Took the train into Manhattan to meet some friends at Hallo Berlin on 44th and 10th ave. I'd heard a lot about it from another friend who is a history teacher and a lover of everything German. He said it was his favorite German restaraunt in New York. It was even included in a recent New York Times article about historic beer gardens. As a result, I was kind of surprised when I almost walked right by it. First of all, the awning out front has the name as "Hello Berlin". Inside is a narrow bar and about a half dozen tables in the back. There are tables outside on a small patio - the beer garden. It was a hot day so we opted to sit inside. 
We each chose different beers to start and sampled each others selections. The Hefeweizen was sweet and delicious. The black lager had the interesting taste of a dark ale with the drinkability of a lager. By far the most interesting beer was the Augustinus Maximator. Rich, who is a retired Latin teacher, informed us that the word "maximator" comes from a latin word that means extreme. This doublebock was extreme with tons of flavor and a 7.5% ABV.
Just as memorable was the food we had to accompany our drinks. My wieiner schnitzel was cooked to perfection and the sour kraut was a meal in itself. We all agreed that even without the amazing German beers, the food alone waranted a return trip to Hallo Berlin.
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