Hyatt’s Oktoberfest is a celebration of all things German

Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Oktoberfest celebration tomorrow evening will feature platters full of the German homeland’s best sausages, sauerkraut, and handcrafted soft pretzel. (Mark Rabago)

I can sum up the sample menu Hyatt Regency Saipan executive chef Gabrielle Colombo prepared for their Oktoberfest celebration tomorrow evening into three words: Super Bowl food.

OK, it may be an over-simplified description of German fare but if you really think long and hard about it, Deutschland cuisine is never far from tailgate parties, let’s say, outside TFC Bank Stadium, which is home to the Minnesota Vikings.

Colombo gave us platters full of the German homeland’s best sausages, sauerkraut, and handcrafted soft pretzel. While I wasn’t particularly fond of sauerkraut, the assorted meat products encased in animal intestines blew me away. The pretzels were a tad bit salty than what I’m used too but it complemented the neutral taste of the spatzle.

Sausages like hotdogs can be grilled and German pretzels are also akin to the salty snacks served during Monday Night Football.

Hyatt executive sous chef Jeffrey Fisher seems to agree with the analogy, equating German cuisine to the type of food that the average football-loving male usually wants to eat.

“German food by nature is very meat heavy and very protein food. It’s just a very heavy food. The sausages have a lot of fat. It’s very cold in Germany so the climate makes you eat very heavy foods. It’s simple spices, simple flavors, simple seasoning, and lots of it.”

And let’s not forget that like football tailgate parties, Oktoberfest will not be complete without imbibing some alcoholic beverage. However, in the case of tomorrow evening’s celebration of all things German, Hyatt will be offering limited-quantity Munich beer Hofbrauhaus Munchen and California beer Gordon Biersch Hefeweizen and Pilsner.

To top it all off—and not found in your usual tailgate parties—Oktoberfest at the Hyatt will also feature German chocolate cake and, boy, you have to try it to remind yourself that German ingenuity is not confined to making Beemers and Benzs.

Pastry sous chef Wendy Lehman, whose ancestry is German and has visited Germany several times, attests to the uniqueness of German desserts.

“German desserts focus mostly on apples and chocolate. It’s either going to be an apple dessert like apple strudel that we have here or a German chocolate cake, which is a little different from traditional chocolate cake because it has some coconuts and pecans, which are nice and cooked all together. You don’t find that anywhere else in Europe. It’s unique.”

Colombo invites everyone to Hyatt’s Oktoberfest, which is also known as “die Wiesen,” tomorrow starting at 6pm at Kili Cafe. Aside from all-you-can-eat German specials and authentic German beer, tourists and locals guests alike will also enjoy free-flowing wine and mingling with local foodies.

“It’s a popular venue to come together and enjoy German and European specialties. We’re lucky this year we get to import Munich beer to pair with all the food we’re going to provide,” Colombo said.

Throughout the month of October, Hyatt will also make available pastry chef Desman Tumangger’s delicious creations like the German chocolate cake, salted caramel apple tart, and pumpkin rye bread at DJ’s Corner.

Hyatt’s Oktoberfest dinner buffet costs $48 per person and Club at the Hyatt members are welcome. To reserve, call 234-1234 Ext. 30.