Holy Grale

Second time visiting and this time I had the opportunity to actually sit down and eat dinner. We shared the pork cheek sliders, quail over risotto and the spicy frites. The sliders were fantastic, the quail was cooked well but it was my first time and I discovered I don't like the taste. The spicy frites were good but a tad salty.
Overall a good meal and of course the beers were very good.

The only minor negative was the service, the bartender seemed a bit standoffish and appeared to be preoccupied, but the busboy made up for it with his friendly attitude. this did not detract too much from the experience for me but I live in a college town so am used to poorly trained servers.

What can be said that hasn't already been said better in the New York Times? Everything here is well thought out, well executed, imaginative, and just plain delicious. Spicy frites (a sort of kim chee fry), brussel sprouts and / or baby mustard greens salads, freshly made bratwurst served with sauerkraut they make in house--everything I've tried here is just great. The only downfall is letting you know about it, frankly, as there is a distinct possibility its downfall will be its own popularity. As such, arrive earlier than you normally would in the hope of getting a seat (I'd say "of being seated" but service here is bar style and it's every man/woman for themselves...unless you brought your posse).

I have been back here a couple of times since I wrote my review and I have found the secret to avoiding the grenade beer. You can tell just about any employee there your likes and dislikes and they will bring you a non-vinegar beer that is sweet AND bitter (yes, I live a life of contradictions). This is annoying for people that have never been there, but there are enough good beers on the menu that you should take the risk. I still vote for free samples or the ability to return beers.

The food is freaking awesome, but a lot of it is spicy. And when I say spicy, I mean REALLY spicy. You're eating the mussels and the red curry sauce is TO DIE FOR,but then it's so hot mouth is on fire. So you start drinking your beer to cool off and the next thing you know, you've eaten the entire plate of mussels and finished your beer in about 15 minutes. And then you realize your beer is 12% abv and then you realize-sh you're slurring your words-sh.