Penn Brewery’s fare is worth a trip off campus

With the atmosphere of a German-style dining hall, Penn Brewery departs from the usual… With the atmosphere of a German-style dining hall, Penn Brewery departs from the usual meal-time experience.

Looking for an alternate dining experience can be difficult. Will the service staff care about you, the individual diner? Will trying out a new restaurant be worth the risk?

Penn Brewery Pennsylvania Brewing Company 800 Vinial Street Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-237-9400 $8-$18

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You might think to yourself, The North Side is a distant place for one lonely Pitt student just to eat some German cuisine. Maybe it would be better to stick around Oakland.

But then think: How much of your dining preference is based on where you live now? If you decide you’re not impressed by German food, maybe that’s because there isn’t a German place in Oakland.

Remembering how impressed I was by Oakland dining options the first time I tried them, I decided that a lot of my excitement came from trying something new.

This left me with a difficult choice: adventure possibly fraught with peril, or an attempt to be happy at home.

This week, adventure won. In addition to its renowned micro-brewed beer, Penn Brewery’s online menu looked promising, featuring German specialties such as Wurstplatte, Sauerbraten and Wiener Schnitzel. The restaurant offered a lot of original options.

When my dining pal and I arrived, the dining area met expectations, showing diners the bricks of the brewing hall and refusing to mask them with over-decoration.

But Penn exceeded expectations by adhering to the German tradition of beer halls, organizing all the seating as benches and tables, except for the bar. You’ll never even miss the back of the chair.

Our server came to our table right away, sans lederhosen, which might have been overdoing it, anyway. She presented what felt like the most important question of the establishment: What were we drinking?

Penn offers several microbrews, such as Penn Gold, Penn Dark and the seasonal Penn Marzen.

For the meal, we ordered Penn Golds, the lightest beer on tap. Featuring a surprisingly subtle bite, the Golds were smooth without sacrificing taste, combining hops with the slightest hint of sweetness.

I ordered the Wurstplatte, while my pal ordered the Wiener Schnitzel. His dish turned out to be satisfying.

A thin, breaded veal, it was served over crisp green beans with a side of potato salad. It didn’t seem tender enough, and the taste was a little difficult to pick up, but the breading was well spiced.

My Wurstplatte gave me a knockwurst and a bratwurst served over sauerkraut and potato salad. The sauerkraut tasted simple and was actually sour, ironically rare in American culture.

The potato salad was sour too, with minimal flourishes. While not as spicy as I expected, the bratwurst was still filling, with an almost un-meaty consistency. The knockwurst, on the other hand, made up for it with a heartier consistency and a strong, salty taste.

The meal filled expectations overall, providing German fare that matched the brewing selection well.

The heavy food contrasted with the intricate layers of the Penn Golds, which warrants a return trip just to try the other micro brews. The dishes weren’t fancy, but they provided a new experience in their stability.

It also gives perspective to what I’m used to eating when I’m looking for interesting tastes and textures. If there’s one thing that you feel after eating at Penn, it’s a feeling of fullness or satisfaction that lingers after you’ve finished.

It wasn’t as exciting as my first dessert at Gullifty’s or that first order of nachos from Veracruz, but it had peculiar staying power.

Clinging to the restaurants you know is hardly an adventure. Venturing to the North Side for different dining at The Penn Brewery is worth the venture.