Funny story: a friend of mine was out dining with her family at San Francisco's famous Suppenküche. While she was ordering, the waiter stopped and narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. "You're a Jew, aren't you?" "Yes, I am" came her reply. "I am afraid ve vill have to see your papers."

Get it: She was a Jew in a German restaurant… Okay, so maybe you had to be there.

She relayed this little story as she, my roommate and I were being seated at a different German restaurant, Walzwerk.

Walzwerk is not just a German restaurant, it's an East German restaurant. The difference is subtle, but I think it has something to do with the broader range of vegetables they offer. Instead of just cabbage, beets and potatoes, you get some lettuce and chives as well.

The place is tiny, although that merely reinforces its intimate, homey atmosphere. True to their working class heritage, the restaurant features a lot of metal and exposed brick. The tables and chairs came straight out of someone's dinning room, as did the plates and cutlery. The glasses all feature brewery logos, of course. If you arrive and the restaurant is full, count yourself lucky as it means you'll get to sit on their big comfy couches in the back and sample from their superb bier menu. I'm not a big fan of the stuff, but their Bitburger Pilsner draft is very nice.

Even at capacity, it never gets too noisy to hold a civil conversation, although one time when we were there, they had a very large table filled with very noisy and very happy patrons. My favourite spot is either of the two window tables, although I'd love to be able to eat in the snug little back area. And their logo is one of the coolest I have ever seen for a restaturant. I still have one of their original postcards, as a matter of fact.

Depending on the night, your waitress will probably be one of the two sisters who own the place. Both Christiane and Isabell are charming, friendly and welcoming: the perfect hosts. And whether you are waited on by the owners or not, the service is prompt and the food is fast, even when they are busy. I imagine their kitchen is the very model of modern German efficiency. And, true to form, the food itself is a superb example of culinary craftsmanship.

Having been several times now, we usually start with both the potatoe pancakes and the house cured salmon. The horseradish cream makes a wonderful compliment to the fish and I love beets in any form. The key advantage to Walzwerk over most other German places, however, is the regular appearance of vegetarian entrées on their menú. And these aren't just side dishes that have been padded out in an attempt to achieve some semblance of a main course. Their vegetarian "schnitzel", for example, is enormous and easily competes with its meaty cousin. We ate there shortly after they opened and were informed by Christiane that they were planning on having at least one vegetarian dish all the time.

For the more carnivorous diners, I highly recommend their chicken breast stuffed with apples and bacon. It is served with a sun-dried cherry sauce that rounds the dish out quite nicely. Of course, if you want to be more traditional, their grilled Thüringer bratwurst served with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut is highly authentic while not as dense as it often is at most other German restaurants.

The only really disappointing part of the whole experience is their poor dessert selection. Of course, it is a German restaturant, so what else would one expect? The last time we were there, they were experiementing with cheesecakes, although they were unimpressive and disappointing. My advice would be to go for the red beet soup or Thüringer salad at the beginning of the meal and save dessert for later. After all that rich food, it's probably better for you anyway.

Walzwerk
381 South Van Ness (between 14th and 15th)
415.551.7181
Open for Dinner Tuesday-Saturday 5:30pm to 10:30pm