Wieners, Bay Ridgites, and Why You Should Never Wear a Wristlet to a German Restaurant

Last night Dave and I went to the only type of place where it's socially acceptable for adults to use the word "wiener" multiple times in succession.  We went out for German food, to the Schnitzel Haus in Bay Ridge.  We like to keep things interesting with our food selections; since moving to Bay Ridge, we have indulged in various cuisines, including Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Irish, American (of course) and last night, German. 

Apparently many of our fellow Bay Ridgites (it's actually a term; I discovered this last night while reading the Bay Ridge Courier) had the same idea, because after making our 20-block journey to the Haus, we were told there would be a forty-five minute wait.  We decided to kill some time at nearby Bean Post Pub.  And this was where the unthinkable happened: we got a buyback that we didn't want.  How, you ask, would such a thing occur?  Well, the host at Schnitzel Haus told us to come back at eight for dinner, and Dave got the unsolicited buyback at 7:55.  However, in the name of all that was cold and frothy, Dave took it like a champ.  He guzzled that Stella like it was the last Stella on earth.  We made our reservation with a couple of minutes to spare. 

Upon returning to the restaurant, we were seated at the closest table to the door.  Dave and I had differing opinions on the quality of seating location.  "Great," I moaned.  "We'll be catching drafts every time someone opens the door."  "Nah, this is the best seat in the house," Dave argued.  "Cuz when it's time to stumble out the door, it's right there!"  I supposed it was valid logic.  And judging by the size of the beer glasses at this place, I could definitely forsee stumbling in the near future.  My only regret is that I brought a tiny Coach wristlet out as my purse rather than the huge cheap bag I usually use, so pilfering the decorative glasses was out of the question.  Mental note for the next time we come here. 

The food and beer was the best German food we had since we ate at Epcot's World Showcase.  Granted, I don't think we've had German food since then, but it was still pretty damn good.  Dave had a wurst sampler platter, including veal wurst, kielbasa, and frankfurter.  I had chicken schnitzel and fries. We got an appetizer called gebackener camenbert, which was a big, deep fried German cheese wheel.  The beer list was extensive.  We both started with Weihenstaphen, a light wheat beer.  Dave continued with Spaten Optimator, which was just about the opposite of a light wheat beer.  Other beers on the list included Radeberger, Bitburger, and Hofbrauhaus.  Each one come in its own decorative glass.  The prices weren't bad either; our Weihenstaphens came in a 22-ounce glass, and they were only seven bucks each.  Would have been even more worth the price if we had stolen the glasses, but that's a lesson for next time.

We had a wonderful time, but it wasn't just because of the food and beer.  A couple of weeks ago I blogged about my observation that New York is a land of instant gratification.  Well, if that's true, then Schnitzel Haus really must be from another country.  We waited a good hour for our main entrees.  But you know what?  It was actually refreshing to have a sit-down meal with my husband without the underlying feeling that the staff is  waiting to shoo us out the door.  We thoroughly enjoyed the jovial atmosphere and amiable staff, although Dave swears the busboy was trying to pick me up right in front of his face (he was waaaay too drunk to care, though).  They even sent us free shots to make amends for the long wait. 

So if you want to enjoy some quality German food and "bier" and actually have a conversation with your loved ones while waiting for your food, I urge you to give Schnitzel Haus a whirl.  Just be smarter than I was and bring a bigger purse. 

Schnitzel Haus website: http://www.schnitzelhausny.com/index.html

Bean Post Pub website     :http://beanpostpub.com/