Bratwurst and braised red cabbage and a long list of German beers rule at this lively, hip outpost of simple German cooking in the trendy Hayes Valley corridor. Strangers sit down together at unfinished pine tables when the room gets crowded, which it regularly does. The food -- potato pancakes with house-made applesauce, sauerbraten, cheese spaetzle, schnitzel, apple strudel -- is tasty and easy on the pocketbook, and the brews are first-rate. There's also a good Sunday brunch, with appealing fare such as gravlax with mustard-dill sauce and pancakes with brandied raisins.