Clear your stomach – and throat – it’s time to order
some hearty German fare and celebrate Oktoberfest.

photos by Morgan Bellinger

Haus Murphy’s
5739 W. Glendale Ave.,
Glendale
623-939-2480
hausmurphys.com

For 13 years now, the Hoffman family has been stunning us with its snazzy schnitzel – seven different styles, in fact, ranging from schweizer (pork wrapped in creamy emmenthaler and Black Forest ham) to holsteiner (pork topped with fried egg, salty anchovies and capers – trust, us, it’s terrific). The menu bursts with wurst, like the favorite weisswurst, a duo of mild veal sausages served Munich-style in a steaming pot of water. Even if the hackbraten looks just like a TV dinner Salisbury steak, the Hindenburg slab of meatloaf tastes deeply of seasoned beef, pork and onion bathed in thick, dark gravy. The setting practically shrieks German kitsch, but when the bauernplatte combination platter arrives, it’s obvious the kitchen is serious, sending out Teutonic temptations of bratwurst, knackwurst, weisswurst, kassler kotelett, pork schnitzel, sauerkraut, red cabbage, fried potatoes and German potato salad. Finish up with flaky apple strudel or rich German chocolate cake – they’re “haus made,” of course.