You know you want this! Piping hot, crisp Belgian fries with Haus gravy, pulled pork and cheese curds… I know that one shouldn’t go this crazy every day. But today was special, because Jenn Pruett of  HDE Agency invited us to Brat Haus for a little freebie media lunch to sample killer artisan sausage, craft beer and yes, these twice baked Belgian fries. Never been here before. How can that be? I have driven by Brat Haus on Scottsdale Road in Old Town a million times. So we dug in, and Chef Ryan Laufenburger kept the dishes coming. 

Not sure what was more fun – Chef Ryan’s personality (it’s a Minnesota thing) , or this BBQ boar brat. Crazy good, with pulled pork, bacon BBQ, cheddar and onion. To be honest, it was running down my chin. I was sort of proud. This is serious fun food, and being dainty wouldn’t be the way to roll. 

We tried the fried pickles, the cheese curds, and house made sausage a few different ways. Divine. Addicting. Happiness. We pressed on….

It was a perfect day for folks to sit on the patio. Warm sunshine and a cool breeze. Loved the sausage board, with a “mini Haus”, a “hot Italian”, and “sweet sausage with toppings”. 

It’s extremely important to wash all this deliciousness down with an ice cold German beer. They have a cool little bar on property, and the list of draft and craft beers is impressive. This beer was poured perfectly, and the foam was at the top of the glass. But, I might have accidentally taken just one, cold,refreshing little sip just before taking this image. 

We had the Haus Original pretzel, served with warm beer cheese fondue. I think I double dipped. I apologize. But I couldn’t stop. 

Loved the name of this one, and after eating for an hour, I managed to taste this baby. The Das Brat – a foot long bratwurst with sauerkraut, relish and dijonaise.  A nice mix of the hot brat with the cold toppings. I just might have to go back to taste this one again. 

Of course everything is housemade, and the meat is smoked on property where the sausages are mixed and stuffed into the casings. Listed under “gourmet” on the menu is the Greek, which has the sausage and lamb, with Moroccan spices, mint, raisins and coriander. AND apricot chutney! Yes, please. 

The final dish that I had to try, was the burger. OK, seriously? It’s called the Pig Mac. So you get a brat patty plus a grass fed beef patty, cheddar, sweet onion jam Hush Hush sauce ( no idea, didn’t ask, didn’t care, because I was stuffing myself) and it was the BEST. Um, no room for the apple strudel dessert. This time.  Great food, great friends, cold beer. And, honestly, I’m a total sucker for names that have an umlaut!