Area restaurants share recipes for German dishes

Kleiner Deutschmann, at 643 Pittsburgh St., in Springdale, is a sight from the old country. Before you even walk through the door, the Victorian house that houses the restaurant stands out from the surrounding buildings, sporting bright pink, purple, yellow and gold paint. And inside, the dining areas are filled with antiques. But the real taste of heritage comes at the table: The owner says Kleiner Deutschmann is the only restaurant in the Pittsburgh area to serve exclusively authentic German foods.

Owner Chuck Spix founded the restaurant 19 years ago after inheriting the house, which was originally the home of his grandparents, Barbara and Winnard Spix, who emigrated from Aachen, Germany.

Spix chose the outside color scheme to mirror houses he saw while traveling through Bavaria, and most of the antiques are from his family. The rest he picked up from area auctions or local sellers. On a mantel In one of the dining areas, two large bisque statues flank an antique clock from the 1800s. Spix said a 96-year-old man came to the restaurant one day and said he wanted to sell the statues to someone who would appreciate them.

"They're priceless," Spix said.

Before returning home to open the Kleiner Deutschmann, Spix owned Rolf's, another German restaurant, in New York City for 30 years. Dick Tetrealt, who co-owns Kleiner Deutschmann with Spix, was an employee at Rolf's who went with Spix to Springdale to help open the new restaurant.

Kleiner Deutschmann's signature item is a jagerschnitzel, or veal shank. One shank weighs more than 2 pounds, and restaurant employees ring a bell whenever one is ordered. Spix estimates he rings the bells about six times a night on weeknights and between 15 and 20 times on the weekend. The entree is so popular, people call and reserve it. Spaetzle (recipe below) is a popular side dish at the restaurant.

"I was glad to come back to Pittsburgh and open this restaurant," Spix said. "While it was a little more difficult to find the products I needed here than in New York, I think Pittsburgh really needed an authentic German restaurant and I'm glad to share my heritage with others."

McDade's Garden Cafe, at 1741 Golden Mile Highway (Route 286), near Monroeville, started out as the Fireside Lounge in 1970. The lounge began serving meals in 1975, and German fare was added to the menu in 1980.

The German dishes are the recipes of owner Sam McDade's wife, Edith, who is from Augsburg, Germany. The restaurant also serves a variety of Italian and American dishes.

McDade met Edith in Germany while he was serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. They married in October 1953 and had seven children. Edith does little cooking in the restaurant's kitchen these days; she's passed her secrets on to her three daughters who do the majority of the cooking.

"When Edith first came to America, my mother had to show her how to make Americanized versions of sauces and other dishes," McDade said. "In Germany, they cooked a little differently than in America. There were no refrigerators so they went shopping every day and bought their meats every day. The food is also a little heavier than what Americans are used to."

McDade said that one of their most popular German dishes at the restaurant is the weiner schnitzel, a breaded veal dish. Veal is expensive, but McDade said the restaurant is able to keep its prices lower because they've found an excellent supply house.

Both McDade's and Kleiner Deutschmann get supplies from Usinger's, a German supply house in Milwaukee, where butchers use German techniques for raising and butchering the animals.

McDade said the secret to creating excellent authentic German entree is to start with a good quality cut of meat and to use the best ingredients. "It makes all the difference," he said.

Other popular dishes at McDade's include German potato pancakes and sauerbraten, which they shared their recipes for below. McDade is particularly proud of the potato pancakes because of the work they put into adapting the dish to the larger-scale demands of a restaurant operation.

Traditionally, potatoes are grated to make the pancakes. This method was too time-consuming to do per order in the kitchen and grating ahead of time would discolor the potatoes. After trying a number of area restaurants' versions and hearing about their shredding methods, McDade improvised and begin shredding the potatoes in a blender. While he admits that's not traditionally how they were made, McDade points out that at one time, everything was hand stirred, not blended with a mixer. The final taste speaks for itself, he said.

Seven Springs Mountain Resort, near Champion, doesn't serve German fare every day, but it's still a tradition during the resort's Autumnfest weekends in late September and October. Autumnfest features a multitude of activities, including concerts, a craft show, a children's tent, a petting zoo, hay and pony rides, strolling entertainment and ice sculpting displays in addition to horseback riding, biking, and hiking. The festival also offers a number of traditional German dishes at an outdoor Bavarian-style buffet, in addition to a variety of specialty foods offered throughout the resort. The recipe for a favorite German-style cheesecake from the resort's bakery, and the recipe for the corn pudding featured on their buffet are featured below.

Spaetzle

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir in eggs and gradually add enough milk to make smooth, but not stiff, dough.

Fill a large pan with at least 2 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil.

Force the dough mixture through a spaetzle-maker, or a colander with large holes, into the boiling water. Boil until all spaetzle comes to the surface (about 4-6 minutes). Remove with a large slotted spoon or strainer and transfer to a large serving bowl. Toss with

butter, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.