Walzwerk

As much as we love Suppenkuche, rumors of Walzwerk's great food finally drew us to its nondescript corner of San Francisco tonight. And we weren't disappointed! No wait, less kitsch, slightly lower prices, and really great food. The beer selection is a little smaller, but they had J's favorite (Weltenberger Helles) so all was well.

House smoked salmon with flat rye bread and pickled beets. The salmon was very lightly smoked, almost more like gravlax. The beets were fermented so that some of them were slightly effervescent, and the rye bread was really flat but slightly moist. Overall, a really nice start to the meal.

Potato pancakes. Walzwerk's potato pancakes are totally different from Suppenkuche's, but delicious in their own right. Walzwerk's potato pancakes are more like a pan-fried puck of mashed potatoes.

Soljanka, what a pretty name! This tomato sauerkraut soup really hit the spot for me. I'm still eating pretty lightly, so this and a few bites off everyone else's plate was the perfect dinner for me. For some reason, tangy foods are really hitting the spot these days.

Chicken breast stuffed with apples. The chicken was slightly dry for my taste, but overall really nicely done. The apple really gave the meat a sweet flavor, and the creamy sauce was just delicious. 

Schnitzel. Not too much to say about this fairly standard dish, but the potatoes were to die for. I wonder how much butter is in one serving?

Favorite dish of the night: spaetzle covered in mushroom cream sauce and a pork chop. WOW. The sauce was incredibly mushroom flavored, and creamy without being gloppy. The spaetzle had a nice chew without being tough, and the pork was tender and just salty enough. For me, this dish might be the deciding factor when choosing between Walzerk and Suppenkuche because it really shows that someone in the kitchen knows and cares about sauces. And let's face it, I love me a good sauce.