Erika's German Restaurant
Hurstborne Parkway
Louisville, Kentucky
December 10, 2010
Terry: Small family owned restaurant. Simple operation, only saw two staff the whole time there, one person who cleaned the tables and Erika, the name sake of the restaurant, who took the order and served the tables.
Terri: Don't let the small establishment in a stripmall next to a pawn shop fool you!
Upon walking in, I got a feeling of coziness. there are many tables pretty close together, but dressed with white linen table cloths and real linen napkins. We showed up without a reservation, but the fact that every table was occupied was a good sign to me. Clearly this place is family owned and run, but I think that just added to the charm. The experience was worth the wait.
Taste -
Terry: I ordered the Jagur Shinitzel and Knodels. The Pork Tenderloin was cooked just right, however I was somewhat disappointed in the mushroom sauce. The mushrooms looked and tasted as though they were from a can and did not give off a mushroom flavor to the gravy. The flavor was okay just not as rich as I was expecting it to be. The knodel also was not as flavorful as I was expecting, however with the gravy it was still good.
Terri: Saurbraten, it was going to be a new experience for me, I'm not familiar with German cuisine, but can you really go wrong with beef roast? I think not. The main entrees were served with one side and a salad. The salad is served with German dressing, (VERY GOOD vinegar based dressing) and a slice of bread. Who knew iceburg lettuce could taste so good. If only they bottled and sold that dressing. For the side item I ordered Rotkruat, red cabbage. The cabbage was sliced with a spicey note, not like hot, more like Christmas, cinnamon, clove type of spice and a hint of vinegar or a vinegary note and cooked down, but not mushy. Every taste I tried to take in what all I was tasting, but there was so much it was hard for me to wrap my brain around it all. But in a good way. The gravy on the beef roast was a complement to the rotkraut, again multiple tastes. It wasn't like anything that I was familiar with and I found it hard to "pick it apart". I know that there were some familiar flavors, but couldn't put my finger on them. A nice balance of tart, sweet, and savory. To spite that I ate more off of Terry's plate, my meal was very good, and made for really good leftovers.
Value -
Terry: The cost of the meal was okay and the portion for the price was well worth the cost. I ordered a dark German beer to go with my meal and found it to be reasonably priced also.
Terri: Meals listed on the menu ranged from around $13.00-$16.00 that covers the entree, one side, salad and slice of bread. I also had one german bottled beer. I felt very satisfied with the portion and was content with the cost.
Overall Experience -
Terry: Overall experience was okay, I don’t think that there was a wow factor here that would have me craving to return. However, if you are looking for quiet place that serves good size portion of German food at a fair price then Erica’s German Restaurant is a good place to go.
Note: I would recommend that you make reservations because you might find yourself waiting to be seated for a bit since it is slow paced operation.
Terri: Without having an experience to compare this one to, I was very happy. The feel of the restaurant was nice, the server/owner was nice, it was a relaxing experience. The restaurant was clean (as was the ladies' room) and comfortable, it didn't feel disorganized or panicked. The food was good, especially for my first experience. I did notice that there weren't any children and probably for good reason. The pace is slow and there was no mention of "chicken fingers" on the menu. For an adult experience or special occassion, I would recommend a meal at Erika's German Restaurant. If possible, make reservations.
