Maybe it’s because my daughter and son-in-law are living in Munich, or maybe it’s because I once lived in Bonn, but every October, those Rhode Island restaurants that offer a German-style Oktoberfest menu draw me to them like bears to honey. Apparently, it happens to many other diners, with or without German connections, as we learned last weekend at Ferns and Flowers Teahouse.

Three of the four dining rooms in this former farmhouse were filled with diners, some there for a birthday celebration, others for the nostalgia of eating the childhood foods cooked by their German mom. Chef Anita Wimmer hails from southern Germany, so her instincts for sauerbraten and apple strudel are spot-on.

The special Oktoberfest menu features fruit-stuffed roast pork, grilled bratwurst, Wienerschnitzel (veal cutlet), sauerbraten, and a specialty called Feinschmeckerrole (literally "a fine-taster or gourmet’s roll") — in this case, veal cutlets wrapped around smoked ham and mushrooms, and coated in hazelnuts. There’s also an all-you-can-eat sampler plate, with bratwurst, Wienerschnitzel and sauerbraten. Each of these dinners comes with sauerkraut, red cabbage, German potato salad, and/or spaetzle.

Bill was thrilled to try the Feinschmeckerrole ($15.95), particularly since he’s retained the verb "schmecken" from our visit to Germany many years ago. He began this culinary journey with a bowl of goulash soup ($4.95). This cousin of Hungarian goulash is very popular in Germany and pops up in different versions, but they always include meat chunks simmered in a thick, often tomatoey broth, redolent with onions and paprika. This one was thinner than a stew, but thicker than a soup, with beef and potatoes, and it smelled quite wonderful. Bill reported that its only drawback was the chef’s heavy hand with the salt (this from the man who salts watermelon!).

Our green salads received an Old Country touch with a bit of cucumbers in sour cream with dill and a few mildly pickled beets atop the mesclun greens. The mild vinaigrette on the greens was also quite tasty.

Now to get to the meat of the evening, so to speak. Bill found his veal rolls quite filling, especially after the generous portion of goulash. He appreciated the texture contrasts with the crunchy nuts on the outside and the smoked ham inside. And he really got into the veal’s accompaniments: the cold red cabbage; the tiny, buttery dumplings known as spaetzle; the sauerkraut, also seasoned with ham; and the warm, vinegary potato chunks topped with bacon.

Eager to try the spaetzle and red cabbage, I had hoped for fish or chicken on the German menu (these things do exist there). Our waitress, Sarah, offered instead to serve a portion of the roasted vegetable "torta" ($10.95) from Ferns and Flowers’ regular menu, along with the aforementioned sides. The wedge of torta was delicious, since its veggie layers (eggplant, red roasted pepper, and artichokes) came on a mascarpone-topped base of creamy polenta, nicely accented by a "frosting" of tomato sauce.

Bill had a glass of the Valckenberg Gewürztraminer, but its sweetness overwhelmed its distinctive spiciness. The other choice was a Riesling Spätlese, which one could assume would be drier. St. Pauli and Beck’s are on tap for German beers. The regular dinner listing has a selection of California wines.

Desserts for the Oktoberfest menu are apple strudel, Linzertorte, and Black Forest cake. Bill could not resist the latter since the chocolate-and-cherry fantasia has always been a favorite of his, and I opted for the strudel. We were both quite pleased with our choices. I tend to be fussy about mushy apples in desserts, though too raw is not good, either. Those in the strudel were just right, oozing juice into the phyllo pastry dough and around the raisins, nuts, and cinnamon. Yum.

Ferns and Flowers’ non-October dinner menu, though limited, touches a lot of bases, including the vegetable torta, sole Florentine, grilled sirloin, roast chicken, ravioli primavera, and coconut shrimp. A Friday night "Men’s Night," on the first Friday of the month, offers your male companion a free entrée (these offerings include short ribs, pork loin, sausage and peppers, along with other items). "Royal teas" and "high teas" are served Tuesday-Saturday at 3 p.m., by reservation only, and include scones with clotted cream and tea sandwiches.

So if you miss Oktoberfest at Ferns and Flowers (Thursday through Saturday nights, October 14 through 16 and 21 through 23), there’s plenty to bring you back. (Redlefsen’s, in Bristol, also has an Oktoberfest menu, Wednesdays and Thursdays, through November 4. Call [401] 254-1188 for reservations.)