Haus Murphy's, Glendale AZ >> A Good Greasy Eats Review

When I think of German tradition, the first thing that comes to mind is SNL, particularly Mike Myers as Dieter, the host of Germany’s most popular TV show, Sprockets. My favorite episode was the one that featured the “Germany’s Most Disturbing Videos” skit where Dieter’s guest was Karl Heinz Shelkar, who played the wacky neighbor in Munich TV’s hit sitcom “Who are you to accuse me?!?,” and convinced Karl-Heinz Shelkar to “touch his monkey.”

Besides Oktoberfest, Rutger Hauer and good beer, Germany brings some fantastic cuisine to the table. In exchange for this, we as Americans graciously give David Hasselhoff to the Germans. So today we ventured to Haus Murphy’s, located in Glendale, AZ. I spent some time in Germany earlier this year and I think a good hearty German meal was calling my name. When you walk in to the restaurant, you immediately feel like you should hear tubas and accordions playing Umm-Pah-Pah music. In fact, I think they do have live entertainment during some evenings, although not during lunch hours. The inside felt like a house situated in the middle of the Black Forrest, long tables and wooden booths. Our waiter was very helpful with describing some of the selections on the menu. We started off with the potato pancake appetizer, which came out pretty fast. The potato pancakes were delicious; they were fried to perfection and served with traditional apple sauce and sour cream. The next course was split pea soup – it looked like something out of The Exorcist but was somewhat tasty, although a little bland. However, we were both impressed with the main course. My dining companion and I both ordered the Schnitzel with King’s sauce. The only difference was I had the pork Schnitzel with fries and my dining companion had the chicken Schnitzel with Spaetzle on the side. Both entrees were absolutely sublime; the Schnitzels had a nice light breading but what the King’s sauce is what made them. It’s a nice blend of cheeses, creme, seasonings, combined with mushrooms, just superb!

The bill came to about $40 for the 2 of us, which was reasonable and we were both extremely full. As the German’s would say, Hunger ist der beste Koch. – Literally, Hunger is the best cook. By the way, if you get a chance to swing by Haus Murphy’s, make sure to leave room for Bavarian Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake!