I really want this restaurant to succeed, because the vibe seems like it could be great, and the food is almost there -- I greatly miss the food from my home country, and really want choices of a good German restaurant within driving distance. Unfortunately, our visit on Friday evening was spoiled by a (not advertised on the website) too-loud musical duet who were enamored of their own sound, which wasn't even German music, just a variety of American oldies. They might have been fine unamplified in the small space, but they each kept turning their amplified sound up higher than the other, so all that happened was our ears hurt more and their music was made unlistenable. We could not hear each other or the waitress over the bellowing (can't really call something at that decibel singing) and very loud guitar.
The food is hard to concentrate on when you are having to cover your ears during the painfully loud sound. It was also very jarring to have "Hotel California" and suchlike giving a cheap bar or street busker atmosphere instead of some lovely German music that would have added to the overall feel. I can't imagine it was easy to work in that space with all the noise; the server was doing her best, but it was hard for us to understand her and vice versa. We had asked for the volume to be turned down, but it crept back up quickly as each player kept turning himself up. I really felt sorry for those who were forced to work under the loud conditions.
We should have left after our drinks and appetizers, which were quite good.
Instead, since we'd come all that way, we courted hearing loss in order to experience the mix of mains. The Schweinehaxe, which was described as slow-roasted, crispy, and served with potato dumplings and red cabbage, was not as expected. There was no delightful crispy-crunchy skin as is found in the classic Bavarian dish; instead it was soggy and seemed braised rather than roasted, with no skin at all, although the flavor was decent. The "potato dumpling" (singular) wasn't a true potato dumpling, but seemed to actually be a mound of mashed potatoes molded into a rounder shape. The red cabbage, usually one of my favorite parts of a German meal, was underdone (crunchy, like coleslaw) and oddly bitter; I could not eat this at all. The pan sauce was too salty and whatever alcohol had been used to deglaze the pan had been added with too heavy a hand. I would not order this again.
The Schnitzel was decent, if a little unevenly pounded. While listed on the menu as Weinerschnitzel, it is actually Schweineschnitzel Weiner Art, not truly Weinerschnitzel (which can only be called this when made with veal), but perhaps the person who made up the menu did not realize this distinction. It was served over Streichholzkartoffeln (matchstick-sized French fries) with lingonberry preserves and a nice lemon wedge for squeezing over. The meat was tender, very flavorful, and nicely breaded and fried. I would gladly eat this again.
Another win was the Bronzinoschnitzel (known also as Wolfsbarsch or Seebarsch in Germany), a mild white fish filleted and very pleasantly (lightly) breaded and fried, served over rice with a delightful lemon wine sauce and accompanied by two delicious stalks of white asparagus. I would also gladly eat this again.
The desserts we tried were too expensive (no prices were listed on the menu, and they turned out to be $12 per dessert) and did not hit the mark for texture or flavor. The Black Forest cake, while closer to an original German version, had a texture failure with the cake layers, which were too coarse, too open-crumbed, and too tall. While the German cake is usually drier compared to the American version, the layers will be thinner and the texture is still fairly fine, if necessarily less moist in order to take up the liquor that is traditionally brushed on. This version did have the traditional liquor, but it was a bit harsh and unevenly soaked into the too-thick and too-coarse cake so that some bites had none at all while others caused gasps from the strength. The cheesecake was almost there in terms of a true German cheesecake, with nearly good Quark flavor and texture, but sadly, it was overbaked, which ruined both flavor and texture.
Perhaps if the music had not been pounding our heads so loudly, the food might have tasted better, so we will return at a time when there will be no loud music in order to give the other menu items a try. There are a number of dishes that I hope will be good, and I am sure that if the owner takes feedback and improves, there will be many reasons to return for years to come. I will update this review after any future visit. read more
