Posted: 10/07/2014 12:00:00 PM PDT
When news spread last year that Schroeder's, the 120-year-old German beer hall in San Francisco's financial district, was changing hands, it could have meant anything.
On one hand, the venerable Tosca had just undergone a major renovation that managed to not only keep all its retro charm, but polish it to a fine luster, with restored murals, gleaming woodwork and soft red leather instead of Naugahyde. On the other hand, we've all seen beloved bistros fall victim to mangled updates that gut not only the interior, but every bit of character.
Whew.
What Andy Chin and Jan Wiginton, of Press Club fame, have done here is a $1 million redo that retains every bit of Schroeder's 19th-century Bavarian glory and gemütlichkeit, but it dazzles a 21st-century crowd, too. It's total Munich beer hall -- and trust us, we know our Bavarian beer halls -- from the steins and communal tables to the Wiener schnitzel and spaetzle, but there's a modern rustic air. The old Herman Richter murals have been restored. The woodwork gleams. There are beer steins -- including more than one glass mass, which holds a liter of that marzenbier you may be coveting right about now -- and rentable beer lockersfor your favorite stein. Flat-screens glow with 49ers games.
And the menu interprets German classics with seasonal California ingredients and a sense of whimsy.
The place was just rocking on a recent Thursday night, but we found a perch at a communal table in the main hall, where the mood was boisterous, convivial and ferociously loud. The dining area in back offers a more upscale, less rowdy experience, but there's no denying the allure of the beer hall. Plus, you can get the full dining menu in either location, so where you dine will depend on your mood -- and your eardrums.
You'll find all the things you'd expect -- bratwurst, schnitzel -- on the California-inspired German menu, but what chef Manfred Wrembel (Oakland's Plum, San Francisco's Incanto) has done here is to reinterpret them into a menu of kleine (small plates), grosse (large plates) and wurst, including bratwurst and currywurst, each with its own cool twists.
If you're just looking for noshes to go with your hefeweizen, try the Vesperplatte ($22), a shareable platter with house-made charcuterie, artisan cheeses and pickles. The potato pancakes ($9), also available on the kleine menu, are topped with bacon, tomato relish and basil, and the spaetzle ($12) is adorned with fresh ricotta, sweet corn and tomatoes. Or they were -- this is a seasonal menu, and the seasons are changing.
Get the spaetzle. It's a chubby member of the pasta family -- not as Rubenesque as its cousin gnocchi, but definitely pudgier and more toothsome than fettuccine. The small noodles are formed by pushing dough through the holes of a graterlike gadget so they fall directly into boiling water. (Or, if you're really good at this, by flicking little bits of dough off with a knife.) Once cooked, spaetzle usually gets a final saute, so you get some buttery, crispy edges here and there. Schroeder's version is a sensational combination of flavors and textures, as the ricotta melts, the corn and tomato add bright pops of flavor and the poppy seeds lend delicate crunch. We're still talking about it days later.
The larger entrees range from the California-inspired -- local salmon with romanesco and quinoa ($22), for example, or a Kraut Burger ($15), with caramelized onions, cheddar and mustard aioli -- to the very, very German. We're talking Sauerbraten ($25) with potato dumplings, Jaegerschnitzel ($24) and sausages, but everything has a slight twist that elevates it above Oktoberfest fare.
The Wiener schnitzel ($24) is the standard breaded veal cutlet, albeit slightly overcooked, but served over a saucy onion mash with tender green beans, a sprinkling of almonds and half a lemon, its edges charred to add a little smokiness when squeezed over the veal. (The menu shifts as ingredients come in and out of season. Order this now and you'll find it served atop new potatoes, cucumbers, dill pickles and hard-cooked egg.)
The bratwurst ($15) is a flavorful, coarsely ground version, served in a bun and topped with sauerkraut, with the same kartoffeltots -- a whimsical play on the Tater Tot theme -- that accompany the other sausages and the Kraut Burger.
The dessert menu is small. Naturally, it includes Black Forest Cake. (It kind of has to, right?) We opted to share a Pfannkuchen ($7), mainly because crepes, folded around a cream filling and topped with a berry compote, sounded less filling than cake -- and indeed, the crepes were delicate and light. But really, we just wanted more spaetzle.
Schroeder's
WHERE: 240 Front St., San FranciscoCONTACT: 415-421-4778, http://ift.tt/1pMZmjR: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. weekdays, 5-10 p.m. Saturdays CUISINE: German PRICES: $$-$$$VEGETARIAN: A hearty spaetzle and ricotta dish ($12) BEVERAGES: Bavarian beer on tap, full bar and German and California wines by the glassRESERVATIONS: Recommended for the dining room, or you can grab a seat at the communal tables in frontNOISE LEVEL: Extremely loudPARKING: Pay lot a block awayPLUSES: This venerable century-old beer hall has been beautifully redone, and the hearty Bavarian menu refreshed and reinterpreted with California ingredients. The spaetzle, in particular, is amazing. MINUSES: The place is boisterously, ferociously, Munich Oktoberfest-level loud. DATE OPENED: 1893; reopened May 2014
We strive to remain anonymous. We pay for our meal, just as you would.
Restaurants are rated on a scale of one to four, with four representing a truly extraordinary experience for that type of restaurant.
$ Most entrees under $10$$ Most entrees under $20$$$ Most entrees under $30$$$$ Most entrees under $40
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