Video by Jessica Stewart

Octoberfest may be winding down in Munich, Germany, (where it runs Sept. 19 through Oct. 4), but in St. Joseph, the celebration has just begun — at least the feasting part.

At the Cabbage Roll restaurant at 26th and Lafayette, owners Larry Matt and Andy Halamar are gearing up to start another month of reservation-only Friday buffets featuring the hearty German cuisine. So while sitting at tables overlooking a castle in the Rhineland (on the wall), guests will partake in ethnic delicacies such as pierogies, sausage with kraut, ribs with red cabbage, swinebraten and, of course, cabbage rolls. Both men have German ancestry, so the recipes are authentic or slightly modified for American tastes, such as one of their most popular entrees, the Jager Snitzel. It’s a breaded, tenderized pork loin smothered with a red wine mushroom sauce.

“We got the recipe from Andy’s aunt while we were in Germany,” Mr. Matt says. “I didn’t like it, so I experimented with it.”

He found that a few spoonfuls of sugar were just the thing to turn what he considered a slightly bitter sauce into a crowd favorite. German food is traditionally not very sweet, he says, even the desserts. But whether you like it sweet or not, Jager Snitzel is simple to make and would be a perfect start for a German-themed dinner at home.

Mr. Matt suggests serving it with a German potato salad and sweet-and-sour red cabbage for sides. A hearty German rye bread would also be good. Dense and crusty Holzofenbrot is one of their favorites.

“We call it the baby whale,” Mr. Halamar says. “You get it in a 10-pound loaf.”

Of course, no feast is complete without dessert. At the Cabbage Roll, they serve 12 kinds of tortes and 18 varieties of cheese cakes. And normally for the October buffet, they put on a black forest cake. It’s one of the most popular desserts they serve. Essentially, it’s layers of chocolate cake filled with cherries soaked in kirsch (a fruit brandy) with whipped cream, then topped with more cream, cherries and chocolate curls. You can special order the cake from the restaurant to take home, or make it yourself. Here’s how to make the Jager Snitzel:

THE MEAT: Bread four pieces of tenderized pork loin with egg, flour and bread crumbs. Cook in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Cook until brown on both sides and done.

THE SAUCE: Mix together in a bowl: 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms, a couple of sliced green onions, a half stick of melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar (optional or to taste), a couple of pinches of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt. Mix 3 cups of wine with 1 cup of water. Reserve 1 cup and mix it with two tablespoons of cornstarch. Stir until it’s all dissolved. Mix all the ingredients together in a pan and cook over medium heat until slightly thick.

THE FINISH: Put the pieces of pork on a plate, top with the sauce and sprinkle with a little fresh parsley.

For more information or to make reservations at the Friday buffets, call the Cabbage Roll, 233-4444.

Lifestyles reporter Sylvia Anderson may be reached at sylviaanderson@npgco.com.