1. 1. Café d’Alsace

   1695 Second Ave., at 88th St.; 212-722-5133

   A faithfully robust choucroute garnie and 118-bottle collection of beer curated by a resident “beer sommelier.”

2. 2. Blaue Gans

   139 Duane St., nr. W. Broadway; 212-571-8880

   Kurt Gutenbrunner’s wirtshaus celebrates Oktoberfest through the 15th with giant homemade pretzels, excellent German beers, and various sausages and strudels.

3. 3. Trestle on Tenth

   242 Tenth Ave., at 24th St.; 212-645-5659

   Swiss farm boy Ralf Kuettel’s diet-be-damned menu is chock-full of trencherman plates like pork-shoulder crépinettes and roast lamb saddle with bacon sauce.

4. 4. Koliba

   31-11 23rd Ave., Astoria; 718-626-0430

   Enormous planks of chicken schnitzel, goulash served with sliced-bread “dumplings,” spaetzle in a tangy sheep’s-milk sauce—it’s not the lightest cuisine. Which is where a nice, palate-cleansing Czech pilsner comes in.

Related:

• Archive: “Food Features”
• Articles by Robin Raisfeld | Rob Patronite
• Table of Contents: Oct 9, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!