Most of the restaurants in my corner of town fall into the ‘usual suspects’ category. Watershed is a welcome change. Open for several years, I just went for the first time recently. Family owned, scratch food, large selection of beers (kitchen open for lunch Fri-Sat-Sun, @ 3 pm Mon-Tu-Wed-Thur).
Wurst sampler plate - Brat, Knack, Weiss wursts. All house-made, I calculated between 10-12 oz worth. Awesome sauerkraut ! - probably the first time in my life I’ve ever referred to sauerkraut as awesome. But I was glad it was only a condiment portion. I identified the mustard as Dusseldorf style but the menu says Dijon. Only my second time to experience weisswurst and again failed to impress. So I did some research online and found out it is typically consumed with a sweet mustard. Now I am intrigued and will have to look for that. I know Spec’s downtown on Smith will probably have the sausage in the freezers.
KÄSESPÄTZLE. I’m not a big fan of spatzle but thought I’d try a professionally prepared version (lol). Outside on the patio, a slight wind blowing, not really cold, but the onions and top of the serving cooled off very quickly; better below the surface and surprisingly good from the refrigerator (onions all gone by that time).
I think the original menu identified this as Hungarian but the menu now says ‘traditional Eastern European’. The Knedliky dumplings (made from steamed or boiled bread) are Czech.
Weisswurst shouldn’t be grilled - you cook it in hot (but not boiling) water and then removing the casing to eat it.
Also, Spaetzle tend to be served as a side dish to meats etc but isn’t that great as a main
Swabians would beg to differ. Kässpätzle, Spätzle with mushroom sauce, Spätzle with lentils and sausage, etc.
That said, I prefer sharing an order of a Kässpätzle main with at least 2 more people since it’s so rich. But keep your fork outta my shroom spatzel or you’ll lose a finger
Thanks. Can’t remember about the previous time I had it here how it was cooked (and that restaurant is gone) but neither time did it ‘need’ peeling.
German food is not common here.
I didn’t realise the rationale for eating Weisswurst before noon was because it was a more perishable food than most sausages, from a time before refrigeration.
I seem to remember the Italian rationale with regards to having cappuccino before 11 am
, and avoiding other very milky coffees later in the day, was so the milk in the cappuccino / latte doesn’t cause indigestion at lunch or dinner.
The website says all sausages are made-in-house; the listing for Weisswurst says ‘braised in cider.’ I thought that was a grill-mark visible but didn’t examine it closely.
Since the kitchen doesn’t start serving on Friday until 11, maybe they made it at 10:45 am and it was still legit when I had it???
Am thinking of doing a weisswurst Thanksgiving (haven’t done a big typical American Thanksgiving spread in years). I’ve found it at Spec’s downtown (Usinger’s/frozen) which also has Lowensenf Bavarian mustard.
Also possibly from Geier’s in Sarasota where I’m thinking of ordering supplies for a Julbord in December.
Haven’t had time to check local meat markets, Phoenicia Specialty Foods, which may have an imported product, or Amazon.
Good thought. I saw this post before you edited and I was thinking you were referring to New Braunfels. They are famous for their Wurstfest, which I haven’t been to since the late 60s. My must-stop-in in NB is Naegelin’s Bakery - claims to be the oldest bakery in Texas, started in 1868 by an immigrant from Alsace-Lorraine. Have never looked for a meat market there, or in Fredericksburg. Kasper’s, in Weimar, claims to be the oldest German meat market in Texas. Haven’t been in about 15 years and awesome sausages but I don’t think a weisswurst. Will have to check, also.
My father graduated from high school there, '33, living with his oldest sister who was a teacher there, after his mother passed and the children still at home were split up.
Plano: there was (?) a great Middle Eastern/Persian bakery there, Natalie’s, Natasha’s - can’t find it now under those names. Used to look for their cookies at ME markets here in Houston; better than any locally produced I knew of. Also a small Swedish shop/cafe, as I recall. I had thought of a road trip; maybe it’s still worth thinking about.
Used to be a big cafe right at the hwy interchange, some German items, maybe Americanized more when they moved out to the Interstate. No recognizable names online now.
Best food in Schulenburg is Besetny’s - 2 locations, kolaches, bakery, lunch.
Lots of places I would love to check out some day.
I had been planning a trip to Texas around 2019, but it didn’t work out. The person I was going to visit left Texas for California in 2020, and now she’s living in Brazil. If she returns to the States, her husband prefers living in Texas to living in California, so they would probably settle in Texas. It’s possible I will visit Texas, again, some day!
Natalie Bakery is the correct name, relocated to Carrollton several years ago. There’s a list of merchants around the state that carry their products (cookies, pastries?, breads) around the state on the website.
ETA: There’s a Dallas Morning News item identifying the owners as Armenian/American but I can’t get a link without paying for digital access.
