Long time no eat. After a long hiatus we had the pleasure of our cousin Ian joining us as a special guest in our Cleveland Mystery Ethnic dinner. I drove per usual, with no idea where we were going (per usual). As we exited off of I-480 onto Pearl Road in Parma I asked Ian to guess the ethnicity of the night. He hoped that Brendan picked Latin American. Knowing my brother’s love for Eastern European comfort food, I guessed that we would be having a German dinner.
I know my brother all too well as he picked the Schnitzel Haus. The restaurant advertised its beer garden, but we chose to sit in the dining room. Soul music played in the background and Ian thought the place was decorated like a Chinese restaurant. Additionally, there were Easter egg decals located on the mirror above our booth. This unusual ambience only made the mystery more fun.
Brendan promptly ordered a liter of German wheat beer on draft. Unfortunately the name of it escapes me, but it was quite delicious. I sipped on my diet coke as I perused the menu. The menu was interesting. In addition to the typical German fare it also had quite an extensive “International Cuisine” section, complete with Cajun Chicken Alfredo and Eggplant Parmesan. I must say that this may have violated Brendan’s rule of no fusion restaurants. However, to compensate for their culturally confused offerings they had an entire section devoted to different schnitzel dishes.
The waiter did not appear to be very enthusiastic about any of the dishes on the menu. After asking him how the pierogies were, he responded with: “they are pierogies” so helpful. We order an appetizer of sauerkraut and potato pierogies despite his lackluster recommendation. The pierogies were deep fried and served with meager amounts of sour cream and sautéed onions. They were good pierogies, however, they probably ranked at the bottom in the Cleveland Mystery Ethnic Dinner standings.
Both Brendan and Ian ordered the Deutsche Platte and I ordered the Kraut Wickeln which is stuffed cabbages. Thankfully, we all brought our appetites to dinner as the meals were heaped on to our plates in their typical Eastern European portions. Fortunately, my “cabbages” consisted of much more pork, beef and bacon than vegetable. Additionally they were smothered in a rich and delicious tomato gravy. Unfortunately my side of mashed potatoes tasted like they were from a box. Ian proudly belonged to the clean plate club after devouring his meal which consisted of schnitzel, sausages, goulash and my favorite spetzel. We left the restaurant full and ready for naps.
It was another successful dinner. I am excited for another mystery ethnic dinner in a couple of weeks. I am hoping that as the weather warms up we will steer clear of the comfort food and get experience so new tastes and cuisines.
Check out their website: http://www.dshparma.com/index.html
