The Alpine Chef — Restaurant in Fredericksburg

1st trip to 'Alpine Chef', formerly the Fredericksburg location of 'The Bavarian Chef' and I was frankly disappointed throughout the entire meal. Please allow me to explain.

I can understand the new owner desiring to be judged on his own merits and therefore change certain aspects of "his" restaurant, such as it's name & put "his" spin on the menu. But no longer offering a popular appetizer (Oompah Shrimp) unless he feels like making it one of the daily specials started the meal off on a sour note. But I tried to move on and ordered an appetizer that I had not previously seen on the former restaurant's menu, which was 'Grandma's Potato Soup w/Cheese Curds'. Now for full disclosure, our party of three arrived just before 8 p.m. on a Sunday evening in which the restaurant closes at 9 p.m. We had gotten delayed in our travels and not arrived as early as we intended, but felt an hour plus before closing shouldn't be problematic and when we arrived there were two other tables being served. So back to the appetizer. I realize that not all dishes can be made to order, but a reasonable attempt to thoroughly reheat a premade soup should be fairly easy. The stock part of the soup came the nearest to being properly reheated, but the potatoes didn't even make it to lukewarm & the interior of the cheese curds were frankly cold. The dish showed promise with it's flavors, but failed due to lack of being served properly. For the main course I ordered 'Rouladen' which I've previously enjoyed at 'The Bavarian Chef' in Madison, VA. Now, with the knowledge of what I learned about entering this restaurant just over an hour before closing, I'd never order this, or any dish, that can't be quickly made to order. The 'Rouladen' that I was served had obviously been sitting in a warming tray since it was made, probably before opening that day, which had turned the ends of the meat to jerky. In fact, one of the other members of my party asked what was so crunchy while I was attempting to chew a bite from the end of the 'Rouladen'. Once again the flavors were on point, but the dish failed because it had sat and dried out over a period of hours throughout the day.

On a brighter note, and the only reason I am giving three stars as opposed to one or two, were the side dishes. Although the glazing on the 'Glazed Carrots' was a bit lacking, the 'Whipped Potatoes', 'Potato Pancakes', & 'Käsespätzle' more than made up for it.

The restaurant is located in a historic train station that is easily accessible. But the bottom line is if you live near the 'Alpine Chef' AND can get there when they are actually cooking your food as opposed to reheating items that are previously made, then it may be worth a visit, but for me, I'll most likely take my business to 'The Bavarian Chef' in Madison when I want quality...

I have been to Alpine Chef numerous times and was shocked that every other table had a table cloth instead of every table, a basket of dinner rolls wasn't presented when we were seated, the side-dishes left a lot to be desired, the tables had plastic "flowers" as their centerpiece and the table next to where we were eating was not cleared the entire time we ate dinner.

When asked why a dinner roll basket wasn't on our tables, the answer was that "you have to ask for them because most people don't eat them and just leave the rolls due to concerns about glucose." Really?!? I would think that they would ask if we wanted a basket of dinner rolls when seated (plastic dinner roll plate was on the table) rather than to have us ask after wondering where the basket of rolls were. The rolls ended up begin delivered with our meal and without a separate roll knife to spread the butter.

Not every tables had a table cloth and I am now wondering if table cloths is something which needs to be requested when making a reservation with Alpine Chef. Similar to airlines which a while back you would expect certain things like legroom, you now you have to order that extra.

The entrees food was excellent but the side-dishes left a lot to be desired. The bowl of red cabbage consisted mostly of apple slices and the green beans were so undercooked they were inedible.

Apparently the Alpine Chef has cut back on staff to the extent that the 10 person table next to us had side-dish left overs, dirty dishes and unused take-home cartons sitting on the table during our entire dinner and no one attempted to clear it. Unappealing.

When I first started going to the Alpine Chef there were always fresh flowers on the table (not many but nice). Last night there was a small sprig of plastic which I think was supposed to represent baby's breath. I would far prefer nothing on the table than a plastic sprig of whatever, resembling nothing but twisted neon green plastic with some sort of white puff on top.

So, I remember in my previous visits that every table had a table cloth, there were no plastic dishes and there was always a basket of dinner rolls brought to your table and of course there were always butter knives tp accompany the dinner rolls plates (ceramic not plastic.) The flowers I remember were real and never plastic. . .

I left the Alpine Chef with the feeling that there were cost cutting measures going on and they weren't being made to the prices on Alpine Chef's menu. The cost cutting measurers were made to the things which made the Alpine Chef a step above and different from the other restaurant chains in the Fredericksburg area. Alpine Chef has assimilated itself to the other restaurant chains in our area except for its prices...

Alpine Chef catered an amazing feast for both our wedding reception and the welcome dinner that kicked off our celebration. The food was superb, the restaurant for the dinner carried a festive ambiance, and the buffet at the wedding venue was incredible. Everyone commented on how excellent the food was for both events. While planning the two events, Alpine Chef developed different menus for each dinner, with each dish being more delicious than the last one. Both Katherine and Jannec were very accommodating throughout the planning; they were a huge help with table decorations, buffet layouts and "people flow". I have worked with several other caterers, but I have never received the personal attention and investment in the planning process delivered by Alpine Chef. We held the welcome dinner as a private event at the Alpine Chef Restaurant. We had about 120 folks join us. The restaurant laid out the appetizers at the front of the restaurant and the buffet in the private room by the bar. Both stayed pretty swamped with people for most of the evening. The appetizers were mostly seafood and well received by everyone. They were so good that people kept coming back to them all night. For the entrees we had Swiss Veal (Geschnetletes), Sausages, Pork Cutlet, Swordfish, Beef tips and Chicken, accompanied by traditional side dishes (yes it was a ton of food, and yes it was all delicious). As stuffed as we all were from dinner, the desserts (and assortment of cakes, plus strudel and tortes) could not be passed up. It was an amazing spread of food that everyone at the party will never forget. The wedding reception was held at Riverside Weddings by Clore (an outdoor venue, just west of Fredericksburg). The team from Alpine Chef was there first thing in the morning, and got all the tables arranged and decorated (and they provided a large part of the table decorations). Once the guests arrived, they had the drinks ready, and after the service, the appetizers were ready (including Lobster Mac and Cheese, Smoked Trout, Cheeses and breads). When we did sit down to our dinner of Beef, Salmon, Sauerbraten, Jagerschnitzel, and Duck (with traditional sides as well), it could not have been better. And of course, it was all followed by desserts (brownies, mousse and an assortment of cakes) which could not be passed up. The variety of food provided at both events was amazing, but it was totally eclipsed by the fact that every dish was perfectly crafted and perfectly delivered. The total experience of working with the Alpine Chef team was great. They were relaxed but competent in everything they did. They did an incredible job with the food. And they were extremely helpful at every step...