CombatCritic's TravelValue™: German

CombatCritic™ ... World traveler - 42 countries and counting; Military Leader - Four combat operations; Amateur chef; Published author and producer - over 4 million visitors on seven platforms! Yelp "Black" Elite '14/'15/ '16/ '17/ '18/ '19 / '20/ '21/ '22 / '23 / '24; TripAdvisor ¨Local Guide¨, Zomato "VERIFIED CONNOISSEUR"; Booking.com "GENIUS"; and Foursquare "INSIDER". On the Front Lines in the Battle Against Mediocrity - Follow Me To TravelValue™ ... That's A Freakin' Order!

Showing posts with label German. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Colorado Springs, CO: Good Schnitzel, Reasonable Prices ... HOOAH!

Schnitzel Fritz

4037 Tutt Blvd

Colorado Springs, CO 80922

Phone number (719) 573-2000

Website: schnitzelfritz.com

Prices: $$$$

The place is basic, so do not expect anything fancy. You order from the counter and they bring you your meal, helping yourself to a fountain drink (1 Free with Yelp Check-In), tea, or water. They have a small deli with German fare and a couple of racks up front with a decent selection of German food products.

I had the Cordon Bleu Schnitzel ($11.99) with fried potatoes and cream ("rahm" - which is brown here) gravy. The schnitzel was cooked just right with ham and gooey cheese oozing from the center. The fried potatoes were plentiful, well seasoned, and flavorful.

All-in-all, a good German meal and a very good value.

CombatCritic Gives Schnitzel Fritz 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Coos Bay, Oregon: A Delicious Taste of Germany in Coos Bay

Blue Heron Bistro

100 Commercial Avenue

Coos Bay, OR 97420

German, Seafood

Website: blueheronbistro.com

Phone number: (541) 267-3933

Prices: $$$$

Hours on Yelp are wrong, they are open from 4pm to 8pm daily. Therefore, it is difficult to make a reservation, handy during COVID distancing requirements, because they only answer the phone during business hours.

It's a cute little place on a corner right on the main drag going south in Coos Bay. It has a Bavarian look inside and out, reminiscent of many a gästhaus I have been to in Germany. They even have a small biergarten out back with three large picnic tables.

They have a nice selection of traditional German favorites at reasonable prices. I had the Jägerschnitzel ($22), coming with a cup of goulash soup, a small salad, and bread before the main course arrives. The schnitzel was huge with a wonderful crispy batter that was light, not greasy and topped with a tasty mushroom gravy, accompanied by hot, crispy and light french fries. I normally like the more traditional fried potatoes with my schnitzel, but the fries were yummy and plentiful.

My only negative and a personal pet peeve of mine was that our entrees came out way too soon. We were not even halfway through our soup and salad when the owner arrived with our dinners. I have spent many years in the restaurant business and there is no reason the next course should arrive before the last course is finished and cleared from the table. They probably would have gotten my highest rating had they not screwed this one up.

The meal was a very good value, considering that we paid nearly the same amount we had at Foley's Pub in Bandon the night before, getting three times as much food and a much higher quality meal ... ACHTUNG!

CombatCritic Gives Blue Heron Bistro 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Monday, December 23, 2019

Phoenix, AZ: Is That A Schnitzel In Your Liederhösen Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Edelweiss Biergarten
2625 E. Bell Road
Phoenix, AZ 85032
Phone: (602) 404-5919
Website: edelweissphoenix.com
Prices: $$$$

Achtung meine freunde, from the outside, this place looks like a country biker bar more than a German restaurant, but the inside is, relatively, much nicer and the place has pretty damn good chow ... HOOAH!

Having served our great nation for 20+ years, including 6 years in Europe (England and Italy), I spent quite a bit of time in Germany and know what authentic German food tastes like. This place gets it right despite the austere exterior. The inside is HUGE, reminiscent of one of the large hofbräus or gästhaus in Munich and other German cities with flags of the different states hung on the walls and a guy wearing liederhösen playing the accordion on their small stage. They even have a large biergarten, hence the name, in the back where you can enjoy a bier or a meal when the weather permits.

For an appetizer, which I received a 20% discount on for checking-in on Yelp, I got Opa's Favorite ($11.95 before discount), wedges of Gouda cheese breaded and fried, accompanied by their homemade cranberry sauce. The wedges were, as President Donald would say, HUGE and the cranberry sauce very tasty, a nice accompaniment to the Gouda, I polished of 1.5 of the 2 wedges, but had to stop to make room for my main course.

I decided on the Schnitzel Cordon Bleu ($17.95), pork cutlets filled with ham and cheese, then breaded and pan fried to a golden brown. I asked the server if I could get a side of Jaeger sauce for my cordon bleu and he told me, "that will be $1.00 extra, is that OK", to which I replied, it's my birthday, let's splurge!". The cordon bleu was thick and crispy on the outside and hot inside, allowing the gooey cheese to ooze out when I made my first cut ... WUNDERBAR! The jaeger sauce was the topping that iced the cake or, in this case, the schnitzel, a delicious cream sauce with plenty of mushrooms and pieces of bacon to enhance the flavor of the already very good cordon bleu. The spätzle appeared to be made in-house and was also very good and the accompanying cucumber salad decent.

I never did get a "happy birthday" or a gratuitous dessert and that was just fine with me because I do not like being made a fuss over and I was so full that I could not have eaten it anyway. It would have been nice of them to offer though, even if I would have turned it down in any event.

Seedy, dilapidated exterior, a more appropriate interior, decent service, and wonderful, reasonably priced food made this biergarten a hit with me and "I shall return", wait, that was Patton, "I'll be back", no that was Schwarzenegger, oh, never mind.

CombatCritic Gives Edelweiss Biergarten 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Portland, OR: Do Not Miss This Swiss Delight In The Quaint Northeast Alberta Neighborhood

Swiss Hibiscus

4950 NE 14th Avenue
Portland, OR 97211
Northeast Portland, King
Phone: (503) 477-9224
Website: swisshibiscus.com
Prices: $$$$

Located in the up-and-coming, trendy Alberta neighborhood of Northeast Portland, I was surprised by Swiss Hibiscus' appearance, expecting an older chalet-style building adorned with flower boxes and Swiss flags, but it is housed in a small modern, multi-purpose building a half block off of the main Alberta Street drag on 14th. The restaurant is small with only six or so tables inside (seating around 25) and another three or four outside (if the Portland weather cooperates), bringing the maximum seating to around 40 diners. A reservation is a must during prime hours and can be made by calling the number above.

We started with the Swiss Fondue ($24) shared among three of us and there was plenty to go around. A blend of Swiss cheeses, white wine, and kirschwasser (a clear German cherry brandy), heated in a traditional fondue pot and served with plenty of chunky French bread pieces. It was a bit pricey, but delicious and as good as any fondue I have had.

For entrees, my friend's wife had the Emince Zurichoise ($14.50), thin slices of pork sautéed in a mushroom cream sauce reminiscent of Zurich and accompanied by handmade spätzle. Each entree was preceded by a cup of soup de jour (a creamy potato leek) or house salad with their signature dressing and their crusty, piping hot French bread.

My friend Mike ordered the special of the day, Chicken Valaisanne ($17.50), two chicken breast halves smothered with sauteed tomatoes and onions and melted raclette cheese perched atop a bed of spinach and accompanies by their famous rösti, crispy Swiss hash browns infused with bacon and onions ... YUM!

I had the traditional Wienerschnitzel ($14.50), breaded pork cutlets sautéed in and topped with browned butter. I ordered a side of the Zurichoise mushroom cream sauce ($2) for my schnitzel and rösti, a wise choice because it made for a perfect combination similar to the Rahmschnitzel sauce I have enjoyed in Germany on many occasions. The cutlets were smaller and thinner than most I have had, but after the fondue and soup, I was quite glad that they were not of the traditional behemoth variety and was able to finish my plate.

Schnitzel Sans Gravy

Schnitzel With Gravy

A delightful and fortunate find on Yelp, we enjoyed our meal immensely, the service was friendly and efficient, and the prices very fair for the quality of the menu offerings. The only drawbacks were the smallish size of the restaurant and the somewhat limited menu.

PS ...

On a recent return trip, so my wife could experience Swiss Hibiscus having been absent on my first visit, we had a similar albeit not quite as "perfect" meal. The service was as outstanding as the first time and Bridgeport IPAs ($4) were an excellent value.

We ordered the fondue ($24) of course, which was as decadent and delicious as the first time, but the Jägerschnitzel with Chanterelles ($19.50) special was a little disappointing. Do not get me wrong, it was tasty and a very good value, coming with their yummy rösti (crispy Swiss hash browns infused with bacon and onions) as well as a wonderful cup of soup and fresh, hot bread rolls, but it untraditionally prepared and the pork was a tad tough.

Having stuffed ourselves with bread and hot, gooey cheese, we spilt the schnitzel dinner into two reasonable portions (no split plate charge - the server actually suggested that we split it).

Schnitzel in normally breaded and fried, resulting in a crispy, tender boneless pork cutlet topped by a thick, rich mushroom (hunter's sauce) gravy. This cutlet came without the traditional breading and was chewier than any schnitzel I can remember having eaten ... and that has been many. The sauce itself was decent, but it was not very thick nor was it overly flavorful.

Taking this most recent trip into account, although not quite as good as the first visit, it was still an excellent meal and a very good value at a little over $60 including tip for a dinner for two, including drinks. So my rating remains unchanged ...

CombatCritic Gives Swiss Hibiscus A Nearly Perfect 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better

Nine Bombs Equates To:

"U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

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Read Chris S.'s review of Swiss Hibiscus on Yelp

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Swiss Hibiscus

Title: Portland, OR: Do Not Miss This Swiss Delight In The Quaint Northeast Alberta Neighborhood

Key Words: Swiss Hibiscus, Swiss, hibiscus, Switzerland, German, French, Austrian, Alberta, Portland, Oregon, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

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Vancouver, WA: No Veal, No Deal – Olive Garden Delivers Mediocrity with a Side of Sticker Shock