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(January 18, 2008)
When civil war veteran and beer
lover August Scholz opened Scholz Garten on San Jacinto back in
1866, no politicians were throwing the word "iconic" around
with the impunity that we've seen in the past year. But Scholz had
an enduring passion for suds, and ironically, the operation he began
has endured through various stages of ownership for an astounding
142 years.
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Over the years, the common denominator at Scholz
Garten has been beer: hundreds of thousands of barrels of it, from German
pilsners to English pale ales.The food service had mostly been designed
to accompany the beer, like those enormous pretzels they serve at the
Hoffbrau House in Munich. But under Tom Davis, the owner for the past
12 years, that has changed. He is offering up German and American comfort
foods that work whether or not you're downing multiple steins of beer.
I don't know if August would have contemplated Mesquite Wings, but they
sure work for me. On my last visit, we downed a dozen of these spicy
and very tasty appetizers with a huge glass of Spaten bier. The combination
was perfect. Then it was on to a very tender and well-prepared Chicken
Fried Chicken. The batter was spot on and no knife was needed. And the
German potato salad I had with it, a departure from the side I'd normally
order with this dish, was very tasty. The Grilled Bratwurst, a requisite
at any good German bier garten certainly was up to standard. It had
that classic flavor and texture that has endeared this dish to millions
of sausage lovers.You can always tell a good brat by that almost unmistakeable
flavor rush on the first bite. This is far better than most other brats
I've tried around town. The sauerkraut that accompanied was also first
rate: tangy and crisp, Chef Terry Rivas makes a decent Wienerschnitzel
as well. This lightly breaded and pounded pork loin, sauteed on the
grill, and topped with lemon, had a lovely, mellow flavor to it. Most
importantly, it was devoid of any gristle or toughness. Make sure to
try the red cabbage with this. And as a love offering to the true German-food
fans, they've also added a JAEGERSCHNITZEL. Same basic components as
the wienerschnitzel but with the addtiion of a brown gravy and mushrooom
sauce. The sauces really light this dish up, giving it an entirely differnent
set of taste components. So far, so good. The only entree I haven't
liked is the Jambalaya. This traditional Cajun dish lacks the rounded
continuity of taste that make Jambalaya work so well. Also a bit too
much reliance on meat as opposed to what I’d like to see: more
shrimp and andouille sausage.
But there's much more in way of comfort food at Scholz. You can take
a whack, if you are so inclined, at a very serviceable BBQ platter featureing
mesquite smoked brisket, chicken, sausage and smoked turkey. They also
offer some seriously good sandwiches and burgers. The 1/3 pound cheeseburger
is flat out tasty. I had overlooked Scholz's cheeseburger when we held
our last BEST BURGER CONTEST. I think they could have been a contender.
And the Grilled Reuben is one of the better versions of this classic
sandwich around town. It just drips, literally, with flavor. Order it
with a side of Scholz's seriously good fries. And last, but not least,
make sure to ask for their Pork Chops. Tom Davis is proud of these and
he should be. The flavor rush is excellent, and the texture and crispiness
will make pork lovers delighted.
Scholz's has also become an institution for UT football game day celebrations.
And why not? It's the kind of place where you can let your hair down,
have fun, not worry about any pretense, and rest assured that August
Scholz is smiling somewhere knowing that his bier garten is in good
hands.
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