Happy Saint Pattie's

Restaurant: Suppenkuche (San Francisco)
Food description: 5 liters of Erdinger beer in a giant boot

I'm not Irish, but Saint Pattie's Day is universal for beer! If you're looking to do something fun today, Suppenkuche, though German, has enormous beers (up to 5 liters!), perfect for Saint Pattie's festivities. The tradition is to pass it around the table and not set it back down until it's all gone. To sop up the beer, they've got nice hearty dishes to match (the jaagerschnitzel should do the trick). Happy celebratin'!

Food review: Karlbsragout

Restaurant: Suppenkuche (San Francisco)
Food description: German veal stew with mushroom gravy sauce and pan-fried egg noodles (spatzle)
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

I've been to Suppenkuche and bunch of times (since it's in my hood and I can crawl home after the food knocks me out) so I like to check out the specials and try something new. The karlsragout was something I'd never had but was definitely a good choice. I knew I couldn't go wrong with the mushroom gravy, since I've had it many time before on the jagerschnitzel dish and love it. The veal was slow cooked, tender, and lean, but just slightly overcooked. The flavor of the veal, mushrooms, and gravy together was fantastic-from that alone, I'd definitely order it again. The spatzle was also yummy and is one of Suppenkuche's fortes. It goes great with the stew with it's rich and buttery flavor, but isn't overwhelmingly greasy. It's a shame this dish isn't on the permanent menu because it's one of the better thing's I've had at Suppenkuche.

Food review: Wiener Schnitzel

Restaurant: Suppenkuche (San Francisco)
Food description: Breaded sauteed pork loin with roasted potatoes and green salad
Food rating: 7 out of 10
Times ordered: 3

Suppenkuche is a neighborhood favorite of mine, so I know to prepare myself for the instant food coma that happens within minutes of eating there (you've been warned). The wiener schnitzel is one of the heaviest dishes on the menu, but a great beginner dish for those new to German food. The pork tenderloin is pounded until very thin and tender, and then breaded and pan fried. Squeeze a a couple lemons on top and voila! Simple and yummy. The portions are huge, but save room for the roasted potatoes-they don't look like much, but they're very tasty. And forget the salad, I've never seen anyone eat that stuff here. Overall, I find the dish a tad dry and too oily, so I always recommend it's sister dish, the jägerschnitzel: same thing, only with mushroom gravy instead of lemon. It's definitely the better choice.