Dick's Dock Oktoberfest another SRO hit

Dick's Dock, on Main St. in Metuchen, NJ, is not a big place by any stretch of the imagination. But it was certainly big enough to house a rollicking good time for the nearly seventy O-Festers who came to celebrate Prince Ludwig's marriage to Princess Therese.

Their spirits buoyed by Bob Dick's incomparable cuisine, a lineup of exceptional beers and an atmosphere ringing with the drinking songs of the Fatherland, the attendees ate, drank, sang and partied till nearly midnight.

Two local brewers, Mike Sella of Uno's Grill and Dave Hoffman of Climax Brewing, donated their superb beers to the event to help keep costs down. Mike Sella's fine Gust 'N' Gale Porter accompanied the dessert course, and Dave's Gold medal-winning Nut Brown Ale (Real Ale Festival, Chicago 1998) was served along with a hearty, tasty potato leek soup.

As usual, the waitstaff hustled all night long to serve the Festers, and Sandy, Mary Ellen, Juan and Javier got a well-deserved round of applause for their efforts. Yours truly made some feeble attempts at humor and gave valuable life lessons--like how to say "brassiere" in Deutsch. Sorry, no free lessons on this site.

The festgoers were obviously satisfied, as these pictures will attest. One table not only celebrated a special birthday, it sported two REAL Germans in Reiner and Laura, an au pair with a future in a dirndl (see photo above). Festers were in fine fettle all night long, and they appreciated the giveaways that Bob and Sandy provided. In all, a most satisfying and enjoyable night was had by everyone fortunate enough to have a seat in the sold-out restaurant.

Oh, and Mike Sella took the opportunity to remind everyone that his restaurant will be hosting its own beer dinner on November 17. Call Uno's for reservations--732-548-7979.