7-17-97
"It looks Swiss." My husband (who has never visited Europe) said to
me as we were getting out of the car.
"Swiss? Don't you mean German?" I replied.
"No, Swiss. As in Swiss chalet." He continued.
I looked around. To me, Gunther's looks very German. But, it does
have some sort of *chalet* look to it. Rather non-assuming, but still cute.
The front foyer of Gunther's has several German style oil paintings.
From the front dining room, we heard a cuban band playing. I had enticed my husband to try a new place with the lure of "Noche Cubana" <Gunther's Thursday Night happening> "They also have belly dancers sometimes." I elaborated. Of course, I had no facts to back this up. I had heard something about said belly dancers in a previous austin.food posting, <right?>
"Smoking or non?" The hostess asked.
"Non"
"Right this way." She said as she led up to the non-Noche Cubana
section. Rats, smokers get to have all the fun!
Actually, the non-smoking dining room was very inviting. <Albiet, no
live music...> decorated in old German fashion with dark wood paneling, comfortable wooden chairs and booths, cloth table cloths, and cheerful German music playing in the background. Our waitress came to the table immediately with menus and took our drink orders.
The menu was astonishing. Four or five exotic Cuban selections first
caught my eye, then the famed austin.food favorite Paella <$30 geesh!>, a full page of very authentic German dishes, several pastas, fish, and steaks. Trying to decide, I asked my husband, "What are you getting?"
"I'm having beer only." He said, clutching his Grolsch. "Just
kidding!" He snickered. "MMmmmm, pasta!" Gunthers has a large pasta section of their menu. Several dishes are listed (ie: fettecine alfredo) and then prices for each according to the meat. (cajun chicken $9.95, or swordfish $11.95 etc.) "I think I want the fettacine alfredo with grilled red snapper."
" I scanned over the five page menu. "Hmmm. I have no idea." German,
I thought to myself, maybe somehting German.... "Let's see."
The waitress appeared, and took my husband's order. I decided to go
with the Jaeger Schnitzel. <Please forgive the spelling.> Here I should note that the service was excellent. Our waitress was attentive, but not overbearing. She was prompt, polite, and totally focused on her job without being pretentious. Meanwhile, the first course arrived. Soup of the day, clam chowder came to the table, warm and tasty. I love a good soup. This one was very fresh, not too thick, with just the right anount of spice.
Secound course was a very strange plate of German salads: potato (of
course) cucumber, and cabbage. My husband turned his nose up at these. I was not afraid. Served with a basket of bread, I nibbled at the foriegn fare. Not bad at all, <if not familar however> I enjoy trying new things.
During the evening, we noticed the owner moving table to table, a
handsome, friendly gentleman, greeting each set of diners and making each feel welcome. How many places have I even seen this? Not many. When our main courses arrive, he is speaking spanish with a cuban looking couple to our right. They're eating a huge dish of Paella (of course!).
My Jaeger Schnitzel comes to the table with steam trailing behind the
waitress. I ordered the chicken version, which is covered with a brown mushroom gravy and served with pan fried potatoes. The chicken is very light tasting, and the potatoes are tinged with the flavor of onions and herbs. The gravy is overflowing with mushrooms, but in need of more spice. I salt away.
However, as is often the case, my husband's dish is the showstopper.
Flanked by delicate, grilled garlic bread, the grilled red snapper swims in a rich alfredo sauce atop a mound of steaming pasta noodles. "Gee," I say "Can I have a bite?" We trade. His is much, much better than mine, practically melting in my mouth! Alas, I spend the rest of my meal lusting for his plate, begging to trade bites again and again.
"Yours is good. But, I think I like mine better. I can sure pick 'em,
huh?" He says."This is as good as Stelline's alfredo sauce, don't ya think?" <ref:Stelline Pastaria, our favorite Italian place, located on Parmer lane.>
About this time the owner comes to our table. "What are you eating?
Pasta? Last night was our two for one pasta night! Where were you?"
"Oh, we didn't know. This is our first time here. We heard about you
on the internet!" I offer. Whereupon he tells they are publishing their menu thru Austin360 in the autumn, and are glad to hear that people are talking about them. <teehee!>
"When do the belly dancer come out?" My husband asks.
"Belly dancers?" He smiles. "Oh, well, tonight is cuban night."
So, I think we can assume from his reply, that THERE are NO belly
dancers at Gunther's. My husband was a tad irrate at my misinformation. <Oops!>
All in all, it was a very fun evening. We plan to go back again
(belly dancers or no) and maybe try the Paella.
Gunther's
11606 N IH35
834-0474
Food ***
Service ****
Atmoshpere ***
BTW, please bear in mind I am primarily a fiction writer. This is my first attempt at food writing. Bon Appetite!!!Austin, TX