For our second Rouletter outing we picked Faircraft Brauhaus located in Fairport (get it?). There were six Rouletters there and we ordered stuff from all over the menu. There were no extra folks from our roster reviewing . There were four returning reviewers and two new Rouletters reviewing for us this round. You know what? They’re all going to be long posts tbh.
As always, we will be reviewing in the order of the menu. We begin with the Bretzel: House made pretzel that is soft on the inside with a wonderful brown crust. Served with beer mustard and beer cheese dip. All Rouletters agreed that there was a definite difference in rating between the rating for the bretzel itself and the beer cheese dip. If just the beer cheese was being rated, I think we would have our second most highly rated item. Folks described as perfection and unlike any beer cheese they’d ever had. High praise indeed as we have some lovely beer cheese here in Roc. The bretzel itself dragged down the rating here. A couple folks noted that it was a touch burned, but the biggest note was that it was, well, just not noteworthy. Average pretzel, amazing beer cheese. Oh, and the mustard was nice too. ⭐ 3.5 ⭐
Next, we had a Sausage Plate: A trio of sliced smoked sausage from Swan Market, assorted sliced cheese and brown bread. Served with one scoop of Obatzda. Described by one Rouletter as the poor man’s charcuterie board, this one was our lowest rated dish of the night. Five Rouletters rated it and the consensus was that it was just sort of average and had things you could get different ways on the menu that are a bit more interesting.
I may have forgotten to ask the Rouletters to rate the Charcuterie Board: Spread of assorted sliced sausage, Black Forest ham, obatzda, three cheeses (chef’s choice), brown bread, olives, marinated artichokes & pickles. Okay, so maybe going forward I don’t send out the survey after a few beers at the Rouletter gathering. One Rouletter noted it as a tie for their top dish and I thought it was quite nice. So, no rating, but it was good! Sorry about that.
A flatbread, you say? The Rothenburg Flammkuchen: Creme fraiche, jarlsberg cheese, caramelized onions, charcuterie black forest ham, baby arugula and balsamic drizzle was the lightest dish we had and balanced the heavier items nicely. For one Rouletter it was their favorite dish of the night and for another it was rated a close second. In this well-balanced dish, the ham and arugula worked nicely together and overall it was a lovely combo of sweet, savory, and tangy. It’s noteworthy that it came at the end of the meal as a sort of “add-on” item when some of us wanted a bit more to eat, so folks were already pretty full when it arrived. And it still slayed.
My favorite dish of the night was the Swabian Käsespätzle: Baked homemade spätzle layered with cheese and caramelized onions, topped with butter and bread crumbs. When it first comes out of the over it is buttery crisp noodley heaven. Some folks appreciated the combination of creamy and crunchy, while others found it a bit bland. This was the most polarizing dish of the night – you either loved it or were just not impressed.
The most surprisingly overall appreciated dish was the Keiserfleisch: Finely ground pork, bacon, and onions blended with pieces of ham and baked into a loaf (2 slices). Choice of 2 sides. Rouletters said it tasted like a bacon meatloaf. Or corned beef. Either way, it was a delightfully textured loaf that was unlike anything our Rouletters had tried before. We were skeptical and it won us over – one Rouletter even awarded it their top dish of the night. ⭐ 4.2 ⭐
The second most divisive dish of the night was the Currywurst: Grilled knockwurst topped with our house made curry sauce and served with ciabatta. You either loved the sauce (someone mentioned mixing it up for full effect) or you felt they just grilled a sausage and doused it with ketchup and sprinkled with curry powder. Folks noted the dish was too repetitive for a main and needed something to cut the monotony – or it should hop on over to the app side of the menu. One Rouletter realized that while they like curry and they like knockwurst, they just don’t like them together. This one was a mixed bag for sure. ⭐ 3.3 ⭐
I love a good Schnitzel: Breaded pork cutlet, served with your choice of two sides. This one did not disappoint. Perfectly cooked, the cutlet was a good thickness with a crispy exterior. One Rouletter gave it a slightly lower mark because they thought it was chicken, but overall folks appreciated the dish very much. ⭐ 4.0 ⭐
Folks felt strongly enough about the sides that we decided side dishes get their own reviews. I know it’s weird, but it just felt right. We begin with the Crisped Potato Salad, which was crispy, flavorful, po-ta-toes, so of course a big hit. They were like home fries with a little tang and we ordered an extra order of these for seconds. ⭐ 4.3 ⭐
The top dish of the night by a landslide wasn’t a dish at all – it was a side of Red Apple Cabbage. Honestly, it had no business being as good as it was. Some Rouletters ate it with literally everything else we had and said they never had a bad bite. Two Rouletters picked it as tehir favorite “dish” of the night and we got seconds. The perfect sweetness from the apple married with the tang of the cabbage was brilliant. ⭐ 4.8 ⭐
The Sauerkraut was solid but not earthshattering. Honestly, I think it just paled in comparison to the apple cabbage. It went well with the schnitzel and was nicely flavored. Overall a very pleasant sauerkraut, but nothing special.
I love mushrooms, but the Jäger Mushroom Sauce fell a bit flat. Five Rouletters ranked this one and agreed it was not offensive but not tasty. It was just kind of there. We recommend going for the red apple cabbage or obatzda if you are looking for a topping for pretty much anything on the menu.
The drinks were a mixed bag. We will start with the beer. All Rouletters agreed that there was a very nice selection, and a few had flights. A favorite was the Intrepid Blonde, a blond coffee stout which was very smooth and a good summer beer. The Juiceful IPA was solid and the hazy IPA was hoppy and hazy with low bitterness: very good. One Rouletter noted that the 7 Young Goats Maibock was stellar, and they would seek it out again while another rated it as just okay. Old Sinner Altbier and Spinning Gold Helles were average+. The pilsner was not a favorite. Turning away from the wine, if you like dry wine, this, erm, brewery isn’t for you. The wine drinking Rouletter noted both wines they tried were sweet despite having “dry” as the first descriptor.
The service score was impacted by the fact that the place was pretty slammed and there was one server for the whole place. It’s a big place. Some folks said you have to give the server credit for basically running the entire front of house herself. Some thought she managed to get us drinks semi-regularly and while she seemed very busy didn’t seem too flustered. Others noted that she did seem flustered and there was a bit of a delay. Were we all sharing the same experience?! Here’s what we agreed on: it sucks to be short staffed and she did the best she could.
Takeaway: German food is divisive. The rating of the restaurant overall was another place where our group was split. One of our Rouletters decided they didn’t really like German food too much. I get that. My scores would be a little low if I reviewed a French place. Look, everyone has a cuisine they just don’t love – French is a valid option! Others just hoped for more. On the other side of the spectrum some Rouletters loved the food more than the beer but overall, they really like this place. Great ambiance, spacious, and very cool hops-shaped lamps. Good vibes all around. If you have a big party you can fit it well in this open spaced location. The art was also very cool and there was ample parking. We were there on a Thursday – the kitchen closed at 8 and the bar at 9, so go early! One drawback is that there are no all-gender restrooms. If you are a fan of German food, this is the place to be – stop on by and give it a shot!