Typical of older San Francisco store-fronts, the restaurant is a longish rectangle, covered in knotty pine. Square wooden tables line both walls, with wooden chairs on the outside and a pair of long, padded benches running along the inside. The bar, with its row of ornately decorated taps is set back in one corner. Appropriately Germanic posters adorn the walls, and there is a collection of smallish horns mounted on wooden bases. I tried to imagine the creature that had originally worn these horns: a very small deer? Some sort of German antelope? The Jackalope, perhaps? The overall effect reminded me of my grandfather's den.
I was late and my dinning companions were hungry, so the waiter appeared moments after I walked in and seated myself. My first decision was the beer, and, after a moment's hesitation, I opted for a liter of the darkish brew one of my friends had in front of him. Yes, I did say a liter. And it was served in the largest beer mug I had every seen. I felt like I was a small child again, using both hands to lift the mammoth mug so I could drink. My choice turned out to be the Koestritzer Dark; despite its colouring it was closer to an ale with very little body and not much flavour. If I had more time, I probably would've opted for the Bitburg Pilsner.
Similarly rushed into deciding on an entreé, I picked the Kaiser-Schnitzel, a breaded cutlet topped with a lemon sauce and served with cubed potatoes and cabbage. This choice more than made up for the disappointing beer. The lemon sauce was light and flavourful without being overpowering and the breading wasn't nearly as greasy as I was expecting. Although I cringed when he ordered it, the Rindergulasch mit Spätzle — chunks of beef in a brown gravy served with potatoes — was actually quite yummy, the meat almost melting in your mouth.
Because of poor planning, I arrived only hungry and not ravenous. Consequently, I only managed to get through about half of my plate before throwing in the napkin. Between the breading and the potatoes and the Viking-sized beer, I was more than full. And the waiter didn't even scowl at me when he asked if I would like to take the rest with me. Despite the size of the portions, I still thought $15 was a little pricy for my meal (without the beer which was only $7). Next time I think I'll limit my choices to the lunch menú. My companions, who had more experience there did exactly that and I think they came out just as well as I did.
As expected, their "vegetarian" selections were laughable: in addition to mushrooms, lentils and a pasta dish they offer a "fish of the day". Of course, when compared to the range of meats they serve — a list that includes deer and rabbit — I suppose fish is rather vegetarian. We opted to skip dessert, although their selections didn't appear to be too tempting.
The service was perfect for a lazy afternoon lunch and we lingered for quite a while, slowly finishing up our beers. I was rather glad that my bed was only a short walk away as a nap rounded out my lunch rather well.
Schnitzelhaus
294 Ninth Street (on the corner of Ninth and Folsom)
415.864.4038