Germany Is Just Down The Road

At The Old Heidelberg

Old Heidelberg German Restaurant on Stony Hill Road (Route 6) in Bethel has been transformed since opening in May 2004 in the space formerly occupied by Helga’s German American restaurant. Owner Volker Klemm revamped the menu, redecorated the interior, and expanded the all-German beer and wine lists. The efforts were rewarded when the restaurant’s growing clientele voted it Best German Restaurant in Fairfield Weekly’s most recent Best Of annual poll.

Old Heidelberg seats about 45 patrons inside; in the warm weather diners can choose to sit in the outdoor biergarten, which holds another 100 people and can be used for private and corporate parties. The restaurant will be celebrating its second annual Bratwurst and Sausage Festival this weekend, August 19–21, and its second Oktoberfest the weekend of September 23–25. Reservations are currently being taken for private Oktoberfest parties to be held throughout the month of October.

Old Heidelberg also offers occasional grand wine tasting and gourmet dinner and other special events as well as takeout and catering services.

Walking through the door, the main dining room is to the left and a small fireplace hugs the paneled wall in one corner. Its mantel holds a collection of beer steins. In the opposite corner is a   table with a selection of imported German goodies for sale — candies, cookies, and the like. To the right is the Riesling Room, most of which is occupied by a large table for parties of eight or ten.

Old Heidelberg is now open seven days a week, from 11 to 9 Monday through Saturday and noon to 9 on Sunday. Live music is played during weekend dinners. A Happy Hour is offered Monday through Saturday from 2 to 5, where a bratwurst and beer combo costs $5, schnitzel and beer is $9.

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 prices reflected here are from the dinner menu.

The five salads are priced from $5 for gruener gemischter salat — green gourmet salad with herbs and dressing — to $7 for feldsalat, lamb’s lettuce served with Westphalian ham and shallots. Diced and seared Black Forrest ham is added to the kartoffelsalat — German potato salad — $6. A soup of the day, tagessuppe, is offered for $7; a serving of potato pancakes (kartoffel pfannkuchen) over apple sauce can be had for $9.

If asked to name a German dish, most people would probably reply, “Wiener schnitzel,” even if they have no idea of what it actually is. The menu explains that schnitzel is a lean, boneless piece of veal “swayed in fresh egg wash, covered with the finest bread crumbs and pan-fried to perfection.” Wiener schnitzel is “golden pan fried” and named in honor of a German royal; other variations are prepared with mushrooms and gravy (jaegerschnitzel), brown gravy with extra cream (rahmschnitzel), or with a fried egg on top (Holsteiner schnitzel). All are $19.

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, priced from $16 to $19, 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. There are also daily specials, listed on a blackboard at the entry, as well as described by the servers.

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

Old Heidelberg also offers a etwas besonderes (party special) but this treat — extra crisp whole shoulder of baked pork served with bratwurst, hearty bread, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut — requires three days notice; the price is $25 per person.

Dinner can be finished with a choice of five desserts, including apple strudel and Black Forest cake, $5–$7.

Beer aficionados can choose from more than 40 German beers, ranging from light to dark and priced from $4 to $8 per bottle. On tap is Radeberger Pilsner, either by the glass ($5) or stein ($12). Wine drinkers have a choice of 15 Rieslings by the glass ($6–$9.50) or bottle ($21–$45) and two others whites and three reds in a similar price range, all described on the menu.

Old Heidelberg German Restaurant, 55 Stony Hill Road (Route 6 between Hollandia and Target), Bethel; 797-1860, www.restaurantheidelberg.com. Open Monday through Saturday 11 to 9; Sunday noon to 9; Happy Hour Monday through Saturday, 2 to 5.