Phoenix does indeed have several German restaurants. My GPS had several listed. I visited one that was OK but not on par with my favorites. Check your local listings and please post a reply here if you find a great one!

Have any of you been to Zeppelin Hall Restaurant and Biergarten? It's in Jersey City. I've only been there to party, so I wasn't examining the food too closely, but it was a great spot and people seemed to be having a nice time. I would highly recommend it.

It would be a tragedy
 

to visit San Francisco and eat at Schroeder's. The food is disgusting, ambiance non-existent and service lousy. Within a two block radius you have Perbacco, Barbacco, Michael Mina, and Tadich Grill. All excellent restaurants.

Funny, I wondered if somebody was going to call me on that observation :p

I'd like to ask the people who seek out German restaurants stateside what specifically is the culinary attraction - curry wurst? french fries with mayonnaise? wiener schnitzel?, or is it just a festive thing to do?

Here in the Pfalz you don't need to look at a menu in a German restaurant because most places are identical, often with food cooked by the owner's wife who doubles as waitress-

Three or four varieties of schnitzel - check
Cordon bleu - check
Rumpsteak - check

etc, etc

I know that Bavarian food is different, but I don't get down there much. Maybe that is what people call to mind when they think 'German'

How is Bavarian food different?

I agree, I was very surprised to see it on the list. Their food, IMHO, is really not that great.

There's a place just a few blocks from me, Rolf's, that I've heard is very good, but I've never eaten there.

I've always have had a great meal at Helmers in Hoboken

Speaking of wursts alone, you're not going to find weisswurst in Dusseldorf or Dortmund, for example. The foods are very much regional as are the beers.

Avoid it. Although in the summer, they make a fantastic cold cucumber soup. But the ambiance is horrible and the food by and large lacks flavor with the exception of the chilled cucumber soup.

The Black Forest Inn in Minneapolis is quite good. Especially in the summer they have a very nice outside area and the food is not bad an comes pretty close to the real deal. In addition I like Schumacher's New Prague Hotel in New Prague, MN. While more Hungarian/Austrian cuisine it is probably one of the nicest places claiming to be German and definitely a good kitchen.

I can recommend:

Mecklenburg Gardens, Cincinnati, OH
Schmidt's House of Sausage, Columbus, OH

I visited both in 2010.

Closer to home:

Old Europe, Folsom, CA
Speisekammer, Alameda, CA

Yes, we found German restaurant in Phoenix areas is:

1. German Corner Restaurant 4900 E Indian School Rd Phoenix, AZ
2. Edelweiss German Deli 13439 N. Cave Creek Rd Phoenix, AZ
3. Black Forest Mills Restaurant 4900 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ
4. German Sausage Company 4900 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ

We will decide if we can go eat at German restaurant during those days.

We had some German menus dropped off to us at work in Brooklyn (Bay Ridge) the other day. It looked and sounded authentic. I'll try to remember and look for it next week and report back here what the name of the restaurant was.

Please do. I'd love to hear about it. :)

Many people in Northern and Eastern Europe share favourite tastes, from the British Isles all the way to Russia. Pickled herring, smoked eel and trout, beetroot in various forms, thick lentil and pea soup, dark bread, cured meats, pickled mushrooms...Also very much in evidence in German food culture.

The sausages and schnitzels are showcase examples of the longstanding tradition of family butchers all over Germany. There is sausage and then there is homemade wurst from the best ingredients. ;) Regional tastes also play a big role here.

And the dicke Bohnen, Leipziger Allerlei, Grunkohl and other veggie specialities keep company to the meatier fare also through the winter, ensuring a balanced diet.

Also a very important part of food culture in Germany is the Brotzeit which I would almost compare to Tapas. A few slices of good cold meats and/or cheeses, maybe some pickles and a glass or two of local beer or wine. What better for a nice chat with friends and family?

I'm most familiar with Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen and Berlin but isn't the Pfalz actually famous for their pig offal dish (Saumagen)? :)

And it's no wonder that food traditions are also dumbing down in Germany considering the huge success of fast food joints and kebab sold on every street corner. But there is definitely more to cuisine ala Allemagne than just Schnitzel and Bratwurst.

Thanks for the nods - these have been added to the master list at the beginning of this thread.

Keep the suggestions coming! Please be sure to include the city/state with any restaurant names.