Photohunt, Big Beers, and Party Platters, or "Getting Hosed at the Hosen"

Naked lady photohunt + big beers + lots of bratwurst = one of my favorite things to do.

Where can I find this magical combination you ask? Lederhosen, my friendly local beer hall and purveyor of fine German food and ales. If you want to learn about the food at lederhosen, here is a link to there reviews. I'm going to write about the other side of Lederhosen. Lederhosen is on the bottom floor of a typical West Village walk-up building. There is a cozy lounge area in the front with a couple couches and a fake fireplace (actually my favorite place to sit and eat), there is a long bar area with a couple of TVs and a single large table at the end near the photohunt machine (my favorite place to drink), then there is the "Beer Garden" in the back. The "beer garden" is a large double height space filled with picnic tables and people in Lederhosen sloshing their Large beers all the while surrounded by a mural, a 3 wall 15 foot tall mural of a German pastoral scene. This mural is amazing, not in an artistic way, but in a hilarious, kitschy, "I can't believe somebody put in so much effort for this" way. The over ambitious amateur artist clearly had a great vision for the beer garden at Lederhosen, but the realization of their vision has left a less than photo perfect rendition of the German countryside. Have you ever seen a cow the size of a house? I have. And it is in the German Country side. If you butchered one of these cows you would have a enough meat to serve every dish Lederhosen has ever served since it has opened. There are flocks of mountain goats that if in a stampede would not even have been hindered by the Berlin Wall. There is a farmer couple standing next to their house, but would never be able to even fit in the door. There are mountain lakes that defy the laws of gravity. These are only some of the amazing things that you can find in Lederhosen. The only way to see this wonder is to visit the restaurant. This mural has been evolving since I started frequenting Lederhosen over a year ago I want to say this to the artist:

I can't imagine Lederhosen without your mural, I really appreciate it, not just for it's entertainment value, but also for the effort that you clearly continue to put into it. I think with some basic instruction, particularly in drawing in perspective, you could be a great artist. Also I think you may have started the mural with a strong head of steam (the snow capped mountains are almost photo-realistic) and worn yourself out with such an ambitious undertaking. But seriously, I think the mural is delightful and Lederhosen wouldn't be the same without it. I know it is easy to be a critic, but I'll say it right now, you have done much much better than I could ever do.

The rest of the walls at Lederhosen are coved with German paraphernalia: beer signs, items of the traditional german wordrobe, beer mugs, etc., but the strange thing is, plastered all over the walls are signs of warning not to touch anything. If you damage anything it will be added to your bill, if you so much as brush against the lederhosens pinned to the wall you will be escorted off of the property. Lederhosen is not a crazy place, there are not a lot of people trying to mess with the stuff on the wall. I can't imagine they have problem with people vandalizing the restaurant. It must be a preventitive measure...but it baffles me.

But nonetheless, go to Lederhosen, eat the sausage, drink the beer, admire the mural, and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING. You'll see me and three of my friends surrounding the photohunt machine in the corner, feel free to point out that missing arm on the left screen.

Bleecker and Grove St, West Village, NYC


Oh yeah, "Long live widaalda"