Germany Is Just Down The Road At

Old Heidelberg

Family and staff continue to lead Old Heidelberg German Restaurant on Stony Hill Road (Route 6) in Bethel through its fifth anniversary this year, demonstrating why the food and service have resulted in the public twice voting it Best German Restaurant in Fairfield Weekly’s Best Of annual poll.

Old Heidelberg seats about 55 patrons inside at rustic wooden tables that reflect the overall cozy atmosphere. In warm weather, diners can choose to sit in the outdoor biergarten, which holds approximately another 150 people and can be used for private and corporate parties. Old Heidelberg also offers takeout and catering services.

The restaurant hosts monthly special events, or fests, and customers can sign up for the email list to receive reminders. Introduced in 2006 were the Weissbierfest each June and the Schnitzelfest in July, and the restaurant also celebrates an annual Wurstfest with grilled brats and the Oktoberfest, celebrated in September. Private Oktoberfest parties are held throughout the month of October.

The three-day Oktoberfest at Old Heidelberg draws quite a crowd, according to owner Dunja Klemm, who noted that many of the 2,000-plus attendees come attired in traditional lederhosen and dirndl dresses. “Many customers also bring their personal steins, which they proudly display and we will fill with the original, imported Oktoberfest beer on tap,” said Ms Klemm.

Walking through the door of the restaurant, the main dining room is to the left where a small fireplace hugs the paneled wall in one corner. Its mantel holds a collection of beer steins. To the right is the Riesling Room, most of which is occupied by a large table for parties of ten to twelve diners.

Old Heidelberg is open seven days a week, from 11:30 am to 9 pm, Monday through Friday; Saturday from noon to 10 pm; and from noon to 9 on Sunday. Check the website RestaurantHeidelberg.com for special winter hours. Live music is played during dinner hours on Friday and Saturday nights, beginning in April and continuing through the warmer months.

The menu includes a $9.99 business lunch, which enables diners to have lunch in 30 to 45 minutes. The entrée is fixed, such as meat loaf or stuffed cabbage, and diners can choose to add a soup, salad, or beverage.

All of the menu items are listed in German, with an explanation in English alongside. The lunch and dinner menus are similar, with portions and prices adjusted for lunch. The menu can also be found on the restaurant’s website.

Among the salads offered is the gruener gemischter salat, a green gourmet salad with herbs, and the krautsalat, a coleslaw with Bavarian beer vinegar. Diced and seared Black Forest ham is added to the kartoffelsalat — German potato salad. The soup of the day, tagessuppe, ranges from hearty stew to lighter summer fare, with the chef’s special mushroom soup being so popular that customers frequently call ahead to request it.

Other starts to the meal include the kartoffel pfannkuchen, a serving of potato pancakes over applesauce, or the curry wurst, a quintessential German appetizer of sliced wurst smothered in a zesty curried tomato sauce.

If asked to name a German dish, most people would probably reply, “Wiener schnitzel.” The meal of a lean, boneless piece of veal “dredged in fresh egg wash, covered with the finest bread crumbs, and pan-fried to perfection” tops the menu at Old Heidelberg. Wiener schnitzel is “golden pan fried” and named in honor of a German royal. Other schnitzel variations are prepared with mushrooms and gravy (jaegerschnitzel), brown gravy with extra cream (rahmschnitzel), or with a fried egg on top (Holsteiner schnitzel).

Another familiar-name German dish is sauerbraten, which is beef marinated in Burgundy red wine, raspberry vinegar, and spices. Old Heidelberg offers another dozen or so traditional German entrees, including beef goulash, several sausage choices such as bratwurst and weisswurst, and pork and beef prepared in a variety of ways. There is one chicken entrée, a boneless breast in a paprika cream sauce. Daily and weekend specials are gladly described by the waitstaff.

Many entrees are served with spaetzle (a noodle dish) and red cabbage. Rippchen, smoked pork chops, is served with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut.

Old Heidelberg also offers schweins-haxen — an extra crisp whole shoulder of baked pork served with bratwurst, hearty bread, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut. Initially offered as an “etwas besonderes” (party special) requiring three days notice, this treat proved so popular — “People were regularly calling to see if we had it; some customers drove up to an hour to get here,” said Ms Klemm — that it is now a menu regular.

Dinner can be finished with a choice of desserts, including apple strudel and Black Forest cake.

Beer aficionados can choose from more than 40 German beers, ranging from light to dark. On tap is Radeberger Pilsner, either by the glass ($6) or stein ($12). For customers who want to take home an Old Heidelberg beer glass, the cost is $5. Wine drinkers have a like number of choices, including 15 Rieslings by the glass ($6–$9.50) or bottle ($21–$45), all described on the menu.

Old Heidelberg German Restaurant is located at 55 Stony Hill Road (Route 6 between Hollandia and Target), Bethel; For more information call 797-1860 or visit RestaurantHeidelberg.com.