The Food and Drink Guy

Tag: German

  • Ronneburg Restaurant (Amana, IA) Review

    Ronneburg Restaurant (Amana, IA) Review

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    4.25* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 3*

    Value: 5*

    Service: 5*

    01/21/2024 Ronneburg Restaurant (319) 622-3641

    My wife found this place online and wanted to stop for a meal, so we ate brunch here on the way out of town after our weekend stay in Amana. It is inside an older traditional brick building and has a lot of character, actually reminding me of walking into a centuries-old restaurant in Europe. The basic colonial decor fits the character of the 19th century Colonies theme with a penchant for the color burgundy throughout the restaurant. I gave the atmosphere an average rating – clean and historic, yet also a bit aged.

    The service, quality and value of the food though is what stood out to me from our visit. Max W. was our server and he was very attentive, full of suggestions and made the experience quite enjoyable. My wife ordered the Ronneburg Melt with Fried Potatoes and I ordered the Schnitzel Sandwich with Pickled Beets (see picture below). I don’t have pictures of the meals and while I can’t seem to get it posted on the website, here is the link for the Reel on Instagram, showing food and the interior of the restaurant: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2X3ldoOvdA/ .

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    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

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  • Hessen Haus (Des Moines, IA) Review

    Hessen Haus (Des Moines, IA) Review

    Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

    4.25* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 4*

    08/03/2023 Hessen Haus

    Stopped back with friends to have Armadillo Eggs (see picture) and Pretzel Crusted Sauerkraut Balls (see picture) and while they were still good, both were over-cooked and fried to a crispy dark brown color. As such, I reduced the food rating to 4*. This time we also enjoyed the Rouladen Rolls (see picture) and found them to also be very good. A solid stop for appetizers and a great selection of German beers.

    06/16/2023

    We have stopped here for biers and appetizers several times while downtown and this most recent stop added another item to the ‘must try’ appetizer list. They have an extensive tap and bottled bier selection – many of which are from Germany, so are pretty unique for the area.

    We have had the Armadillo Eggs (see picture) appetizer several times and have really enjoyed it every time. How can you go wrong with jalapeno poppers inside a chicken breast – and wrapped in bacon! On this visit, we also tried the Pretzel Crusted Sauerkraut Balls (see picture) and also found them to be excellent – and the dipping sauce is a great complement.

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    Armadillo Eggs
    Armadillo Eggs
    Pretzel Crusted Sauerkraut Balls
    Armadillo Eggs (overcooked)
    Rouladen Rolls

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  • Bierstube (Moline, IL) Review

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    3.75* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 4*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 3*

    Stopped here for dinner while staying in downtown Moline and enjoyed the German food.  I really like red cabbage and hot German potato salad is also very good.  The red cabbage was delicious – you definitely want to order it.

    I ordered the Leberkäse Dinner lightly beer battered per the waitress’ suggestion.  It was good and I would recommend it.

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  • The Hall (West Des Moines, IA) Review

    Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

    3.25* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 3*

    Value: 3*

    Service: 3*

    We have been wanting to stop here for months following several recommendations and finally got our chance last night.  First off, you have to be ok with the open table seating common in many German bier halls and restaurants (long tables with benches that multiple parties share).  Secondly you order food from the QR code that is stamped on your table and then go up to the counter to pick it up once it’s ready.  Lastly and even though the bartender didn’t suggest this, rather than wait for all the beers to scroll through on the monitors above the bar you can log into Untappd and locate The Hall under venues to see the full list.

    We started with several beers (great selection, but pricey given that many come in 10oz glasses) and an order of Fried Brussel Sprouts.  The Brussel Sprouts and the aeoli we’re delicious and I highly recommend them when you go.

    For my meal, I ordered the Red Lager Brat with pretzel bun and a separate side order of sauer kraut.  As my last name would indicate I have a lot of German heritage and I loved both the sausage and the sauerkraut.  My wife ordered the Chicken Schnitzel with Curry Fries and we both really enjoyed them also.  The chicken was very moist and the curry ketchup on the fries wasn’t overpowering.

    The only real negative that we experienced was when we ordered a mixed drink before leaving.  My wife wanted a Paloma and while they couldn’t make that they said they could make a margarita.  The margarita came in a standard 16 oz beer glass, had a mushy brown and yellow lime wedge on the edge and my wife really disliked the flavor…thinking that something was missing.  Needless to say I would not recommend ordering a margarita here – go for the beer selection and German food.

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