Dorian’s Winter Garden: Our Personal Broadway Bites Oasis
Highlights: The cheese baked right into the brat.
Lowlights: Broadway Bites is just really, really crowded.
The days of warm enough weather to eat outside are waning, but luckily we had one last respite to check out another tent at Broadway Bites. After scoping out the options on our previous Broadway Bites trips, I had filed Dorrian’s Winter Garden away in the back of my mind as the stand I had to try next. Oktoberfest may be over, but it’s never too late to try a good brat. I was eager to check a bit of Bavaria in Greeley Square.
Simple Presentation: Amazing Sandwich
Food: 4.25/5
Oh yea, this was a fantastic bratwurst. I ordered the Cheddarwurst, which was a brat that was filled with cheddar cheese and covered in onions, jalapenos, sauerkraut and bits of bacon. That’s right, bacon on top of a brat. I had never previously thought of covering my sausages with bacon, but it makes sense. What doesn’t improve when covered in bacon? I got a bit of mustard on my brat too, naturally, and it went perfectly with the meat. The jalapenos gave the brat a nice spicy kick that wursts don’t normally have. The crispy bread melded together with the cheese from the wurst as well as the soft vinegary slaw that adorned the top of the sandwich. Every bite was a delight, filled with perfect ratios of all the major players of the dish.
The bun was big enough to accommodate the sizable brat. This was a big sticking point for me as I have had my share of sausages and brats that are too big for the bun. I was really happy to see Dorrian’s give a bun that matched the size of the brat.
Now, the main appeal of this meal was the cheddar baked into the bratwurst. This wasn’t just a gimmick either – delicious creamy cheddar oozed from the sausage, soaking right into the hoagie bun and creating an outstanding wealth of textures. Having the cheese baked in gave it a much better flavor than if it was just covered in cheese. There wasn’t too much so it was not overwhelming, but the subtle cheesiness really put this meal over the top.
Brats on Brats
Price: 4.5/5
The Cheddarwurst cost $7, which for Broadway Bites was an absolute steal. Everything at this festival is overpriced, so it was nice to see something that cost a reasonable price. You weren’t stuffed to the gills after this meal, but you were sufficiently filled and got more than enough for your money. Every brat they offered cost $7 as well. After getting burned by a small overpriced sandwich on the last trip, this brat restored my faith in affordable Broadway Bites.
Service: 4.25/5
Amid the madhouse that is Broadway Bites, Dorrians was a bit of an oasis. There was no line and even a few bar stools to sit at and eat your brat if you so choose. You didn’t have to deal with the hassle of made-to-order lines as the brat was on the grill as I ordered it. The chef even answered my few questions with very detailed answers.
Presentation: 4/5
The sandwich itself had a very straightforward kind of presentation. The ingredients were casually layered atop one another. Dorrian’s let the sandwich speak for itself. There was nothing special about the way the brat was delivered but sometimes with that type of food, simplicity is best.
In a market of overpriced, poorly portioned meals, Dorrian’s is a clear stand-out. There’s lots of other food to try at Bites, but we’d be hard-pressed to not return here before this market leaves town.
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