Fans at German restaurant keep eyes on prize
You have to love Stefan Gastager. He stands in the corner of a restaurant that was his idea, his vision, his dream, on the busiest day of its existence, with enough Hofbrau flowing to fill a fleet of German tanks, and talks potato salad.
"You know," Gastager said, "Americans seem to think German cuisine is only brats and beer. There is so much more to it. Roasted pork. Homemade gravy and dumplings. Homemade potato salad!"
Gastager is excited about the potato salad. He mentions it more than once. He also has other reasons to smile.
Like the estimated 3,000 beers at $13.95 a pop he sold Wednesday.
"Everyone is welcome!" Gastager proclaimed.
At that profit margin, even the French.
Looks good on you, though.
The thought raced through my mind often in a Hofbrauhaus filled beyond the capacity of 1,000 that Gastager said his walls could hold — but one I’m guessing the fire marshal might challenge.
There was the guy with a mohawk sporting colors of a German flag. There was the middle-aged woman wearing black, red and gold rabbit ears. There was the elderly gentleman sporting a soccer ball hat of the same shade.
Deutschland uber alles.
Germany above all.
Except for Spain, that is.
This is as close to World Cup fever as you get in Las Vegas, where patriotism is mixed with suds and the world’s sport is celebrated with blows of vuvuzelas between good-natured taunts. There didn’t appear an oversized ego in the place.
LeBron James stayed home.
Germany fell to Spain 1-0 in a semifinal match, meaning the majority of those who packed the restaurant on Paradise Road ultimately chugged away their sorrows instead of toasting their joy.
Things were pleasantly courteous between those living and dying with each German corner kick and the scattered pockets of those screaming, "Viva Espana!" Seems about right. Spain might haven been neutral in World War II, but it had close ties with Germany.
Things were civil then and again Wednesday.
I found myself rooting early for Germany given ol’ Stefan probably was a tad overconfident after that waxing of Argentina in the quarterfinals and no doubt had the cooks preparing enough potato salad for Sunday’s final to feed Munich.
But then two lovely young lasses named Katalina and Claudia — wearing matching outfits for Spain of white hats, red shirts and white (short, short) shorts — announced they would dance on tables if Spain scored.
Sorry, Stefan.
Viva Espana!
Tell you what, though. The United States won’t win a World Cup in my lifetime, but it would have a much better chance of building its team the German way. Of 23 players on its national team, 11 are of foreign descent. Germany has players from Poland, Ghana, Turkey, Bosnia, Nigeria. It has a Mario Gomez on the roster, who for all I know is the brother of Herculez.
"It’s like their own version of Bishop Gorman," said fellow Review-Journal columnist Ron Kantowski, who chose a pretzel the size of Lake Chimes over the potato salad. I could see the German substitution now: Cacau out; Tavernari in.
Can’t we find a way to import that Kaka kid from Brazil and rename him Steve?
Maybe someone can convince Lionel Messi the beaches in Hawaii are better than those in Argentina. He could be known as Leo Jones.
Why are we so blatantly behind on this whole citizenship scam?
Man, we can’t even cheat well in soccer.
Spain didn’t need to Wednesday. It was better than Germany all afternoon, a fact not lost on one fan who wore a Barcelona jersey and yet rooted for those wearing one in honor of the Spanish crown, a no-no for those who understand the history of the dictator Franco.
"Today, it’s about where our blood comes from," the young fan said. "It’s all good for Spain.
"My last name is Flamenco, about as Spanish as you can get."
And his first name?
"Josh."
Which means he should be starting in the midfield for Germany.
What an atmosphere, though. Gastager visited Las Vegas in 1999 and was taken by The Venetian and how it had recreated Renaissance Venice. He then decided to bring Germany’s best cuisine and beer here, opening the Hofbrauhaus in January 2004.
On Wednesday, it welcomed its largest gathering yet.
The only thing missing was a German victory.
"You have to think positive," Gastager said. "We get to play for third place Saturday. We could have sold another 3,000 beers for the final, but now we must do 1,500 on Saturday and 1,500 on Sunday. Germany had it chances. What can you do?"
Count how much potato salad was consumed?
"I don’t have the count yet," Gastager said, "but I think we did very well with the potato salad!"
You have to love ol’ Stefan.
Always has his eye on the prize.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618.
Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas Hosts World Cup Match
