Sharing a building with Court Square Theater and a quaint wine and beer shop is Capital Ale House, a casual, locally-owned restaurant and expert on ale. They boast an impressively extensive list of beers on tap; the menu features a variety of bar fare and traditional German entrees.

The interior is large, though anything but hollow. With wood varnished in deep brown and pleasantly glowing lights hanging above each table, Capital Ale House creates a comfortable atmosphere for its clientele. It is generally busy, but the waitstaff is always courteous and attentive. Each table is set with a dessert and cocktail menu and an arrangement of wheat in homebrew beer bottles for a unique and unobtrusive centerpiece.

Having ordered a drink and glanced at the menu, I quickly ordered the fried pick- les to start my meal. They arrived shortly after as a stack of long, thin pickle slices, a method differing from the fried pickle chips and spears most restaurants offer. Their thinness made them difficult to eat as finger food, but as they were hot and I was eager to try them with the Capital Ale House sauce, I was happy to eat the floppy pickles with a fork. The sauce, which eagerly swallowed up more than one piece of pickle as it slipped from my fork, was a rich aioli, tart, spicy, and tinted red by the chilis that no doubt seasoned it.

For my entree I ordered the Jägerschnitzel for $16, and was pleased to see that it was a much larger dish than I had anticipated for a relatively insubstantial cost. Capital Ale House was anything but stingy in their serving sizes.

It consisted of two breaded pork tenderloin cutlets, cooked to be tender and juicy on the inside and contrastingly crunchy on the outside. The pork rested on a bed of braised red cabbage sauerkraut, which was seasoned with caraway seeds and tart apple cider vinegar for a savory and sweet complement. The dish came with a side of German potato salad and mushroom gravy in a lovely metal gravy boat.

While ordering, I asked my server what the difference was between German potato salad, which came with the Jägerschnitzel, and the regular potato salad that came with many of the other dishes.

After taking my question to the chef, he returned to inform me that German potato salad had bacon bits and vinegar in it.

Though described as potato salad, it was more like thick mashed potatoes, and was thankfully devoid of mayonnaise. Instead it was warm and full of thick diced bacon bits and an underlying sweet yet tart flavor due to the the addition of apple cider vinegar.

Capital Ale House is the perfect location to cozy up with a beer and giant pretzel to watch a game on one of the restaurant’s flatscreens, or to enjoy a meal with family or friends. You can find Capital Ale House at 41-A Court Square.