Wiederkehr Wine Cellar & Weinkeller Restaurant — Restaurant in Wiederkehr Village

My wife and I visited the winery in 2014 during the wine festival. We had dinner there, and even though it was packed, the food and service were both good. We decided to return tonight for an anniversary dinner, after being reminded of the restaurant through local TV commercials. We had a very different experience tonight. We arrived around 5:30 (opens for dinner at 5) and were promptly seated. Only two other tables were being served at the time. After looking over the menu, and a suggestion from the waitress for my wife to order fish, we began our wait. Two more tables were seated shortly after we ordered, one of which was a party of four. As they began to order, I overheard the waitress tell them that the restaurant had only two (2) cuts of Filet Mignon. (How does a place have only 2 when they use it as their specialty cut and advertise it on TV?) Well, after about 25 mins, the table sat after us was served their food (both ordered steak, one was even well done) as we continued to wait. After another 10 minutes, our food arrived. First for my wife, she ordered Trout Almondine. She was thrown off by the brown color of the fish, but tried it anyway. After less than 5 bites, she pushed it away, complaining about a strange sauce it was served in. Jumping to the end of the meal, I asked the waitress what the sauce was, and she said "just butter". After a few more questions she said it was also "sauteed in wine". As for my meal, I had ordered Rib eye. The menu stated "a hearty cut of prime Angus beef". I would not call what I had a "prime cut" of meat. I have bought better at the local grocery on markdown special as the date was running out. While the temperature of the inside of the steak was correct, the outside was burnt and tough. We got our bill and went to the register to pay. When asked how the meal was, I replied honestly and told her it was disappointing. I told her the things we found wrong, and she went to get the manager. After another few minutes wait, she returned and said the manager offered to take 25% off of the bill. While the waitress did a good job (even with 6 tables) and the hostess/cashier was pleasant and apologetic, the mangers refusal to come out, and the offer of 25% discount seems inadequate. At this point, I am not sure if we will return. Perhaps a third trip to break the good/bad tie that we currently have is in order, but for now, I will rate the...

Fancy restaurants, usually money hungry, somewhat rude, or small portions. BUT, look no further, Wiederkehrs is the place for everyone.

Firstly, we have the food. I ordered chicken, German potatoes, and water. The chicken was tender, topped with a Cajun seasonings that I've never had, but was exquisite in taste. It was juicy, fresh off the grill, and was soft. With braces, that's a huge plus. The chicken is also high quality, not tasting fake. It was probably most important, though, that it wasn't a skimpy portion. A got a full-size chicken breast. Then the German potatoes. I can tell they are freshly peeled. I believe they are cooked with milk and butter as well. Anyway, when I got them, they looked like a mix of mashed and boiled potatoes. Personally, I recommend smashing them because it spreads the flavor across each bite. The potatoes are warm, soft, and buttery. They even melt inside your mouth. Then the water. I know it's water, but I tasted a hint of mineral in there even. The food is 5 stars without question.

Secondly, the service. Within 2 minutes of walking in, we were seated. Water was brought to us immediately as a plus. I think our waitress name was Anne, I hope I didn't get that wrong. She was very fast working, polite, and funny. She cracked jokes at our table as she gave us our baked bread and charcuterie board. After we ordered, it took 22 minutes to receive our food. It was 5 of us. Outstanding waitress and time quality. Service gets a 5 as well, no doubt.

Third, we have the atmosphere. Yes, you are in a wine cellar, fancy tables, and candles, but the atmosphere didn't do much for me. There was no music playing, it wasn't really lively, and it didn't exactly feel warm. The atmosphere only gets a 2 from me.

Finally, the price. I've gone to restaurants with my group of five, tallying up totals of 130, 123, and 125 dollars! That's an average of 23 dollars per person, which is not very fun for the old wallet. But Wiederkehrs was only 95 dollars. That's an astronomical difference, only 15 dollars per person. The price also gets a 5 from me.

In conclusion, this place has wonderful food, perfect service, and bargain prices comparably to others. However, the atmosphere brings this place down that tiny little bit. I would give this place 4.5 stars, but I have to round, so I give 4. If the atmosphere is fixed, this is a 5...

Our food was terrible. We have eaten here a few times before, and we liked it so much we took friends back this time around. We were so disappointed. Four out of five dishes were terribly prepared and tasted even worse than they looked. And, in full transparency, I reached out directly to the restaurant with this info, and I have yet to receive any type of response from them. Also very disappointing as a message back to acknowledge they cared about our pricey visit would have been nice.

The food:

I’ll start with the best entree we had…my son’s corned beef sandwich. It was warm with a great flavor. Far and away the day’s winner.

Beef stroganoff—noodles with beef broth, literally beef broth, and maybe three small pieces of meat. Worst I have ever tasted, and I love beef stroganoff.

Chicken Parmesan—overcooked, tough, and they piled a good 1/4 cup of Kraft parm cheese right in the middle of the breast. Again, so dry and tough.

Sausage platter presented with accoutrements—the presentation on this plate and cold additions were disappointing. Sausage did have a good flavor, but that was the only redeeming quality about this one.

Back Hendel Vienna—the Bernaise sauce tasted like the beef broth in the stroganoff with some added flour. Our friend had to scrape it to the side, and said he only ate it because he was starving after our morning outdoor trip.

Additionally, our waitress highly suggested the German potatoes, and all our sides of those were cold.

Since our food was lacking we thought desserts might be a redeeming factor. They were not. We sent the chocolate cake back since it was dry as cardboard to exchange for the apple strudel. Let’s just say the vanilla ice cream was the best thing about that selection.

All local wines were out out of stock so we made the best with the German selections. Unfortunately, we had told our friends about this part of the experience, and we didn’t get to intro them to the local wines either. I do understand this since they are a small business, but I advise you call before you go if local is important to you.

I hope this visit was a one-time, kitchen was off day, because if not, there is no way this food will keep people coming back in...