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Manchac, La. — In Munich, Oktoberfest is wrapping up. But for our friends at  Middendorf’s, great German eats and drinks are locked and loaded for the next six weeks.

The iconic Manchac restaurant is kicking off its version of this great German celebration Wednesday (Oct. 3). We stopped by to talk with Horst Pfeifer about Oktoberfest, Ponchatoula’s German history and, most importantly, great German dishes that will be the heart of the show for the next six weeks at Middendorf’s.

Pfeifer tells us that the North Shore has a great German heritage. For years, Ponchatoula actually had Oktoberfest celebrations.

He bought Middendorf’s (which has it’s own German roots) in 2007. In 2008, Pfeifer decide it would be great fun to pay homage to his and the restaurant’s German roots and celebrate Oktoberfest at Middendorf’s Manchac location. So for the next six weeks each Wednesday and Thursday the restaurant will offer up an Oktoberfest menu that includes German entrees and desserts.

This menu will change from week to week, so don’t feel guilty about immersing yourself in the celebration for multiple weeks.

When we stopped by, we were lucky enough to sample the first week’s offering called the Schlachtplatte (or butcher’s plate). This dish is a collection of great German foods. It contains bratwurst, liverwurst, pork belly, sauerkraut, fried potatoes and onions and pork chops plus a pretzel. This dish is awesome.

In my opinion, the highlights of this dish are the pork belly, the pretzel, the bratwurst and the sauerkraut. In particular, the sauerkraut has a really great texture and flavor. Believe me, this is not the kind of sauerkraut that you get from a can or jar at the Winn-Dixie.

Horst showed us the process of taking finely shredded cabbage and incorporating apples, onions, Riesling and pork shank to create a succulent sauerkraut that starts off sweet followed by a slight kick from the wine and a really great and delicate texture.

The menu will offer other great favorites like Sauerbraten, Wiener Schnitzel and Schweinebraten. So head over to Manchac and celebrate Oktoberfest Middendorf-style.