Posts Tagged ‘wiener schnitzel’

German Feast

My favorite meal as a child was a gigantic plate of veal wiener schnitzel from The Bavarian Chalet, one of Ogden’s best (and most expensive) restaurants. I’d go there most birthdays, sometimes more if I could convince my parents. My mouth still waters at the thought of that meat (and accompanying spätzle)—drizzled with lemon juice I’d squeezed myself using their metal wedge squeezer and smothered with a rich gravy. It was heaven. It was the sole reason I took German in high school. It’s mostly to blame for my lifelong obsession with food and restaurants. And now it’s gone, dead for a decade.

I’ve yet to find wiener schnitzel as good, not even in Deutschland. But in my surprising little gem of a city, I’ve finally found a solid competitor. Tucked in the back of a German grocery store in the office land that is downtown (13th and H Streets, NW), Cafe Mozart is odd from the get-go. After you make your way through the florescent store stocked with German foodstuffs, a back door opens into a small bar—deeper in, through another door, you’ll find the dining room, with its low ceilings, booths, and German posters pasted about the walls. If you come on Tuesday, you’ll also find Sylvia, the talented musician who serenades you all night with her accordion and wooden spoons.

The menu is exhausting. I think it took us a good 30 minutes to order—too many choices and it all looked good. I settled on the pork wiener schnitzel ($23.95; mostly because it was $4 less that the veal), but was distressed about the menu’s absence of gravy. I told the waiter my Bavarian Chalet story. He listened politely then said: “We’ll serve yours with gravy.”

Deep into our pitcher of creamy Hefeweissen, food was served. For me that meant a giant plate of schnitzel, spätzle, pan-fried potato pancakes, a thick lemon wedge (sans metal squeezer), and pork gravy. A meal to satisfy a King. I couldn’t have been much happier. Patten ordered the Debreziner ($16.95), a spicy pork sausage served with sauerkraut and German potato salad. Once he finished his, he ate half of mine and ordered more potato pancakes. He hasn’t stopped raving about his meal, telling all that “it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had in DC.” Our dining friend ordered the Viennese Beef Goulash ($21.95), which was hearty and tasty in its own right, but seemed to get too rich after a while.

Cafe Mozart is not cheap, but it’s the type of place you leave fulfilled. We practically skipped home, with visions of sausage and schnitzel dancing in our heads. Yeah, it made us that happy.

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BTW: Apologies for the month-long break. In short, life got in the way—but City Sifting is back. I love you all, and keep reading!