Mark G.
Yelp
Deeply disappointed with our recent experience at The Mountain Brauhaus.
We have been here before...Maybe five years ago and were very pleased with the meal we ordered. Fast forward five years to yesterday and how things have changed. We started by sharing a Reuben Strudel and Absolutely Perfect. It was perfect in every way. That's where the fun ended. Our foursome ordered These four menu items and this is how they went:
1.SPRING CHICKEN SALAD - House Salad with
Grilled Murray's Chicken, Local Apples, Toasted
Almonds, Oranges, Basil Pesto & Citrus
Vinaigre"e $19.00
Assessment: A tiny amount of salad with EXTREMELY dry Chicken strips.
2. A LA HOLSTEIN - Wiener Schnitzel w/ Fried Egg,
Anchovies, Capers, Spaetzle & Seasonal Vegetable
Pork $30.00
Assessment : A paper thin piece of Schnitzel-ed pork with way too many capers, sardines and anchovies. So much Tart and pucker from those ingredients made it very hard to really enjoy the Pork. The pork was quite "flavored" by all that tartness even after removing all of it from the plate.
3. SAUERBRATEN - Choice Beef marinated in Vinegar
& Spices; w/ Sweet & Sour Gravy, Spaetzle &
Braised Red Cabbage $28.00
Assessment: The flavor was on point, the spaetzle was great, Red Cabbage was the perfect accompaniment for the braised beef. However, the Beef was so over cooked and dry it required a sip of drink after each bite. Kinda sucked the wind out of the entire dish. This cut of beef requires 200 degrees (exactly) to render the fat and break down the meat fibers properly. This meat was brought to a minimum of 210-215 , which cooked the meat to beyond the point that it could retain any moisture.
4. HÜNCHENSANDWICH - Bell & Evans
Chicken (Grilled or Schnitzel-ed) with Melted
Emmenthaler Cheese, Black Forest Ham,
Garlic-Parsley Aioli, Baby Greens & Tomato, on a
toasted Pretzel Bun; served w/ Fresh-Cut Fries
or House Salad, Coleslaw & Pickle $18.00
Assessment: Even all the delicious sounding ingredients couldn't help that (exactly like the Spring Chicken Salad) Super dry Chicken placed on that bun with such a tiny amount (maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons worth) of the Garlic-Parsley Aioli ( you could still clearly see the bun through the Aioli), which could have ....may have.... helped that chicken out a drop at least.
Final Thoughts: They've been in business since Moses wore short pants. A degree of complacency has developed to where they're just doing it by the numbers and sending it out the door like they have forever. Management has stopped tasting what's coming out of the kitchen for whatever reason. I know this because if someone was randomly checking what the cooks are putting out, they would have caught all the over cooked/ dried out meat being served. So close....yet so disappointingly DRY.
We will not be making the drive (one hour) again.
Time marches on....things change.....Not always for the better.