The weather is certainly not conducive to any outdoor fun (in fact, the city has asked people to refrain from using the park fields while they're in this condition) so today, April 10, would be a fine time to head to the Essen Haus from 4-6 p.m. for the book release party of Eat Smart in Germany by Mary Bergin. It's the latest in the series of "Eat Smart" guides from Madison's Ginkgo Press.
The "Eat Smart" guides are a hybrid of travel narrative, culinary history, recipe book, glossary and phrasebook.
Even non-German natives of Wisconsin may think they know German cuisine, since its influence is strong throughout the state, but Eat Smart in Germany explains many aspects of German regional dishes that are not seen much in the upper Midwest -- like Berlin's currywurst, Bavaria's mirror carp, the Black Forest's saumagen (a pork, potato and carrot sausage), or Frankfurt's celery pie -- and more.
On the menu for the book launch: warm pretzels with mustard and horseradish, sausages with kraut, and hot dogs with currywurst sauce. Stay later and catch German polkas and waltzes by Brian Erickson at 6:30 p.m.
Finally, the Essen Haus' menu will feature dishes made using recipes from the book from Wednesday through Saturday.
