Food Review: Fassler Hall

Fassler Hall is a new hot spot in Little Rock.  Located downtown, on Capitol, right next door to Dust Bowl Lanes, it is a great spot for hanging out, drinking beer, and eating delicious food.

ENVIRONMENT

This place is HUGE. Indoor is a very open space with a very lengthy bar and also multiple tables, big and small. Then, out back there is another large patio area with many tables with large umbrellas for some shade.  This is the perfect spot for hanging out with your friends and meeting new ones.
The two times I have been here, the place was packed, but there are plenty of seats for however many people decide to show up.

MENU/FOOD

The link below shows the menu from Fassler Hall’s website:

Menu

In short, this is a German-themed restaurant. There are many different sausages to try, from traditional bratwurst to a lamb or chicken sausage. All are house-made as well. While I’ve been here twice so far, I  have yet to try any sausages. I will! but everything else looks so good!

There are also appetizers, like duck fat fries, house-made pork rinds, and pretzels. I’ve tried the pretzels…they are pretty good and come with a side of mustard. And two for $6 isn’t bad!

They also have a couple sandwiches (schnitzels mostly) and a haus salad that is delicious. I added falafel to mine ($9 total) and they were very tasty and the salad was very large. Great deal in my book.

However, the star of the menu has to be their entrees, which come with two sides. I’ve tried the schnitzel and it was phenomenal. Dare I say, even better than The Pantry’s. It is very large, cooked perfectly and covered in this delicious mushroom gravy.
For the sides, I tried the sweet potato spaetzle, which was too sweet in my opinion, and the roasted Brussels sprouts. The sprouts are served cold (on purpose), which was very odd, but they were very good. Still, I’m going to have to try new sides next time- like the duck fat fries. I stole one off a friend’s plate and they are killer. SO crispy!

They also have a pretzel bread pudding and some brunch options like tacos and biscuits.

I can’t talk about this place without mentioning the beer!
There are plenty of options here. Even if you don’t like beer, they also serve wine.  But the beer here is the point. They have a few Euro and German drafts, German bottles, but plenty of other bottles available. The issue is they are not cheap. I paid $6.50 for a bottle. To me, that’s too expensive. I think the best deal is to get a Litre of one of their drafts, which will run you somewhere between  $8-$14.

Even if you don’t go for the beer, check this place out for the food and the fun environment. Heads up: it will probably be packed, and the service will then be slow. But that’s okay! You’re there to be laid back and spend time with friends…and to try that schnitzel.

A Brewery in the Middle of Nowhere: Gravity BrewWorks in Big Flat, AR

Has anyone ever heard of Gravity BrewWorks? Neither have I, until recently. We go camping, hiking, biking, etc. a lot around the Mountain View area, which is in a dry county. We have some friends that drive from Stone County to Baxter County, which is a wet county, to get their regular dose of beer. They told us about Gravity BrewWorks and how much they love it, so we checked it out.

About 30 minutes from Mountain View, on Highway 14 East in Big Flat, you will find Gravity BrewWorks This is a small “nanobrewery” that opened in November of 2013. One of the owners used to be the head brewer at Vino’s in Little Rock. They focus on a small number of house-brewed batches, which allows them to really focus and make sure these are great beers.

THE ENVIRONMENT

In the middle of Nowheresville, you will find this very nice brewery. The large sign out from makes it hard to miss.

The inside is open and modernly decorated. There is a bar up front and tables with some games to play throughout the rest of the room.

There is even a large, clean bathroom for when you break the seal.

The people that work there couldn’t be more kind. Two ladies were working this day and both were very helpful. They offered us samples of each beer, answered any questions we had, and just made easy small talk with everyone there. We felt immediately right at home here.
There were some locals enjoying a beer while we were here, as well. They were very kind and easy to talk to, as well. It was a very nice, homey environment. Just right for a brewery, in my opinion.

THE BREWS

On the day we stopped by, there were four brews on tap, all of which we got to sample.
1. Falling Star ESB (5%)- This is an English-style ale that was lighter than the others, but pretty bitter. Spoiler alert: We got some of this one in a growler.
2. Blacker Shade of Ale (5.3%) – You guessed it, this was a dark beer. It was full of deep, rich flavors. A great sipping beer, but one I wouldn’t get a growler of. (I am not a huge fan of dark beer)
3. Hoppy Together IRA (6%)- This Indian Red Ale was a nice hoppy beer without being overly hoppy. It still had depth and flavors that I enjoyed, even though I am not a hops fan.
4. Bel Hop Belgian IPA (6.3%)- This was hoppy! That is all I could taste and I am NOT a fan of hops. If you are, you will love this beer!

The prices were surprisingly affordable as well…much cheaper than many Little Rock Breweries we frequent.  Each beer is labeled with a letter, which shows you how much it costs on the menu. With all options of pints ranging from $4.25- $5.75, that is pretty great price-wise, especially for a brewery with no near competition.

We decided to purchase a couple of their 32 oz quart bottles for $3 a piece. We got the Falling Star in one and the Hoppy Together IRA in another.  I was happy to see 32 oz bottles available. I would never have been able to drink a 64 oz of either of these brews before it went flat. So, the 32 oz is a nice option to have on hand when going to any brewery.

If you want to stop by, their tasting room is open Thursday- Saturday, 12-8pm.