Where in New York Can Hitler Find His Favorite Meal?

Humanizing Hitler is a delicate matter, so I tread with caution. Roland Misch, a phone operator in Hitler's bunker, once said this about the man: "He is presented and built up by others in such a way and depicted in a way that he wasn't. So much is written. But he wasn't a monster. When you were close to him, he basically was a very simple person." Right, Roland. And when you weren't close to him, he was just the simple man who simply brought the world to its knees. A Belgian cooking show called Favorite Dish is also interested in showing us the simple Adolf by examining his favorite meal. The show does episodes on the favorite meals of historical figures, including Salvador Dali and Freddie Mercury, but apparently a whole episode devoted to the Führer's favorite nosh was deemed too risqué, for fear it would "humanize" or "glorify" the man, aka render him simple. It has been pulled by Belgian broadcaster VRT.

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The episode was to feature chef Jeroen Meus traveling around southern Germany to fix up some trout with butter sauce, said to be one of Hitler’s faves. Even though Hitler is believed to have been vegetarian, he was known to indulge in some meat. You know, the usual diet of squab, liver dumplings, caviar, and of course, trout. If he were alive today, and coming to New York for a visit, the first place I’d think to bring him is SoHo’s fish emporium, Lure. But after scanning their menu, there isn’t a trout in sight.

Thankfully, New York has an entire bar dedicated to the fish, at least in name. Trout, in Brooklyn, is a rustic joint with, replete with an open-air, junkyard-chic back patio. But would Hitler like it? A waiter there told me their must-have trout extravaganza is a pecan-crusted brook trout, with sautéed spinach on the side. What about the butter sauce? “Actually yes, it’s served with a lemon and garlic butter sauce.” When I told him that the dish is almost on par with Hitler’s favorite, he said, “Well I can’t endorse that, but trout is a pretty amazing fish.” And for an idea of how to prepare trout just the way Hitler liked it, go here.