Ein Prosit: Teske's in San Jose and "Sommerfest"

Guten Tag Everyone!

I hope you all had stellar weekends out there. After reading this post, you'll see that I did too. With nothing to do this weekend, I sought out the premier German restaurant in the Bay Area, Teske's, located in downtown San Jose (1). I saw on their website they were hosting what they call Sommerfest (could that mean Summerfest?) the evening of July 18. I called up my buddy Jordan and convinced him to drive up from Monterey (2), and from my apartment we caught the soonest train to Teske's.

From the inside, Teske's is a little underwhelming. There are plenty of German beer decorations, but the place is dimly lit, and no one was sitting down at the dining tables. There were just a few locals at the bar, and I was wondering if I had gotten the date right. This all changed for the better once Jordan and I stepped outside into the biergarten.

Upon setting foot into the biergarten, we immediately caught sight and sound of a lederhosen-clad band playing "Ein Prosit," meaning "a toast." The patio tables were full, mostly with middle-agers and senior citizens. But who's to say you can't have fun with the oldies? They certainly were not afraid to chime in once the band played "Alice" (3). I'm sure the crowd is even more lively when Teske puts on Oktoberfest.

Although this was Sommerfest, Teske's ran its restaurant with a menu similar to what is usually available. This proved to be a good thing, as I had many choices at my disposal. After deciding between a schweinebraten dish and some beef goulash, I went with the goulash (4). It was simple, rich, and flat-out delicious. Accompanying the goulash was some pickled, sweet red cabbage and garlic mashed potatoes (which are incredible when dipped in the stew). A meal at Teske's is not cheap, as entrees run in the $20's. But when you're in the biergarten with the oompah band and beer flowing by the liter, it's worth it.

Now what about the beer? Teske's served two Spaten beers on tap, one light and one dark. Jordan and I only had the dark, as we noticed how well it went with our hearty food, and it was pretty good. But then, when you're recreating a German summer, isn't any beer good? Teske's also serves a variety of other German beers from the bottle (Erdinger, Bitburger, Spaten) and plenty of schnapps and spirits, which can always compliment a dessert. Overall, you'll be emptying your pockets a little, but if you come during a special event, you'll get some bang for your buck. I do recommend taking public transportation to Teske's, mainly since it's a biergarten and the beer often comes in very large quantities. But do yourself a favor and don't miss the ride home! Jordan and I were having so much fun that we lost track of time and walked 3.3 miles back to my place. A European ending to a European evening. Ein Prosit!
Teske's Germania

You Stay Hoppy California,
Pink

(1: I think it's a popular place for German players on the San Jose Sharks, but no luck this time mates)
(2: Jordan, thanks a million. It was quite the Euro adventure!)
(3: It is an Oktoberfest custom for the band to play a song called "Alice." There are a couple short verses and in between the band pauses, serving as a queue for the crowd to shout, "Alice! Who the **** is Alice!?")
(4: German goulash is more of a beef stew, differing from the soup-like Hungarian goulash)