Tucson Weekly: Bonn In The U.S.A. (October 15

It's always Ocktoberfest at Mountain View.
By Rebecca Cook
THE MAIN CELEBRATION may have shifted to the month of September in recent times, but when the frost gathers on the pumpkin (or in Southern Arizona's case, the temperature finally dips below 90), I think of bratwurst, sauerkraut and Oktoberfest.
The German tradition reportedly started in 1810, when then Crown Prince Ludwig (later to become King Ludwig I) married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 17. The citizens of Munich were invited to join the festivities, which were held on the fields in front of the city gates. Horse races, music, and mountains of food straight from the harvest (including large stockpiles of spring beer, which had to be cleared from storage to make room for the new fall "crop") were key features of the event. The ensuing party was apparently so much fun, it continued unabated for the next 16 days and engendered subsequent anniversary celebrations to commemorate the occasion. Oktoberfest was born.
Chow These days, if you can't make the flight to Munich to participate in the mother of all beer festivals, you can content yourself with a few German-influenced carnivals in this country--or you can disregard the calendar entirely and make a trip to the Mountain View Restaurant here in Tucson. Although the scope of its culinary repertoire exceeds the boundaries of Deutschland to take in the kitchen secrets of a handful of other European countries, the Mountain View remains a keeper of the Oktoberfest tradition throughout the year.
The large, open building on East Prince Road gives the impression of a Bavarian beer garden from the moment you enter the door. Strings of colorful, international flags decorate the premises, both inside and out, and a latticed enclosure accentuated with kegs and steins delineates a small bar space. Thankfully, the staff doesn't wear lederhosen nor are diners subjected to an endless barrage of accordion-type polkas. Despite that, the spirit of the Rhine is effectively evoked.
Perhaps one of the reasons that the cuisine of Germany is highlighted in the fall is because of its robust nature. Here is the rightful birthplace of meat and potatoes dining--a style better suited to the colder months than under sweltering summer skies.
It's going to be tough for a vegetarian to find much to enjoy at the Mountain View, although the owners have made an effort to include some fish entrees; and there's the usual standby of green salad and some meatless preparation of potato.
Meat is definitely king--and in particular pork, which is the reigning Old Country favorite. In the days before refrigeration, Germans became masters at preserving their meat for future use by turning it into sausage, smoking or pickling it. You'll find examples of all these techniques on the Mountain View's extensive menu, as well as plenty of schnitzel and goulash.
Both lunch and dinner are served at the Mountain View, with specials featured at each meal along with gargantuan portions spooned up on all orders. No matter what you're feeling on the specific dishes, you could never find fault with the place for stingy servings. In addition to meat portions that'd make a butcher blush, at least two side dishes, soup or salad are included with each entrée. Nobody walks away hungry (except, perhaps, for the aforementioned vegetarians).
A corn chowder soup was a heavenly way to start the meal: smooth, velvety stock studded with kernels of fresh corn, nuggets of red and green bell pepper, and minced onion. Subtle yet bursting with the fresh flavors of the garden, this was an elegant beginning.
Salads at Mountain View don't foray into the unusual, but you'll find the basic garden salad well-represented here. Crispy, bright hearts of lettuce, wedged tomato, sliced red cabbage, cucumber, carrot and onion crowd the platter in a colorful display. A Greek version is also available, distinguished by strips of anchovy, crumbled feta, and plump pepperoncini, all drizzled with an oregano-laced vinaigrette.
The Bohemian farmer's dinner, which included a smorgasbord of meat products, seemed the best way to tackle the enormity of the menu and its myriad choices: roasted pork tenderloin, a smoked pork cutlet, meatloaf and polish sausage, served with an order of spaetzels (tiny egg-noodle curls) and smothered in amber-brown gravy. This array of animal protein filled the plate with eye-popping splendor, a side dish of sweet-and-sour red cabbage perched alongside.
Although each was respectably tasty, the pork tenderloin was the star--tender, moist and browned to perfection. The red cabbage was another highlight, providing a consummate balance between the sharp of the vinegar and the luscious smack of the sugar. The Mountain View's meatloaf, made with a combination of ground pork, veal and beef, is lighter in both color and taste, and finer in texture than its American counterpart. Still, it lends itself well to an accompaniment of potatoes (mashed, dumplings or chopped into salad) and a coating of gravy.
The sausage, available in polish and bratwurst variations, begs to be partnered with an order of fresh sauerkraut, which at the Mountain View is coarsely chopped, faintly crunchy and tangy. The sausage is firm, fairly lean and nicely seasoned with just the right infusion of garlic and spices.
Sauerbraten can be found on the Mountain View's menu, but anyone of German heritage (especially if they have a grandmother who knew how to cook) will be a bit disappointed by this version. Consisting of a beef roast marinated in a spicy vinaigrette for at least a couple of days, sauerbraten is one of those dishes that's unique to everyone who makes it. It isn't that the Mountain View's attempt, which comes off more like a sophisticated stew, isn't tasty; it just doesn't inspire adulation.
To round out the excursion, we ventured into the waters of the Mountain View's seafood offerings, and were very pleasantly surprised at the result. The broiled halibut, topped with a zesty lemon butter and lots of fresh-ground black pepper, was excellent even though it more likely hailed from Alaskan rather than Baltic waters.
The only stagger in our dining experience came towards the end, when we decided to wrap up the evening with an order of apple strudel. Made with paper-thin layers of crisp pastry and filled with tender slices of apple liberally scented with cinnamon and sugar, this should be a euphoric conclusion to any meal. Unfortunately, the Mountain View's rendition was too bland and too soggy to cause much of a flutter in our dessert-loving souls. After I'd visited, a friend recommended the Czechoslovakian kolacky instead, a rich bun filled with poppyseed and a hint of lemon. Next time.
Oktoberfest can be found any day of the week at the Mountain View. Your doctor probably wouldn't approve of overindulgence in the festivities, but now and then it's a bang-up repast within the folds of a grand tradition.
Mountain View Restaurant. 1220 E. Prince Road. 293-0375. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Full bar. V, MC, checks. Menu items: $2.50-$13.50.

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