Chew On This!
[ As printed in the May 2006 issue of the Seattle Metropolitan Magazine - http://www.seattlemet.com/this_issue.aspx?issue=23 ]
World's Fare : 26 Best Ethic Restaurants
By Kathryn Robinson with Bridget Budbill, Nate Lippens and Eric Scigliano.
Photo (not pictured here) by Bootsy Holler.
Germany
The People's Pub
This lively Ballard haunt is one of the only places to go in town for German food. The name telegraphs no-nonsense proletariat simplicity, but the place exudes the Old World charm of a campus Rathskellar. This is reinforced by the incredible array of beers - some eight to 10 German brews on tap, along with a list of bottled beers as long as your arm - with menu suggestions for pairing them with food. Which is delicious, by the way: lots of amply portioned appetizer noshes, leading up to the whole brats-schnitzel-goulash gamut. Try the fork tender Jägerschnitzel, which arrives with brown-sugar sauerkraut and soft, buttery spatetzle.
[ As printed in the January 2, 2002 issue of the Seattle Weekly - http://www.seattleweekly.com ]
Chew On This!
There aren't many places to get German food in Seattle, or most other places outside Germany for that matter. This isn't a great mystery; German food doesn't boast a very impressive range of strong flavors, and it requires a certain fixation on "the other white meat." This cuisine also seems hell-bent on keeping its regulars outside the realm of the height-weight-proportional category. All right, so maybe it's not something you want to eat every day, but it is good to know where you can get it done well when the hankering does occur. Ballard's PEOPLE'S PUB is such a place. For appetizers, both the old standard sausage and cheese plate ($6) and a more imaginative entry, broiled jalapeño peppers ($7) wrapped in bacon and stuffed with goat cheese, are tasty and served in generous portions. For an entrée, you might try the paprikaschnitzel ($12), a pork cutlet sautéed with onions and peppers--eating paprikaschnitzel isn't quite as delightful as saying the word out loud (go ahead, it's a lot of fun), but it's pretty close. Served along with a surprisingly light and fluffy bed of spaetzle and some red cabbage, it's an authentic German feast. Such a feast, of course, wouldn't be complete without the proper beverage accompaniment. The People's Pub boasts an impressive selection of German brews on tap--Spaten Optimator/Doppelback and Pilsner, Hacker-Pschorr Weisse, Paulaner Hefeweizen and Lager, and Bitburger Pils (all for a very reasonable $3.50 per pint or $4.50 for the 22-ouncer), along with bottled fare from breweries such as Erdinger and Celebrator. Local microbrews are also well represented, and there's a full complement of liquor to boot. Factor in the cozy atmosphere (pay no mind to the frequently empty front dining room), and you just may have reason to come every day. 5429 Ballard N.W., 783-6521, Mon. 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Wed.-Fri. 3 p.m.-2 a.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-2 a.m., Sun. 11a.m.-1 a.m., closed Tues. Paul Fontana
Excerpt from the September 2002 issue (page 87) of Seattle Magazine
Published and Copyrighted by Tiger Oak Publications, Inc
http://www.seattlemag.com/
Gourmet Grub
by Allison Austin
"You can't throw lutefisk in Ballard - that homey, quirky, some might even say hokey (yes, even after the recent influx of former Belltown dwellers) neighborhood we love - without hitting a surprisingly good eatery. The latest of these is the People's Pub, which does what any good German pub should : It takes the food on its menu as seriously as it does the bock beer on tap. Pick your schnitzel - they've got the full lineup, including a tender Jagerschnitzel served with addictive braised red cabbage."
From Zagat Survey 2003
Inhabiting a recently revamped space on bustling Ballard Avenue, this pub serves as a rare source for German specialties, from grilled bratwurst sandwiches to full-on jagerschnitzel with spaetzle and red cabbage; there are also bar eats and a late night menu to go with its impressive array of "hard-to-find beers" including, naturally, a healthy showing of Deutsch brews.
Miscellaneous mentions in newsgroups and other websites...
"... By that time it was around 4 an time for food. Headed over to the People's Pub for fried pickles and hot spiced wine. This girl at the table next to us kept jumping into our conversation and it was great! Totally not rude or obnoxious but maybe that's because of the environment we were in and you just fel tlike you could talk to anybody..."
Source
"... A special shout-out to the People's Pub, our trivia venue: the team I was on for round three won the second place prize, a pitcher of beer. (While I wasn't technically on the team for the win of the beer coupon we were spending, we got 2nd place again in round three, so I think I was allowed to partake.) However, nobody on the team drank (or at least was interested in drinking at the time). Someone suggested we ask if we can get hot chocolate instead, so we did, jokingly referring to our substitute prize as a pitcher of hot chocolate. The waitress believed they were out of hot chocolate, but would go check anyway.
A good 20 minutes later, the waitress returned to ensure that we weren't going to leave. While the kitchen was out of their regular cheapo hot chocolate stuff, they decided to try and whip something up. It was late, the game was over and we were all tired and wanting to go home, but the special effort was too appreciated to abandon, so we waited. Many minutes later, the waitress handed out six mugs and carried over-- if you can imagine-- a pitcher of hot chocolate. It was warm, creamy and extremely satisfying. It was clear that this wasn't cheapo hot chocolate, but a half gallon of milk carefully heated on a stovetop, to which chocolate syrup was lovingly added. And it was gratis, as the second place prize in someone's trivia game. First prize was cash; I think I prefer second..."
Source
"Debbie the Gruesome" wrote ...
So, I'm sitting here, happily wiping tomato drippings off my chin, and thought I should share my happy experience of the People's Pub. Strolled by there about an hour ago, popped in, and ordered a Fried Tomato Sandwich to go. Several minutes later, it was ready, and I trotted home with it. Yum, yum, yum. I can still taste it (which is a good thing) and if I weren't completely full, might be tempted to go back for another (certainly will another day).
Description from the website (http://www.peoplespub.com):
Breaded Fried Tomato.With goat cheese, English cucumber, spinach, and fresh chives. ...$6.50
It came with a small green salad and the very good German potato salad.
I will definitely be returning to sample other things on the menu.
"Grover Partee" wrote ...
Very enjoyable. Good food, great prices, terrific people. Not quite enough people, maybe, but we arrived, apparently, just as they were getting ready to open. None of the waitstaff were on the floor yet. The guys in the kitchen were very nice. Cranked the heat up for my SO who had just had her hair cut. She walked down from Market with it wet and was quite chilled.
Fried tomato sandwich was different and quite tasty. Stuffed Portobello mushrooms (schnitzel-style) were great as was the mixed green salad. Unless you're still quite hungry plan to share the ice cream; you'll get three scoops. If you can't decide between the chocolate sauce and the warm raspberry sauce, ask them to give you a little of both. We didn't, but there's enough ice cream that it shouldn't be a problem.
Speaking of "atmosphere" ... someone here had asked about smoking/nonsmoking. I understand smoking is permitted in the bar but there was really no way I could tell from our table in front ... and I'm generally very sensitive to smoke. I went back to the men's room which is right next to the bar and could notice no smoke odor there either. There was a large party in the bar, but they may not have been smoking. Or maybe the over-capacity smoke eater works!. Anyway, it's nice that the nonsmokers don't have to run a gauntlet of smokers to get to their tables.
Thanks. We'll be back.