Phantom Gourmet: Bronwyn In Somerville's Union Square
SOMERVILLE - German food, German beer, Bavarian pretzels, and a real biergarten. It's like Oktoberfest all year round at Bronwyn restaurant in Union Square, Somerville.
Bronwyn is named after Bronwyn Wiechmann, who along with her husband Tim Wiechmann (he's one of the most talented chefs in Greater Boston by the way), has created a place where people come to meet and to eat meat, just like they do in Germany.
"Our mission was to transport you, and your taste buds, and the friendliness and the fun of Bavaria and Austria. Tons of fresh-made sausage and lots of great German beers," Tim said.
"A large family of 10 people can come into the bar area and almost have like a family style German dinner, where they're all sharing things. You're supposed to be close, and you're supposed to be able to talk to your neighbor," Bronwyn explained.
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Who has time to talk when there are delicious dishes to dig into? Quite simply, this might be some of the best beer-drinking food you can find anywhere outside of Eastern and Central Europe. To Chef Tim, it's not just authentic food; it's comfort food.
"I have spent many years in Germany. My parents are German. I've traveled there. I've lived in Austria. I know the food and I really wanted to bring it here."
Let's start with the number one selling dish: the hand-made, crusty, salty, Bavarian pretzels. Tim and his team make a set amount every night, so they're always fresh and delicious. Whenever they're sold out, they're sold out, unless Bronwyn sets one aside for herself.
"I have a pretzel probably every day," she said. "Whether it's at the end of the night or whether it's straight out of the oven - especially if you're going to have a beer. Then we make our own mustard, which is a spicy mustard. You rip it apart, and then some people like the inside; some people like the arms; you can fight over that. I normally go straight for the arms."
From there you'll want to wrap your arms around some other snacks, like housemade Charcuterie or an amazing plate of crispy pork Schniztel over their signature sauerkraut. Since potatoes are such a key ingredient in traditional German cooking, there are quite a few options including German Potato Salad, pan-fried potatoes with bacon, or completely addictive potato pancakes that are fried to a dark golden brown.
"It's almost like a French fry or a frite," Bronwyn described. "We all have a reference point to it, so the moment you put it in a pancake and serve it on the plate with applesauce, people just can't get enough of it."
"People love potatoes, man," offered Tim. "I love potatoes too."
What they really love to do around here is make sausage: lots and lots of old world style German sausages. They offer something different every day, and they are served by the trio, so there's always a new reason to come in and indulge.
"We rifle through the Bavarian Wieswurst; we do Polish kielbasa, frankfurters, bratwurst. We have like 30 something sausages," Tim said.
If you're a carnivore who truly wants to eat like a king, there is one dish we dare you to try and finish: The Konigsteller. It's like a sausage, pulled pork, and a beer-braised pork shank all mashed-up into one meat-licious meal.
"Konigsteller means King's Platter. We thought that this platter would be fit for a king and it is," Tim said. "Has a big frankfurter sausage on the top; has these specialty meatballs called klöpse, sauerkraut, potatoes, and mustard."
"It's crispy on the outside. The meat falls of the bone," continued Bronwyn. "It's kind of a combination of a very large bone connected to a smaller bone and there's meat wrapped all the way around it."
Just for good measure, you might want to add in a side of spaetzle, essentially German-style noodles made with flour, eggs and a little cornmeal crisped up in oil and butter until they're perfectly browned.
For dessert, there's the Barenjäger Baba, a honey liquor soaked cake, served with fresh vanilla whipped cream.
Even though some of their menu may be a bit different and tough to pronounce, after all is said and done, Bronwyn is really a meat and potatoes kind of place.
"Nothing is too foreign," Bronwyn reassured. "When they actually see it arrive in front of them they feel very comfortable. It's comfort food."
You can find Bronwyn at 255 Washington Street in Somerville, and online at bronwynrestaurant.com.
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