Scottsdale AZ: Brat Haus

Brat Haus is a tiny place but the kitchen must be a busy place. They make almost everything they serve, ranging from sausages to pickles. You can run up the bill quickly, but the food is really, really good.

My main course was a spicy sausage with apricot chutney. The sausage, chutney, and pickles are all made in-house. The sausage wasn't too hot, just a touch of heat. The sweet and sour chutney made a good contrast. The pickles were probably refrigerator pickles given their crunchiness. I loved their sour crispiness.

The handmade pretzel was large, soft, and salty. It comes with cheese but I concentrated on the mustard. I am a sucker for coarse, rustic mustards. Brat Haus's version delivers a big, wonderful jolt to the nose, a great way to clean out your nose.

And that's a homemade lemonade on the side. It had just the right amount of sourness, a great complement to the sausage.

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