Frankford Hall

Stephen Starr ventured into two new worlds with his latest venture: Fishtown and a beer focused location.  Last week I had my birthday party at Frankford Hall, this open air German-style beer garden.

For starters, this is a great place to have a gathering.  People can come and go as they please.  There is a lot of space.  If people want to hang out without buying anything, it's not awkward.  It's pay as you go, so at the end of the night there isn't come huge combined bill to fight with.  Friends can order food as they're hungry.  With a group of friends that is hard to co-ordinate (or simply fickle), it's perfect.

Sure, there are a few things that I could complain about.  With post-season baseball around the corner, it's hard not to remark about the lack of TVs.  The prices are a bit high, and the inclusion of valet parking in my neighborhood is laughable.  I suppose it's off set by the decently sized bike rack.

Still, once inside, there's a large indoor and outdoor area filled with large picnic tables.  There's ping pong and trees planted in the courtyard.  Overall, it's a beautiful rehab of the space.

The menu consists mainly of sausages and wursts.  I don't remember my exact choice, but I was happy with it.  Sides of delicious red cabbage or sauerkraut come with the sausages, although bread is $1 per roll.  In the middle of the space is a large condiment stand with several mustard options, which is great.

Another food option is the $5 soft pretzel imported from Germany.  After a few bites, I wished they bought it locally and lowered the price, because the taste couldn't justify the ridiculous shipping distance.

The beer comes in half and full liters.  Aside from the fact that everything is about $1 more than it is most other places, the heavy German influence on the beer list is impressive nonetheless.  When the beers are domestic, they're German influenced.  There is no price discount for buying the liter; they're all simply twice as much as the half.  Stick with the half for the choice of variety and the convenience of your beer still being cool for the last five sips.

Bottom Line: This is an awesome space, and it's good to get a whole bunch of people together.  If crowded, it could be a bit annoying, and the prices certainly deter me from being a regular customer.  But I will definitely visit again.

Brauhaus Schmitz

I've noticed that is spot is getting mixed reviews. I'm pretty surprised, because I thought I was being critical and I still walked impressed.

I traveled Germany for two weeks. I ate in several beer halls, from the Haufbrau to Spaten to Schneider Brothers. I had a very specific idea of what Brauhaus Schmitz could and should be.

To start, Jonny and I walked in greeted by a hostess in lederhosen. This was probably the only cheesy gimmicky part of the whole night. We waited about 20 minutes for a table; not bad on a Friday night. Our server was great; he had good knowledge of the beer and the food. For this place to be legit, it's imperative to employ workers to can talk about schnitzel and a good rauchbier.

The menu here is excellent. They are a lot of good choices from appetizers and main courses, but I recommend skipping everything that isn't wurst or schnitzel. Portions are huge, so an appetizer could be shared or skipped altogether. The house wurst is a Nurenberger sausage, but doesn't really taste or look like a traditional Nurenberger sausage. It was good, but again, here's a situation where my travel experience causes me to be more critical.

For side dishes, Schmitz continues to impress in taste and authenticity. The spatzle is (almost) a must, and the potato pancakes and asparagus are also top notch. Jonny and I split one meter of sausage. It's a lot of food, really more than two people should eat. But that didn't stop us from emerging triumphant. Overall, the food is very good.

For beer, stick with the German stuff. This beer list here is extensive and well crafted. If you're in the mood to get a little crazy, opt for Stoudt's excellent Gold, which comes in 1 liter mugs and will set you back $9. The rest of the beers are $5 to 7 and come in pints and goblets, depending on the ABV. I didn't take not of everything that I had, but it's not important. It is important for you to go check it out for yourself.

This place seemed expensive when I was looking at the menu. I expected at bill of about $100, but we left paying $40 each after tip. It's not the cheapest meal around, but I was totally happy with my experience.

Bottom Line: This is easily the go to spot on South Street, and probably the best German spot in the city area. Go to Germany if you can. if you can't, come here and consume a healthy amount of beer, meat, and potatoes.

Essentials:

718 South St

(267) 909-8814

Avg Ent: 16-21

Cash Only: No

Reservations: Yes