It's Like Epcot Center in Pittsburgh, but with Better Food\n\nYes, this is actually a German beer house here in Pittsburgh at the South Side Works. The Brau Haus and the neighboring Cheesecake Factory compete for the title of gaudiest architectural monstrosity on the South Side. It looks like a little beer house plunked down next to the Mon.\n\nWhen you arrive, you have two choices: The quiet (read:normal) dining room, and the big beer hall. We opted for the latter, and were glad we did. In the big room, your sat next to strangers at big, heavy eight-seater tables. On one side of the hall, performers in leiderhosen (yes, leiderhosen) play accordions and sing German drinking songs for your enjoyment. Every so often, the performers call a toast, and everyone in the hall raises a glass and half-sings some German toast song. It was actually pretty cool, and not that different from Oktoberfest in Munich (or what I remember of it anyway.)\n\nMy partner and I split a combination plate ($30), which was more food than either of us could even think of finishing. It consisted of 2 pork chops, 3 sausages, 3 pork cutlets, mashed potatoes and two kinds of sauerkraut. The combination plate was a good way to sample some exotic fare without really committing to anything. We only wished it came with less sauerkraut and more green leafy veggies. We didn't even come close to finishing the dish, but I still left feeling ten pounds heavier. There's a reason Germans are so um.... zaftig.\n\nOther (non adventurous) customers near us ordered salads and burgers. They looked pretty good too, actually. So you can bring unadventurous/picky eater members of your family to the brau house without fear. \n\nGood luck spelling this place in Web searches. (Key Words: Brau Haus Hoff BrauHaus)
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