Staying overnight in Poughkeepsie for a night, we had slim pickings for a good dinner spot. Sure, there were a few good-looking places that turned up from some Yelping, and I'm glad I picked Schatzi's from the few, which turned out to provide a very satisfying and enjoyable meal.
As it was a nice warm summer night, we of course chose to sit in the backyard garden area, which was beautiful. Aside from the large open empty garage and a port-o-potty off to the side, it was as pleasant an atmosphere as you could hope to dine in, and a complete 180 from the darker bar vibe indoors.
They have the type of menu I love - plenty of beige and meaty options, with this one mostly dominated by appetizers and finger food and just sausages and a few sandwiches for the mains. We ordered a ton of delicious stuff:
- Warm Bavarian Pretzels ($7 for 3)
Everyone gets these, and with good reason, as they were the best of the starters we got. The 3 pretzels, in the form of long pretzel rolls, were piping hot and soft, with just the right amount of salt. These are a must.
- Grown Up Tots ($8 for 5)
These are nothing like normal tots, but are delicious nonetheless. Described as potato dumplings, they are filled with braised pork belly, cheddar cheese and onions. They are large pieces, with 5 in an order, and were also extremely hot and crispy, just the way fried food should be.
- Chili Dusted Wings ($8)
These were pretty good. They give you quite a generous portion with this huge plate of wings, which have a ton of flavor from the chili seasoning.
- Bauernwurst Sausage Sandwich ($8)
This was excellent. Definitely the specialty here, as they have a whole section of the menu devoted to different sausage varieties, this was great even though I don't particularly enjoy sausages. I think the delicious, soft pretzel bun helped a lot.
- Schatzi Burger ($15)
This is one of those burgers that tries to shock, and just goes a little over the top. The thick, slightly overcooked and under seasoned patty is topped with a huge hunk of crispy pork belly, melted cheddar, and a big mushy potato pancake, all slathered in the bright pink Schatzi's sauce, and served on a toasted pretzel bun. I think if they went simple and focused on cooking that meat better and eliminating the pork and pancake, it could be a great burger. In this form though, it's just a bit of a mess.
- Stout Cheesecake ($8)
One of two dessert options available, this chocolate cheesecake had way too heavy an alcoholic flavor for me. I should've expected that given the focus on beer here, but it was just an unpleasant amount in the cake. Order more appetizers and skip dessert.
Service was very friendly, but about as attentive as you would expect at a busy bar. We had to flag down our servers every now and then, mostly for more water and napkins to deal with the salty, messy starters, but they were very accommodating and pleasant.
Next time I'm in Poughkeepsie for whatever reason, I would definitely return here for some more delicious beige. read more