Klingler's - "German Hot Dogs"

This week we set off with a third member for our party. Neither my brother nor I had a real strong inclination as to where we should go, so we started out with our guest, Fred, and hoped he would make the call as to where we would have lunch. He did point us in a direction but in the end I made the last minute decision to go to Klingler's in Vestavia.

Klingler's is an authentic German cafe/restaurant right here in Birmingham. OK, it's not a hot dog stand, yet they offer what I consider the ultimate gourmet hot dog. Their menu has on the "lunch" page a box labeled "Sausage Platters". This is where to go when dining at Klingler's. Prior to this visit I have ordered the Bohemian double smoked sausage platter which I recommended to my companions. My brother, Robert, took my advice and ordered this while Fred and I both ordered the "Schlact Platter" to get one each of three different sausages. After trying them all, my advice is; go with the Bohemian double smoked sausage which has a good smoked flavor and an extra crisp skin. This should be a filling meal for anyone, even with the biggest appetite; especially if one orders the platter with two sausages. Then there is always a big selection of tempting deserts avaliable at Klingler's. Actually on this visit Robert was eyeing the "turtle cheese cake" before we ate and was disappointed to be too full to have some at the end of the meal.



The sausage platter comes with German sauerkruat, potato salad and mustard. There is also a piece of German bread giving the diner the ability to make a sandwich with the sausages and have a "hot dog" if so inclined. Maybe you want a sandwich and maybe you don't, nevertheless, the sausage platters at Klingler's are definitely worth a special trip.

No question, that's a lot of meat. I was able to take a "go box" with enough for dinner. Below is the Bohemian platter that Robert ordered. This is sufficient for most normal people.

Robert was first to make a judgment on our lunch when he said; "This is really good." I must agree that the sausage platters at Klingler's are indeed good and are definitely worth a special trip.

An interesting note here; we attracted a little attention when we photographed the menu and our food. The result was that we actually had a visit to our table by Mrs Klingler who asked if we were enjoying our meal. I have been to this restaurant on numerous occasions but have never before had Mrs. Klingler stop by my table. I suppose one could use this observation at other restaurants to attract some extra attention and service. No.... I'd never do that.

Notice my preference for the "Bohemian double smoked sausage platter". Somehow this isn't an accident. Yes, I like the smoked flavor and the extra crunchy consistency this brings to the skin of the sausage, but there is another connection here. My name is Karl, spelled with a "K", and both Robert and I can claim a Bohemian heritage. All four grand parents of our mother were immigrants to the U.S. from an area previously known as Bohemia, now part of The Czech Republic. Even though we didn't live in an ethnic community we grew up with an awareness of this heritage.

One last note. Once many years ago a young German girl live with us for a while. We learned from her how to make German potato salad using her mother's recipe. That recipe was a little different from the one used by Klingler's yet very similar in many ways. I will end this posting by encouraging all of our "many" readers to try Klingler's sausage platters. You will not be disappointed!

Klingler's dining room.