Claudia Baumgarten. Photo by Elsa Hahne.

What did you order?

The smoked bratwurst. I like this one because it’s traditional with the sauerkraut and the German mustard. It’s basic and good.

What’s your connection with German music, food and dress?

An accident. Actually, I was working with a young pianist and he turned out to have lederhosen and an accordion, so we just started working on some German music for October one year. Plus my father’s German and got a kick out of seeing pictures of me performing. Last year, when we were playing here at Dat Dog, Bill—the manager—showed up in lederhosen. Turns out, he’d bought it at my store [Miss Claudia’s Vintage Clothing & Costumes] earlier that day!