Oktoberfest events, the celebrations of traditional German food and culture, actually begin this month. Here are some creative ideas for catering, decor, and seating for gatherings with a German theme.
Serving sausages doesn't have to be a messy affair. Loreley Restaurant & Biergarten on New York’s Lower East Side arranges sliced sausages with the cuts going in opposite directions to create a chevron pattern and plates the items on a bed of sauerkraut.
At the Frieze Art Fair New York in 2012, the Standard High Line hotel recreated its Biergarten on a patio. Staff wore T-shirts printed with lederhosen or dirndls and served pretzels and beer.
Cookshop served bite-size Hampshire pork bratwursts with a hearty relish and brown ale mustard at the 2008 New York City Wine & Food Festival’s Grand Tasting.
Chicago’s famed Berghoff Catering & Restaurant Group is an Oktoberfest pro, hosting its 30th annual celebration September 16 to 18 at the John C. Kluczynski Federal Plaza. The event begins with a traditional toast and continues with traditional fare, live music, and other activities.
Traditional Oktoberfest fare typically is off-limits for people observing a gluten-free diet. But Berghoff serves a few items for guests with specific needs such as a gluten-free pork stew, Deutsch schweine gulasch.
At its 2014 Oktoberfest, Berghoff served 1,000 apple strudels to guests. Other eye-popping catering facts: Guests consumed 35,000 beers,12,000 brats, and 7,000 pretzels.
In a nod to the host venue, the Residence of the German Ambassador, desserts at this year’s Opera Ball in Washington included nearly 20 different German sweets in a spread from Susan Gage Caterers. Offerings included traditional German treats such as Black Forest cake and obsttorte as well as miniature opera cakes. The menu of passed desserts featured items like one-bite ice cream sandwiches made with German spice cookies and lemon sorbet.
The Lyric Opera of Chicago’s women’s board hosted a gala with a theme of The Sound of Music in 2014 when the opera was staging a production of the classic musical. Although the show takes place in Austria, many of the tropes carry over, like the oompah band that entertained gala guests.
Offering a pretzel bar with several varieties puts a spin on the classic snack. Paramount Events Chicago has a pretzel station with plain, sea salt, cheese, and pepperoni pretzels that hang from a stand. Accompanying sauces include whole-grain mustard and tomato-bacon jam.
A feature of the Oktoberfest celebration at Loreley Restaurant & Biergarten is a whole pig roast. The restaurant will host its 12th annual celebration on September 19 as well as an Oktoberfest closing party on October 4.
Communal tables are a beer garden staple. Atlanta’s Der Biergarten can cover the long wooden tables with traditional blue-and-white checked tablecloths or leave bare; planners can arrange to bring in their own linens.
