers authentically good food in Chattanooga

Three of my four grandparents were German, so we had German fare at my house growing up.

But other than potato salad, boiled cabbage and sausages, what else is there, right? Oh yeah, pumpernickel, big pretzels and beer.

I finally got over to the Brew- haus on Frazier Avenue after hearing many good things about it. I'd gotten a few calls from German readers telling me that the food was far from authentic, but the place has claimed from the start that it was serving German food with an American twist. I understand the staff has been listening to customers and gathering recipes and making adjustments.

I won't try to speak to the authenticity of the spaetzle I ordered, but I can tell you it was delicious and there was plenty of it. At just over 15 bucks, it was pricey, but I took a third of it home for later. It is a heavy dish.

The entree featured two large grilled brats served over spaetzle, which is a German-style noodle (like a mini dumpling), served with a pepper cream sauce and tomatoes. For my sides, I chose the potato cakes and boiled purple cabbage.

One of my worst food memories as a child involved boiled purple cabbage. I'm glad to say I got over it and can report that the boiled purple cabbage at the Brewhaus became one of my favorite side dishes this week. It was perfectly cooked and flavored.

A co-worker got the Bavarian House Nachos, which was a big mound of potato cakes -- in place of tortilla chips -- covered in cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and buffalo chicken (smoked sausage is also an option).

Americanized or not, it was good food.

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.