Tavern at the Vogue

This year has blurred by for me. Trips to the East Coast, a new job, and my daughter starting school have seemed to leave me with little to no time for anything other than a heavy sigh at the end of the day. I am thankful for the bits of respite that I do get, with an easy pace and comfortable surroundings. When I was invited to sample Tavern at the Vogue, in the cute downtown district of Chula Vista, I was thrilled to get a chance to sit back with a beer and sample some great food.

Tavern at the Vogue is styled as a German pub, with a long list of local and national superior beers, and a classic German pub menu. Favorites such as soft pretzels and schnitzel are offered, as well as a variety of bratwurst sausages.

It may be gauche to go into a German-themed pub and not order a beer, but with a fully stocked bar and a list of classic cocktails, prepared perfectly, I say order the cocktail! I started with an Anchor Christmas Ale, since I love holiday-themed beers, and S had his favorite drink, a Dark & Stormy. The drinks were both well poured and made, and paired well with the menu.

I cannot resist a good soft pretzel dipped in warm cheese. TATV has a choice of cheese or mustard to pair with your warm pretzel, and since I'm not a big mustard fan, we went with the beer cheese, served warm. So good, and a perfect pairing with the dark beer. A great starter to share with the table.

I had to try the chicken schnitzel when I saw it on the menu. If it sounds strange, don't worry. Schnitzel is just fried chicken. Really. This was a boneless, breaded breast, deep-fried, then served atop garlic mashed potatoes, and covered with a mushroom-caper gravy. Yes, I know that mushrooms and capers might be the two most polarizing foods in existence, but this was just delicious. The texture of the crispy chicken with the creamy mashed potatoes had me gobbling it up!

Speaking of creamy, the mac and cheese side is more of a meal in itself, and loaded with cheese. The portion was huge, and a good option if you are interested in a meat-free meal.

The main attraction is, of course, the sausages. TATV offers a variety of different meats, including a traditional bratwurst with German beef and pork, Italian chicken both spicy and mild, and a vegan meatless version, which I will definitely try next time. We went for the bison and pork with a pretzel roll, since pretzel rolls are so wonderful and special. The sausage was homemade and prepared perfectly, served with a variety of mustard choices, and pickled vegetables.