While the rest of Chattanooga winds down into fall, Hair of the Dog is ramping up the energy in the kitchen for the 6th annual Oktoberfest menu released last week.
"We try to get a little more advanced with what we're doing on the Oktoberfest menu every year," says Matt Lewis, co-owner of Hair of the Dog. "I put a post on Facebook and asked customers what they wanted to see back on the Oktoberfest menu this year. It's nice to give people their favorites back along with the new."
By popular demand, The Dogs Balls with bratwurst, Swiss cheese and special ingredients rolled together and served with house-made whole-grain dijonaise as well as the Bratenreuben with grilled bratwurst on toasted rye topped with sauerkraut, Swiss and grain mustard have returned.
Also brought over from last year's Oktoberfest menu is the Stalag 13, a serving of hot sausage sliced and fried with grilled mushrooms, peppers and onions served on a toasted hoagie with Swiss. The Sausage Party is making an encore as well with beer brats, kielbasa and hot pork sausage.
New to the menu are Bierock n rolls. These egg roll wrappers are filled with beef, onions and kraut mashed potatoes and then fried golden brown and served as an appetizer. The Wurst und Nudelauflauf or German lasagna is a serving of lasagna noodles layered with bratwurst, sauerkraut, mozzarella and a creamy mushroom sauce.
"We ran the German lasagna as a special and the people loved it, so we decided to add it to our Oktoberfest menu," Lewis says.
Last, but not least, among main entrées is Frickadellas. Lewis says since homemade spaetzle is not practical to make, the restaurant is using egg noodles instead, smothering them in a buttery sauce and topping that with 8 ounces of spicy ground beef patties. It will be served with rye toast points.
"This menu is a nice break because during summer everyone's eating light and drinking light, now we're rolling into more comfort food and there's a lot more going on with the beer," Lewis says.
A smooth, festive lager, the Shiner Oktoberfest is served along with beers like the Saranac Pumpkin Ale, a full-bodied pumpkin ale brewed with pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger and vanilla.
During fall when summer events downtown come to a close, guests can spend more time at Hair of the Dog. Pub Quiz night is hosted every Wednesday at 9 p.m., there are billiard tables and dart boards upstairs and an outdoor patio where groups of friends can gather, eat and drink. Thursday is Mystery Beer Night, when three cases of different bottled beers, including common and uncommon selections, are thrown into one ice bath. For $3, guests can enjoy whichever beer the bartender grabs first, expanding their horizons on seasonal or new beers at a discounted price.
"To us, Oktoberfest embodies that friendly atmosphere where everyone can enjoy food, beer and good times together," says Lewis.
LOCATION: 334 Market St.
PHONE: 265-4615.
HOURS: Open every day from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. with last call for food at 2:30 a.m.
WEBSITE: http://www.hairofthedogpub.net.