Schnitzel & Spätzle: Oktoberfest comes to The Second Line. Here's a peek at the menu.
Midtown restaurant The Second Line is about to bring a taste of Germany to Memphis.
The New Orleans-themed restaurant known for po-boys and barbecue shrimp will soon be serving Schnitzel, Wurstl and Spätzle.
A pop-up concept being called “Steve & Todd go to Oktoberfest” will run Sept. 1-Oct. 3.
“Did you know that Oktoberfest in Germany is really in September? It starts Sept.16,” said The Second Line owner Kelly English, adding the restaurant plans to celebrate the holiday for the entire month.
English said German cuisine is a food his team has always wanted to offer as one of the restaurant group’s occasional international-themed pop-ups.
German fare has a special place in English’s heart. Before moving to Memphis, he helped open Alsatian restaurant Luke in New Orleans. He was set to head to Germany to learn more about the cuisine, but the trip was canceled when Hurricane Katrina hit just days before his planned departure.
When English first opened Restaurant Iris in 2008, he featured a Schnitzel with spätzle, capers, a fried egg and anchovy on the menu.
In an effort to be as authentic as possible, the chef and restaurateur reached out to the owners of the much-missed downtown German Restaurant Erika’s. “We will be making the Rham Schnitzel in the same way they did,” he said, adding this veal schnitzel in a mushroom cream sauce was his favorite dish at the closed restaurant.
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While some dishes will be authentic, others will have a Second Line “spin” to them. “We might have a Sauerbraten po-boy,” English said. Sauerbraten, a marinated beef dish served with gravy, will be a German spin on a New Orleans-style Roast Beef and Debris po-boy.
Brunch will also be served, including dishes like Hoppel Poppel. “Isn’t it fun to say?” said English of this German egg dish served over potato pancakes
As part of the month-long celebration, The Second Line has partnered with Meddlesome Brewing Co. to provide a special Oktoberfest beer.
English said a beer festival on Sept. 16 is in the works, but details are not yet finalized.
And, are you wondering who Steve and Todd are? Steve is English’s longtime business partner, Steve Richey, and Todd is English’s brother who runs Fino’s Italian Deli.
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“They didn’t know we were going to name it after them,” English said. “Steve has been my business partner for 10 years and never gets credit. We included Todd too since the menu is full of food he loves to eat.”
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
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Oktoberfest at The Second Line
Where: 2144 Monroe Ave.
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, Sept. 1-Oct. 3
Online: secondlinememphis.com
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Oktoberfest comes to Midtown Memphis restaurant The Second Line
