Das Gut

When I say "German food" what comes to mind? Latkes? Schnitzel, perhaps? Well, these are undoubtedly delicious but what I had at Heimat House Resturant and Beer Garden was even better than those, plus it was an adorable Greek family dinner with Nate and his "Little Bros" from Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. 

The Heimat House is located at 6910 Montgomery Blvd, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109. They only have one sign visible from Montgomery Blvd so the Resturant is easy to miss (I never knew it existed until about a month ago despite living a block away from it for over a year). 

But I can honestly say my mind and opinion about German food has been changed by the Heimat House. I was (am) a notoriously picky eater, Nate can certainly attest to this. I went to Germany when I was 12 and refused to eat anything that looked or sounded weird but at the Heimat House I decided to branch out. 

Heimat House has a huge list of German beers on draft and in bottles. The reason we decided to go Thursday night (besides family dinner) was the free Krombacher steins with purchase of a Krombacher draft beer (of which they have 3 varieties - Pilsner, Dark and Hefeweizen).

Decor: excellent, the Resturant was very homey (makes sense since "Heimat" in German means "house", huh?). Dark wood booths and tables, a huge and fully stocked bar. It was what I would label approachable elegance. I felt in place in jeans and a t-shirt but would've felt just as comfortable wearing a nice dress for date night. They also have a row of televisions for watching a game while enjoying some beers (the Blackhawks were playing that night). They have a bar, three dining areas and what looked like a possible patio seating area coming soon. 

Food appearance: good, one thing that can be said about German food is that it's meant to be hearty and filling, not necessarily pretty. However, the plating was more than just plopping food on the plate. 

Food taste: excellent, we ordered the potato and cheese pierogi appetizer (Nate loves pierogi). These dumplings of potato goodness were sautéed in butter with onions and served with sour cream (yummy!!) I also tried a bite of the Spaetzle mit Kase, aka dumplings with cheese. It was like the creamiest macaroni and cheese I've ever eaten. 

Hungarian Spicy Sausage soup, this was a recommendation from our waiter and I would like to thank him profusely for it! The broth was spicy without being overpowering, the sausage was plump and despite being submerged in broth still had a bite (please explain this phenomenon to me?!) and had delicious broth-soaked potatoes. 

For my entree I got the Bratwurst with sauerkraut and German potato salad. The bratwurst was flavorful and served with delicious hot mustard, I dislike sauerkraut but everyone else said it was top-notch, the German potato salad reminded me of my Oma's, slightly warm, potatoes well-cooked and well seasoned. For dessert, Nate and I shared a HUGE slice of Black Forest cake. The cherry filling was sweet with the cherries still slightly firm, the chocolate was slightly bitter and it was served with fresh whipped cream, did I mention that all their food is made in-house?  

Cleanliness: excellent, everything from the booths to the bathrooms were perfectly in order. 

Service: excellent, our server was attentive, friendly and helpful. Our drinks were never empty and dirty plates not left on the table too long. 

Total: 14/15 

If you're craving some seriously delicious and home cooked Eastern European food, please go to Heimat House, everything I ate was sublime and their beer selection is unparalleled.