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 German food.