Edelweiss is a German restaurant with ambitions of being much more. Right now, the kitchen’s consistency and the service aren’t good enough to get Edelweiss where it clearly wishes to go. But you do admire the effort.
All the elements of an Americanized German restaurant are here. There’s the fanciful decor, in this case faux-aged wood trim and artificial grape vines. The menu is written in German, and even distinctly non-German dishes bear Teutonic titles (Caesersalat?). The live music, which you’ll hear most weekend evenings, is a plus.
Hackepeter, which is steak tartare to you and me, is one of those laugh-in-the-face-of-death appetizers I can’t resist. Edelweiss’ version is particularly good; the raw ground sirloin is presented unmixed; traditional accompaniments such as onions, capers, raw egg and mustard are served on the side, and you mix it yourself, a satisfying little hands-on experience. Toast points are at the ready.
Another very good appetizer is called “baked forest mushrooms,” and although it’s mostly domestic mushrooms with a smattering of portobello and shiitake bits, the casserole is yummy, seasoned with rosemary and thyme and dotted with soft pieces of goat cheese.
Shrimp stuffed with a spicy crabmeat and scallops stuffing also is a winner, though two shrimp for $7.95 seems stingy. Potato pancakes are plump and fresh-tasting. Thinly sliced gravlachs, or cured salmon, taste fine. Wine-poached escargots are nothing special.
German-style entrees are good bets. Rouladen, thin beef rolled around an onion, bacon and vegetable mix, is bathed in a sauce that has just the right sour tang. The smoked pork chop, served with potatoes and sauerkraut, is beautifully cooked and delicious. And the St. Johanner Reindl, sauteed beef, pork and veal medallions in a rich red-wine mushroom sauce with eggy spatzle, featured fork-tender meat and good flavors throughout.
Tough and bland veal Francaise and a past-its-prime sauteed trout were major disappointments. A special of sauteed whitefish is salvageable — the fish quality is fine — but the current preparation includes a caper-garlic sauce that turns the whole dish inedibly salty.
The house dessert is the Salzburger nockerl, served for two or more at $6.25 per. It’s a massive souffle, its browned exterior bulging out in all directions like some science experiment gone awry. but it tastes fine, especially when the waitress adds some rich, eggy vanilla sauce and fresh strawberries. An order for two will satisfy a table of four.
The Kaiserschmarrn is an oversized rum-raisin pancake that has been torn into bite-sized pieces and dusted with powdered sugar; it looks bizarre but tastes fine.
Service is a recurring problem. Waiters appear undertrained and overworked. Questions about the menu elicit vague responses; when I asked if a dessert was made in-house, the waitress replied “I believe so” (the correct answer, when you’re unsure, is “I’ll find out”). Servers hustle from table to table frantically, forever a step or two behind, and long delays between courses are common.
The wine list contains a respectable number of German wines, balanced with American and French bottles. Nobody seems to know much about the wines, though; when I asked which of the five rieslings would be the most dry and crisp, no one could tell me. The bar also carries a half-dozen German beers.
Newly arrived chef Hans Aeschbacher hasn’t got his kitchen cooking on all burners yet. For now, stick to the German specialties, and you’ll eat well and substantially; but better service would improve the experience enormously.
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Edelweiss
(star)
7650 W. Irving Park Rd., Norridge
708-452-6040
Open: Dinner Tues.-Sun., lunch Tues.-Sat.
Entree prices: $9.50-$18.95
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Recommended on weekends
Other: Free parking
Rating system
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(star) (star) (star) Excellent
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Reviews are based on no fewer than two visits. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
