Schnitzel happens

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

Nancy has been having a craving for different types of ethnic foods lately. I hope she’s not pregnant! This time it is a craving for German cuisine. She was reminiscing about how her and her mother would go shopping at the Harlem Irving Plaza (HIP) and out to lunch. She remembered passing by a cute German restaurant on Irving Park Road in Norridge called Edelweiss. So again, into the Mini-Mobile, and off we went in search of schnitzel.

Driving to the restaurant, we noticed how a neighborhood changes in 45 years, but there stood Edelweiss Restaurant just like she remembered, except for the addition of the biergarten. When we pulled into the parking lot, we were surprised at how many cars there were since it was a Saturday afternoon around 2:30 p.m.

The interior immediately transports you to Germany with old world touches like plates on the walls, beer steins on shelving, greenery on the ceiling beams, and colored glass windows. The hostess asked if we would like a booth or a table since those were the last two empty places, we chose a table, but more on that later.

When we were seated, our waitress brought over a basket of pumpernickel bread and light rye bread. Jim went crazy over the pumpernickel bread; he hasn’t had that for years.

If you are in a German restaurant, you must have potato pancakes for an appetizer, so we did. We had four of them for $8.00. This came with applesauce and sour cream, but to Nancy’s dismay, they added a touch of vinegar to them that ruined the taste for her. In our opinion, they could have been thinner and crispier.

Since Nancy had a craving for schnitzel but refuses to eat veal, she ordered the Schweine Schnitzel ($12). This was pork tenderloin seasoned and lightly breaded and fried to a golden brown. She also got a choice of one side dish, and she chose spatzel. All meals come with either soup or salad and she chose the salad with creamy garlic dressing. She can find garlic almost anywhere! She said her food was average and nothing to write home about.

Jim wanted to try something different and went with a Jager Schnitzel ($13). This was sautéed pork medallions served in a Hunters sauce with bacon, onions, and mushrooms. For his side choice he had the sauerkraut. He didn’t want a salad today, so for a $3 upcharge he ordered a bowl of Goulash soup, which was really quite good.

During our meal we noticed everyone else in the dining room was dressed very nicely (suits, ties, dresses, etc.) and here we were with shorts on. It became clear they were having a dinner after a funeral when one person stood up and gave a 25-minute eulogy to dear old Uncle Tom. We learned more about that man than we ever wanted to, but we will miss him dearly. Note to oneself: If you walk into a restaurant late on a Saturday afternoon and everyone is dressed to the nines, walk right out and come back later.

We decided to commemorate dear old Uncle Tom’s passing with a dessert. Everyone else in the room had ice cream, but not us. We went for the traditional German dessert, German Chocolate Cake ($8). This cake was to die for. Sorry Uncle Tom…

To sum it all up, we enjoyed this afternoon’s luncheon in your honor, Uncle Tom.

The price for our afternoon “undertaking” was $55.80, RIP Uncle Tom.

Jim’s take: The goulash soup and the German chocolate cake were my favorites for this afternoon’s luncheon.

Nancy’s take: The German chocolate cake was different and very delicious. I’m so glad I went there at that time of day so I could join in on the celebration of dear old Uncle Tom’s life.

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.

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