Osterreich Elevates The Leavenworth Experience
People visit Leavenworth for many different reasons. The Bavarian-style village three hours west of Spokane has that main street full of shops with expensive trinkets. There are all sorts of seasonal festivals (the Wenatchee River salmon celebration is coming up Sept. 21-24).
There’s also the gorgeous scenery surrounding the town, with all the outdoorsy activities that go along with mountains and rivers. Some people even go to Leavenworth just to listen to accordion music and yodeling.
Wunderbar food, however, has never been a big draw.
How excited can you get over an overpriced bratwurst, anyway?
Well, after years of eating mediocre and downright bad food in Leavenworth (my family lives there, so I visit at least a couple of times a year), I’ve finally found a place that’s truly worth the trip.
Actually, Restaurant Osterreich has been open since 1996, but somehow it passed below my radar until a local resident pointed it out as the best restaurant in town during a recent visit.
Tucked away in a cozy space in the basement of the Hotel Tyrol, Osterreich is indeed easy to miss.
Austrian-born chef Leopold Haas and his wife, Terri, run the place — she works up front serving while he’s in the kitchen creating the most amazing meals.
The menu has a German accent, but Haas also incorporates other European traditions and adds contemporary American touches.
What impressed me most was the attention to detail, from the tiny homemade croutons in the perfectly dressed salad to the pretty fresh flowers on the tables and in the bathroom.
Instead of the typical oompah tunes, New Age songbird Enya played over the sound system. (It almost drowned out the raucous band out in the neighboring beer garden.)
The snug surroundings were radiant with the glow from candles and soft lights. Very romantic, but reading the menu might be a challenge.
It’s an entertaining menu to peruse, too, especially the wine list. The Haases have compiled a good variety of Northwest and California wines along with some imports, including the biggest selection of Austrian wines I’ve ever seen. (They’ve searched for years for a supplier for these hard-to-find wines.)
I went with a ‘98 gruner vetliner from Nigl, a dry white that the menu described as “joyous.” It was just that — an unusual wine with an almost floral fragrance. It tasted rich and fruity when it first hit your mouth but finished dry. It was lovely with the food.
We started off with a swell spinach salad. The greens were tender and tossed with sauteed portobello mushrooms, slightly sweet toasted walnuts and bits of gorgonzola cheese. Curls of carrots and edible flowers adorned the top. The dressing was nicely balanced (tart, but not vinegary), and there was just the right amount of it.
The menu said this $16 salad served two, but it was more than enough for four of us.
In fact, the accompanying basket of warm rolls with herb-gorgonzola butter made this first course feel almost like a meal.
Other starters include a goulash, a fresh crayfish and salmon strudel with chive sauce, and the most delicate homemade potato dumplings this side of Strasbourg.
These potato pillows were served on a bed of smoky sauerkraut in a little cast-iron kettle. A sprig of rosemary was tucked into the handle. It was just a thoughtful touch that added another dimension to the dish.
Not surprisingly, meat is the focus of many of the entrees. Vegetarians probably won’t find much here, unfortunately.
There’s the traditional Wiener schnitzel, which is lightly breaded, pan-fried veal. I tried the excellent jagerschnitzel, tender slices of veal finished in an intensely flavorful mushroom sauce.
The herb spaetzle on the side was the best version I’ve eaten of that German noodle. The pebble-size nuggets were light, not gummy like others I’ve had. The spaetzle was a great conduit for the delicious sauce.
The veggies were also treated with great care. A baby carrot, tender bok choy, broccolini and pea pods were cooked tender-crisp and provided a nice contrast to the rich sauce.
All these elements were artfully arranged on an oversized plate and garnished with edible herbs. It was undoubtedly the prettiest schnitzel I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Another huge hit at our table was a certified Angus tenderloin that was expertly cooked and finished in a luscious green peppercorn sauce. The tasty steak was butter-tender. A potato strudel — flaky pastry wrapped around seasoned spuds — was a fine complement.
A braised pork tenderloin studded with apples was also exceptional. It was fork-tender and had a slightly smoky flavor, which was balanced by a velvety sauce that got its distinctive flavor from beer. On the side, a refreshing cabbage salad was tucked into a thin slice of cucumber that had been shaped into an edible cylinder.
Other dinners that sounded awfully tempting were spaetzle sauteed with onions, air-dried ham and racelette cheese; a braised lamb shank with rosemary sauce; the entree version of goulash with grilled sausage, bread dumplings, pickles and parsley potatoes; and a deboned game hen with a fresh tomato-basil sauce.
In addition to the extensive menu, there’s another page devoted to chef specials, which included such items as a pan-seared duck breast and fresh trout. So much to choose from, so little stomach space.
With food this good, it’s a challenge to leave room for dessert, but you really should.
There’s a selection of cakes, an apricot dumpling, apple strudel and fresh berries. I fell for an ice cream-like concoction called a honey ice parfait. Those soft, creamy mounds were filled with honey-nutty nougats. Fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries decorated the rim of the plate.
A chocolate mousse cake was different than what I expected — more cake than mousse, but very good.
Those sweet treats and a really good cup of fresh-brewed coffee were the perfect way to end an outstanding meal.
The only teeny flaw in an otherwise perfect evening was the uneven service. At first, we were left sitting for too long, and as the dining room cleared, the support staff was hovering, asking to clear plates before we were finished.
Still, everyone at our table agreed, this was the best meal we had ever eaten in Leavenworth.
This sidebar appeared with the story: DESTINATION DINING Restaurant Osterreich *** 1/2 The tab, etc.
Expect Seattle-like prices, with appetizers starting at $10.50 going up to $12 for a salmon and crayfish strudel. Soups and salads are in the $5 range, with a couple of shareable salads costing $16. Entrees start at $17 and go up to $30. Desserts are around $6-$7. The dining room is nonsmoking and it is not wheelchair accessible. They accept all major credit cards. Serving
Dinners Wednesday through Sunday. Reservations are recommended.
What the ratings mean: **** Excellent *** Great **Good * Fair