Many who have been to Blob’s Park in Jessup remember that it was a great gathering place with a German beer garden, polka music and dancing every weekend. However, after 81 years, the doors to the building closed and the music ended. Then, the Bavarian Brauhaus opened in nearby Hanover about four and a half years ago to continue those traditions and memories of Blob’s Park.

I entered the restaurant recalling the couple of times I’ve been to Blob’s Park, thinking of its fun, friendly atmosphere, where everyone was treated like family and everyone seemed to know each other. As the host took me to my table, I looked at the walls of the dining area and noticed a picture of Blob’s Park.

There was polka music playing in the background, laughter in the bar area during happy hour and a party going on in one of the rooms. I looked through the menu to get a sense of the traditional German and modified German-American dishes that they were serving. I asked my server for some of the best choices at the restaurant. I started with the kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes, $8.99) and the wurst sample platter ($15.99) as my appetizers.

The kartoffelpuffer was crispy and warm, and it came with a side of applesauce and sour cream. I enjoyed them immensely, as I bit into the fried, finely shredded potatoes, which were different from most potato pancakes I’ve had. The finely shredded potatoes made the pancakes much crisper with a tender interior, and they had a good thickness to them. It accompanied well with my wurst platter, which you can pick four different types out of six to try, and it came with three house mustards. The wursts were made and supplied by the restaurant’s local butcher. For my platter, I picked apple bratwurst, weisswurst, knackwurst and debreziner. All came out tender, juicy and sliced for easy eating and sharing. Both appetizers were delightful and a good start to my meal.

For my entrée, I ordered the sauerbrauten ($19.99) with the potato dumpling with jaeger gravy and the red cabbage as my sides. I didn’t need a knife for the sauerbrauten as the slices of beef were tender and melted in your mouth as you bit into it. The pan gravy was luscious with a pleasant sourness and acidity from the vinegar. I felt there was too much gravy covering my plate, but I also felt the restaurant was probably going for the hearty home cooked meal look and feel. The red cabbage was fragrant with a nice sweet and sour flavor to it. The potato dumpling was the size of a golf ball, and I thought it was going to be too dense and heavy, but rather surprisingly tender with a soft chew. Putting the jaeger gravy on it was a good choice as it added another level of richness to the side.

The most intriguing item on the dessert tray was the krapfens ($6.99), which are donuts. Yet, not just a typical donut; these donuts had a savory filling of bacon and sauerkraut with a coating of cinnamon and sugar on the outside. They sort of reminded me of hush puppies.

They were unusually delicious and definitely different. I would have liked to have seen more filling in my donuts to really get that bite of the sauerkraut and bacon.

I spoke to Sandra Eggerl, the owner, and we discussed how regulars who went to Blob’s Park have been coming to the restaurant. She talked about how they still have polka, just not as big as they used to. I got the sense that the history and traditions from Blob’s Park continue at the Bavarian Brauhaus.

I enjoyed my hearty dinner and the warm coziness of the restaurant. The service was friendly and laid back, the bar area was relaxing, and the food was comforting and plentiful, much like the atmosphere of the restaurant and the friendliness of the staff and owner.