Oktoberfest in D.C.
By • October 2, 2024 0 5
By Alexander Estrada
October is here with it comes the opportunity to travel up Wisconsin Avenue to the historic Old Europe restaurant for a traditional Oktoberfest celebration, with Bock beer and a special Oktoberfest menu.
Authenticity is key to their cuisine, and frankly, the entire Old Europe experience. Old Europe has 30 German beers to choose from, with four on draft. The benchmark is the Spaten Beer in addition to seasonal brews. Their signature dishes are the Schnitzel Old Europe and the Jägerschnitzel. The Schnitzel Old Europe was a recipe created by the original owners of the restaurant, the Lichtensteins, and is made with an unbreaded Schnitzel cutlet, layered with a roux-thickened chicken and mushroom Ragoutant then broiled with sliced tomatoes and dressed with Hollandaise. Jagerschnitzel is a similar meal made with pork, veal, bacon and sausage. They also offer fish dishes, vegetarian options and a chilled cucumber soup for a summer vibe.
“I have to pull the ingredients from different sources to achieve the unique flavor of some regional or national specialties,“ said Alex Herold, host and owner of Old Europe.
Schnitzels can be made in 101 different ways depending on the base or toppings and the sides served with it that usually gives it its name. “For us, we serve Summer Schnitzel Toast or Schnitzel Melbe.
Overall the dishes of Old Europe have varied and hand-selected ingredients which Herold describes as “Bürgerliche Küche” or German homestyle cooking. The ingredients are sourced locally and nationally, and some are even imported. All that effort works to maintain the authentic German taste offered on the menu. For example, the sausages are made by a German butcher in Baltimore.
“We’re the equivalent to good old country-style, grandma’s cooking kind of thing,” Herold said.
This summer, Old Europe hosted a soccer-watching extravaganza for the Euro Cup, and it was standing room only. Even after Germany was disqualified, the party went on for the rest of the competition. Huge high-definition screens were placed around the dining area so that any angle was a good one for viewing the action.
Herold continues the traditional German hospitality carried on by his parents, Karl and Isabel, who bought the Old Europe restaurant from its founders, Ida and Albert Lichtenstein, who started the eatery in 1948. The Lichtensteins were German Jews who escaped Germany in 1933, and came to the D.C. area after some time in Ecuador. When Herold’s parents bought Old Europe from them, they kept the gemütlichkeit, or ambiance of the restaurant and its German heritage.
“It produces a convivial evening,” Herold said. “We’re still reasonably priced and for what you get, handcrafted meals made from scratch.” Old Europe has weathered the pandemic, but is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, is open for lunch Saturdays and Sundays, and dinner Wednesday through Sunday.
Alex Herold began working in his parents’ restaurant starting at the age of 10, and behind the bar at 15.
“Back in the day nobody really cared, you know, that I was making cocktails, I was taught by some of the best. Back then the three martini lunch was still a big deal — nowadays, it’s frowned upon.” Herold said.
Don’t be surprised to see some familiar faces when dining at Old Europe, either. Lindsey Graham spent some time in Germany while in the military, so he occasionally has a hankering for some brats. Back in the day, the Kennedy’s were there too, and Nixon. The Cardinal to the Vatican dines there occasionally.
Aside from the cuisine, Old Europe is distinguished by its German furnishings. Its Coat of Arms was painted in the 1950s. One side of it shows specific countries and the other side is the crests and seals of various German states. Most of the art was brought by the Lichtensteins from Germany, including a 125-year-old cuckoo clock. The paintings are in their original frames of wood or plaster, or are gold-plated.
“One of my favorites is painted on a copper sheet, one of the smallest paintings we have,” Herold said. “It’s a Middle Ages bar scene or kitchen scene and yeah it’s oil on copper. “
Old Europe has seating upstairs for 80 in the banquet room, and for 60 downstairs in the hanskelle and its main dining room seats 60 to 70. They host large private events as well.
