Grunauer

There was a time in my life when you couldn't pay me to eat something that I couldn't pronounce, let alone go to a restaurant with a name I couldn't say correctly. Thankfully, that time has passed. And leave it to the Austrians to help me through it all.

In general (and not really), Austrians don't do much for me ... They are the reason I was forced to sit through four hours of The Sound of Music on family movie night as a kid ... They are annoyingly good at Olympic Cross Country Skiing and the Super G - whatever that is ... and Red Bull is headquartered there - enough said.

However, we do have the Austrians to thank for Pez Candies ... and wiener schnitzel ... and a few other things I enjoyed while having lunch on Friday at Grunauer in the Freight House District just south of downtown Kansas City.

This wasn't my first visit to Grunauer. I'd eaten there about a year ago, and loved the sausage. The food was good too. (Thank you, folks...I'll be here all week. Don't forget to get your parking validated.) But seriously, whenever I try a place for the second time, after really liking what I ordered the first time, I often don't trust myself to try something new. Thankfully, my buddy Kevin joined me and we split two power orders.

I don't usually split food. But I guess if TWO entrees are involved, I'll let it slide. In fact, I do enjoy splitting a reuben and a triple BLT (plus a doezen wings) at The Peanut if anyone ever wants to join me there.

So, there we were, two (over) grown men, eating at an Austrian restaurant...splitting two entries. But not before carbo-loading on some very good bread and butter.

The bread...with the heavens shining down on it.

After the bread was downed, we got down to business. We ordered the "Sausage Sampler" - yes, it's as good as it sounds. With the sausage sampler, you get one of each of their 6 delectable tubular meats...each with incredibly different flavors:

Sausage Fest 2011

• KÄsekrainer: pork with cheddar cheese 
• Berliner: German curry wurst 
• NÜrenberger: veal sausage 
• Frankfurter: traditional 
• Bratwurst: veal and pork 
• Chorizo: spicy pork

 Each one was very good. However, the cheesy one was the best, in my opinion, followed by the veal. The curry one was interesting and tasty. I've developed an affinity for curry lately, so this one hit the spot. All of them, honestly, melt in your mouth. 

If you don't want to get the sampler, a normal sausage order consists of either a "single" order (2 sausages) or a "duo" (4 sausages). Don't ask me why they word it so oddly. Both times I've been there I've asked them to explain why a "single" has two sausages and a "duo" has four. Both times, the waiters have explained it as if it totally makes sense after they get done with their explanation. Well, guess what? It doesn't.

Anyway, the "other" entre...I hesitate to talk about. We were swooned by the server who gave us a glowing recommendation to try the schweinebraten. It even had a little Austrain flag next to it on the menu, denoting it as a "specialty." Don't get me wrong, this pork dish with "bread dumplings" was good. However, not as good as advertised. The pork was allegedly simmering for 12 hours in all sorts of juices...but it seemed dry. And how good does "bread dumplings" sound? Awesome, right? Not this stuff. It was a little dry as well. Plus, all along I had this fantasy that the pork and bread dumplings would be all mixed together. Instead, the dish was a little too neat for me and Kevin.

While the dish was too "neat", the quality of this picture...not so much.

I would like to give some special recognition to the cabbage, which came as a side along with the pork dish and the sausages. It was soooo good. It tasted like Thanksgiving. The best cabbage I've ever had, and I don't even like cabbage...normally. The mashed potatoes were very good too. 

But, I just remembered they never brought out the Spaetzle we ordered! Damn. I literally just remembered that we had order it and never received it. They probably charged us for it too. Spaetzle is sort of a dumpling-type, potato thingy. I was really looking forward to that. Bummer.

Anyway, Grunauer - honestly - is a very good restaurant. It's decently pricey. Not decently priced. Decently price-y. Despite that, I want to go there for dinner on a weekend night. They've got a terrific beer list and some other very enticing looking drinks on their menu to help wash down the tasty Austrian fare.

It's definitely worth checking out ... unless Austria wins another Downhill Gold Metal over the U.S. In that case...screw it. Until then, go for the sausage and stay for the schnitzel. And you will leave happy, albeit with a little heartburn.

Put a fork in it.

- BTF