Concealed behind the frosted windows and Deutsch exterior, like an Alpine pass buried within the heart of the mountains, the Schnitzelhouse Restaurant offers a wonderful world of exploration for those willing to brave the journey. Admit it: You've always wondered what went on in there.
Located next to the Fry Springs gas station on Jefferson Park Avenue, the Schnitzelhouse's heavy oak doors open to a cloud of smoke coming from the bar area. A hostess, the first of many women working there dressed like Heidi, escorts you to a table surrounded by murals of German towns and crests from different Alpine cities. You have to give the founders of the restaurant credit. Once inside the Schnitzelhouse, you feel like you have left Charlottesville and stepped into Germany.
The Schnitzelhouse attracts an older clientele, most likely because its prices are high. But anybody can enjoy the fresh, hearty, homemade food served here. Even in Charlottesville, which is generally regarded as a restaurant-saturated town, it's difficult to find another restaurant that provides such a truly unique dining experience.
Almost everything here is homemade, and the menu is dominated by heavy Germanic food: bratwurst, veal and cabbage. There's not a lot of variation on this menu, which will disappoint those not looking for a big, heavy meal. On the other hand, some restaurants suffer from the Hardware Store syndrome and write a menu so long that it has chapters. Those restaurants do their customers a disservice by trying to make everything and specializing in nothing. The Schnitzelhouse has found its niche and performs well.
To start off the meal, try the Escargots Bourguignonne ($6.50). It consists of six steaming snails stewing in their own individual pockets in a special dish. If you are brave enough to try the snails, these are good ones. For the chewy snails, the rich garlic butter is an excellent as an accompanying sauce.
The French onion soup ($4.25) is a nice starter on a cold day. There is nothing new or unusual about its presentation, but the Schnitzelhouse gives you plenty of croutons and it even manages to keep them pleasantly crunchy. To complete the dish, the restaurant adds floating sauteed onions and the mozzarella cheese folded over the top.
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Vegetarians have almost nowhere to hide in the main courses. A selection of vegetables and dumplings is available, but the menu, in keeping with true German culinary tradition, is meat-based. Germans eat big hunks of meat for breakfast, so vegetarian dinners are not even an issue. On the "lighter side" section of the menu, the Schnitzelhouse offers a combination of the soup du jour, a salad plate and homemade apple strudel for $9.50, which is a nice meatless alternative.
Of the main dishes, the Sauerbraten ($14.95) is quite good. It's made of marinated beef roast served with red cabbage and Spatzle. The meat is like pot roast in its tender consistency and subtle flavors. Spatzle, rather bland by nature, is made of doughy noodles of southern German culinary tradition. It's meant to soak up the meat sauce, not be a spotlight stealer. The red cabbage is aromatic but an acquired taste.
This week's special ($18.95) is a pair of venison bratwurst served with red cabbage, apple sauce and Swiss roesti potatoes. House specials also come with the soup du jour and a salad. For dressing, you have several options, all homemade, including the house creamy Swiss.
The homemade black forest chocolate cake ($5.25) came with no description in the menu. It didn't need one. Supremely rich and served in large slices, it layered decadent chocolate cake with whole cherries, a big helping of fresh whipped cream and a topping of shaved bittersweet chocolate.
Vermicelli ($6) over ice cream is an unusual European dessert. It's made of a chestnut puree shaped into spaghetti noodles and is layered with whipped cream over vanilla ice cream. The vermicelli is dry and takes some getting used to, but it is well balanced by the sweetness of the ice cream.
Even more mysterious than the regular dining area is the private Alpine Room, which can accommodate parties of up to 50 people. If you would like to reserve the room, the restaurant requires advance notice, just as it does if you want to try its cheese or meat fondues.
Claire and Ed Gisler moved down from New York in 1980 when the ownership of a Charlottesville German restaurant became available. They have been here ever since. Ed Gisler, the chef, is Swiss and his food reflects his homemade touch.
With its Germanic flair, hearty fare and peculiar personality, the Schnitzelhouse does not just wear its style on the surface. The atmosphere is thorough, to say the least. Although the cost may come as a surprise to those who have just driven by, the chef makes sure that the schnitzel is worth the wiener ... we mean the wait.
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