There’s always something new to try at Ozone’s

They can wrap as many corn stalks around lampposts as they want downtown; nowhere in Lansing is cuter than Old Town in the fall. On a particularly gorgeous evening, I visited Ozone’s Brewhouse to try out its limited-time Oktoberfest menu.

Speaking of vibes, Ozone’s partially enclosed (fully in the winter) patio is a major one. You can take in the beautiful weather and fresh air without getting blasted in the eyes by the late-afternoon sun. On these spectacular fall days we’ve been having, it’s a perfect place to eat and drink with friends. 

Ozone’s is constantly posting seriously delicious-looking pictures of the specials its chefs come up with week after week, so it was difficult to stick to the mission of trying the Oktoberfest items, never mind the enticing options on the regular, year-round menu. I was with a non-meat eater, so that narrowed down our options to the spӓtzle, the potato pancakes and the pretzel sticks. We got an order of each and added a salad to balance out all the carbs. 

Spӓtzle is basically a cross between pasta and dumplings. The name translates to “little sparrows,” stemming from the traditional shape of the egg noodles. While these noodles didn’t look so much like tiny birds, they were wonderfully toothsome, coated in a rich cheese sauce and drizzled with German mustard. Even though the pretzel sticks were served with mustard and beer cheese, I found myself dipping them in the spaetzle sauce instead — such were its charms. 

Then came the potato pancakes, a menu item I’m almost incapable of resisting due to its rarity. These could have been crispier but were still delicious when combined with the accompanying sour cream and applesauce. The salad, with its bright, lemony dressing, became necessary at this point to give our palates a break between bites of cheesy pasta, bread dipped in cheese and potato dipped in sour cream. 

If I had followed Oktoberfest tradition and gotten a beer, I probably would have had to be rolled out in a wheelbarrow. I don’t know how the Germans do it. While the Oktoberfest menu is no longer available, Ozone’s always has something new up its sleeve, and prime patio conditions should continue for at least a few more weeks.