Village Bier Garten Restaurant- Cocoa Village, FL-
4.25 Stars
After a few Italian-American joints came up in a row on my name generator I was hoping for something different to sample today. Low and behold if the Village Bier Garten in Cocoa Village, FL didn't pop up in the window. "Oh, well," I thought as I put the Big Boy Mobile in gear, another hope dashed by the randomness of life. Truthfully, I am sick of all the crappy Italian food in this county.
I found the Village Bier Garten in the very heart of quaint Cocoa Village, FL. It is very tastefully decorated with homage to the German roots of the owner, Troy Winfred von Stephan, a third-generation German-American. After being shown a table and handed a bill of fare, I began to peruse said menu.
With a name like Village Bier Garten, you know they had an ample selection of bier from which to wet your whistle. As I am on the wagon, I did not partake; however, they do have quite a variety on the menu. As I was pondering the entrees, I locked eyes with an approaching person, she stopped and introduced herself as Hannah and informed me she was to be my waitress today and wondered if I was ready to order. I asked Hannah for my German food barometer of Wiener Schnitzel and an order of Hackbraten.
Relaxing while waiting for my food, I again took in my surroundings. Approving the décor, the location and the all-around welcoming feel of the place, I was interrupted by Hannah returning with my order. Hannah is very congenial, professional and at the top of her game. Certainly no complaints with the wait staff or service. Filling my meat hooks with the provided utensils, I readied myself to get to work.
Everything certainly did look appealing and was plated with aplomb. I found the Wiener Schnitzel to be breaded abundantly and obviously by hand. The pork was pounded to a perfect thickness and it was a delight to smack. The side of potato salad was exceedingly flavorful and I would almost swear it was made fresh to order.
Moving on to the Hackbraten. Hackbraten, for those not in the know, is the German equivalent of Meatloaf. After one bite all I can say is that this is NOT your mom's meatloaf nor a Swanson's TV Dinner. This is very good. Such a complex meld of flavors came together in a glorious cascade of finesse across my taste buds. Not only was it flavorful, but had the perfect firmness a meatloaf should have and was cooked spot on. What the what? The accompanying Spaetzle was superlatively seasoned. Seasoning is the key here and the chef hit this one over the fence.
The Big Boy says, "If your hankering for some Authentic, delicious German food make a beeline for the Village Bier Garten in Cocoa Village!" read more