For a recent Midtown Lunch Happy Hour, I chose Loreley as our venue because SpB had whispered in my ear… “meatballs. frites. same basket. wtf. wtf. wtf. MEATBALLS AND FRITES IN A BASKET” – this sounded ridiculously appealing to me – hello!? – so I quickly made plans to drag my HH lush friends. Plus, I’d been to Loreley years ago and enjoyed the quirky atmosphere; a German biergarten right outside Chinatown? Sold.
It wasn’t that difficult to convince everyone of the greatness, either; as with any biergarten, the beer selection was pretty decent (though I’m sure Beer Boor will speak up and confirm or deny this, as I, um, stuck to drinking hard cider or something along those lines…).
When I arrived, everyone was enjoying large steins of beer, though I didn’t bother to ask what they were drinking. TT was sitting next to me, and we began discussing the merits of ordering food. “Meatballs and frites,” I said. He responded, “No meatballs. Meatball’d out. No meatballs!”
So he ordered a burger. He said it was good, but not life changing.
Hungry also ordered a platter of some sort, while CheeeEEEeeese ordered soup. I didn’t take pictures nor did I happen to hear how they liked them (they were sitting at the other end of one of the long picnic tables in the outdoor back patio area), so hopefully they will speak up and share their opinions…
Meanwhile, Nommables’ Dean and I both went straight for what we’d come for: meatballs and frites.
When the basket arrived, I was pretty surprised by how many meatballs there were – 8, I think. I’d expected a low number – 3-5, perhaps, just tossed in with my frites. Plus, these were pretty huge! like small hamburgers that hadn’t been flattened (pre-cooking, I don’t press on my burgers once they’re on the grill, I’m not crazy).
What really struck me immediately as I placed a ball in my mouth was how soft they were. I knew they were pork from the menu, but just how succulently soft each piece was; it was along the lines of biting into a meat cloud, a burst of meat juice released into your mouth along with the lovely flavor of happiness. Provided with each basket were small cups of ketchup, mustard and curry ketchup; but the surprise win was definitely the curry ketchup – a slight kick of curry in there, the smell of curry, and just yum. The frites were pretty tasty too – properly fried, crispy, and great to munch on while chatting with everyone; since the portion was so generous, it was easy to share as well.
Yvo says: Well, that was a win. My cider was $5, and for $10, that ginormous basket of meatballs and frites was an excellent value that totally stuffed me. I’d say it stuffed me for the night, but I’ll be honest: directly afterwards, we headed over to Quickly Shabu Shabu because I wanted hot pot. Mostly cuz I’m a pig, though, not because I wasn’t full already. With a pretty extensive menu for a biergarten, I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t return to Loreley sooner than later… mmm!
recommended
BeerBoor says
You rang?
Loreley carries a very good German beer selection. Sure the prices are a buck higher than average, but you pay extra for hipsterdom. Plus, anything can be served in liter or, if you like warm beer eventually, a 2 liter stein.
Also, you didn’t mention the service which is… spotty. Even when you only stay for one beer thanks to a higher-priority event, it’s painfully obvious.
Feisty Foodie says
Our service was fine actually…
BeerBoor says
DON’T THEY KNOW WHO I AM?
There was a decided lack of interest in taking my order, serving my beer, and taking my money. Apparently had I stuck around they might have improved.
TT says
I had good reason for no meatballs.
Meatball Madness!
Nicholas says
Are those meatballs fried? They look like balls of boneless fried chicken… but that could be my eyes deceiving me.
Feisty Foodie says
It’s the horrible red overcast in the pictures – they’re not fried, I think they were baked to achieve that lusciously soft texture.
T.C. says
Nice balls of fury with fries. The burger looks plain.
Decent selection of German beers? Okay, cool.
aimee says
Looks good girl!
Hungry says
According to their website, I had the following:
Schlachtplatte mit Kassler, Rippenspeck und Rauchwurst $21
Large butcher’s plate with smoked pork chop, rib bacon and smoked sausage served on a bed of sauerkraut and mashed potatoes
Lots of meat. Some fattier than others (rib bacon) but really filling. I had to force others to eat some of the food. I couldn’t handle it myself.
CheeeeEEEEse says
I had this:
Kartoffelsuppe mit geräuchertem Speck und Brotwürfeln $4
Potato soup with smoked bacon and croutons
I love potatoes, I love soup, I love bacon.
This soup was great. The bacon wasn’t overpowering the creaminess of the soup, but I expect that there was very little in there. Anyway it was fantastically priced at 4 bucks and checked all the right boxes as far as soup goes for me.
skippymom says
Days like today make me wish I lived in NY – well except for the snow. I don’t know what is more delicious – FF’s meatballs [yum!] or what Cheeese had or Hungry’s meal.
I can’t believe you went out for hotpot afterwards FF – how do you not weigh a gazillion pounds you bitty thing. 🙂