For reservations call 941-330-9330 or email info@siegfrieds-restaurant.com.

Sat under a canopy of twinkle lights inside a private gazebo is the table to request at Seigfried’s Restaurant and Biergarten. It’s hard not to fall under the spell of such the delightfully magical location tucked off Fruitville Road, but the steller food stole the show.

While some shop by the saying, “If you love it buy it in every color,” I tend to order to the tune of, “If you can’t decide, order it all.” A refurbished mini-kitchen operating out of a food truck/van/trailer hybrid cranks away outside whipping up German goodness. A trio fit for carnivorous diners, Nurnberger Bratwurst mit Kartoffelpuree und Saurkraut, Rheinischer Sauerbraten and Wiener Schnitzel mit Omas Karoffelsalat arrived in heaping plates to the table.

Kartoffelpuree, a much more fun way to say mashed potatoes, is served alongside two grilled bratwurst and housemade sauerkraut with a delicious brown gravy. Rich, decadent and stick to your ribs, this dish reminds us Americans that sausage should not be just for breakfast. The Sauerbraten is a labor-intensive delicacy of beef eye round marinated in weeks with vinegar to tenderize and accompanied by potato dumplings and warm red cabbage. The rich gravy with raisins was the perfect sweet and tangy accompaniment to the vinegar braised meat and fluffy dumplings.

The star of the show was the Wiener Schnitzel. An unbeatable cut of super thin veal fried to perfection and paired with, but of course, another play on everyone’s favorite vegetable, the potato. This time as Grandma’s warm bavarian potato salad which puts any store bought mushy white side-dish to shame. Finished with lemon and cranberry sauce for some needed brightness it’s about as pitch perfect a cozy meal as you can get. Wash it all down with a German ale listening to European pop music streaming through the garden and you might be fooled into thinking you’ve swapped this beach town for Bavaria.

Siegfried’s is open Wednesday through Sunday from 4pm to 10pm.

For reservations call 941-330-9330 or email info@siegfrieds-restaurant.com.

Click here for more information.