The Bavarian Chef Blog

Restaurant Week January 2017

Join us for Restaurant Week at the Bavarian Chef. Fredericksburg's dates are January 12 - 22 and Madison's dates are January 20 - 29. Enjoy three sumptuous courses at a special prix fixe rate. ($30.17 per person in Fredericksburg and $29 per person in Madison. Does not include tax, gratuity or beverages.)

Vorspeisen & Suppen

• Leberkäse: Bavarian meatloaf topped with a fried egg, served on homemade rye bread
• Oma’s Carrot Soup w/ Landjäger Sausage: A hearty, Old World soup with smoked sausage and black pepper croutons
• Winter Kale Salad w/ cranberries, walnuts & grapes in balsamic vinaigrette

Hauptspeisen

• Spessart Schnitzel: Pork Schnitzel topped w/ wild mushrooms, ham & gorgonzola cheese, served over chive cream sauce
• Spätburgunder Beef Brisket: Red wine-braised beef brisket, served over whipped potatoes
• Chicken Roulade: Bacon-wrapped chicken breast rolled around leeks and shrimp, served over vodka tomato sauce
• Fillet of Boston Scrod: Mild white fish with julienned winter vegetables and Sekt, baked in parchment

Nachspeisen

• Schokoladen Becher: Godiva-soaked chocolate sponge cake topped w/ Bavarian cream mousse
• Damson Plum Cheesecake w/ pecan graham cracker crust
• Erdbeere Torte: Strawberry and almond croquant buttercream torte

 

Add a flight of four beer or wine samplers for $10.95

Guten Appetit und Prost!

For Fredericksburg reservations: 540-656-2101

For Madison reservations: 540-948-6505

Charlottesville Restaurant Week

With the snowy forecast for the start of Restaurant Week, we have added make-up days. We will also offer our Charlottesville Restaurant Week Menu at the Bavarian Chef's Madison location February 5 - 7, 2016! Please call 540-948-6505 for reservations.

 

Fredericksburg Restaurant Week

January 15 - 29, 2016

With the snowy weekend forecast, Fredericksburg Restaurant Week has been extended through January 29!

 

Prix fixe dinner menu selections:

 

Vorspeisen & Suppen

- Bier Bratwurst im Brötchen

- House Salat w/ blueberries & toasted almonds

- Clam Chowder

 

Hauptspeisen

- Berliner Putenschnitzel

Handbreaded turkey Schnitzel w/ creamed onions & thyme

 - Schweinebraten

Tender sliced roast pork w/ Dunkel Bier sauce over potatoes au gratin

 - Nordsee Eintopf

Cod, scallops & shrimp in tomato saffron broth

 - Hackbraten

Bacon-wrapped meatloaf w/ whipped potatoes

 

Nachspeisen

- Eisbecher “Gretel”

Blondie bites w/ brown sugar cinnamon ice cream & caramel

- Winter Bread Pudding

w/ cranberry, orange, and pecans in whiskey sauce

 - Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake

Decadent dark chocolate liqueur cheesecake

 

Choose 2 family-style side dishes to accompany your entrée:

Red cabbage, Spätzle, glazed carrots, creamed corn, German potato salad,

string beans, whipped potatoes, potato dumplings or zucchini

 

Cost is $20.16 per guest, plus tax and gratuity. Add a flight of four beer or wine samplers for $10.95.

We are located at 200 Lafayette Boulevard in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia.

For reservations, call 540-656-2101.

 

Guten Appetit und Prost!

 

Oktoberfest Beer & Wine Dinners

Every year, Munich plays host to Oktoberfest. For 16 days, partygoers flock to the beer tents and amusements on the 103-acre fairgrounds. In a typical year, more than six million Oktoberfest revelers consume 6.5 million liters of beer, 95,000 liters of wine, and hundreds of thousands of pretzels and sausages. Don't have a plane ticket? Have no fear! At the Bavarian Chef, we're celebrating Oktoberfest with special four-course beer and wine dinners from September 19 - October 4.

First course selections:

• ~ Sausage im Brötchen
• ~ Bier Brat w/ German potato salad
• ~ Obatzda mit Brezn

Paired w/ German Lager or Pinot Gris

Second course selections:

• ~ Lentil soup w/ Knackwurst
• ~ Salat Teller

Paired w/ Hefeweizen or Riesling

Third course selections:

• ~ Käsekrainer Sausage w/ Bratkartoffeln, Sauerkraut & crispy onions
• ~ Pork Krustenbraten w/ braised Bavarian Savoy cabbage in Oktoberfest Bier sauce
• ~ Tiroler Tafelspitz over bread dumplings
• ~ Wiener Schnitzel w/ pommes frites

Paired w/ Oktoberfest Bier or Dornfelder

Fourth course selections:

• ~ Apfelstrudel w/ vanilla creme
• ~ Pumpkin Käsekuchen w/ roasted pecan sauce
• ~ Traditional Bread Pudding w/ whiskey sauce

Paired w/ Aventinus or Spätlese

 

Cost is $35 per person, plus tax and gratuity. The menu is also available without the beer and wine pairings for $27 per person, plus tax and gratuity.

For reservations at the Bavarian Chef in Madison, call 540-948-6505.

For reservations at the Bavarian Chef in Fredericksburg, call 540-656-2101.

Guten Appetit und Prost!

Fredericksburg Restaurant Week Summer 2015

July 31 – August 9, 2015

The prix fixe menu incudes your choice of one entrée and one starter or dessert for $20 per person, plus tax and gratuity

 

Vorspeisen & Suppen

Chilled Cantaloupe & Riesling Suppe w/ mint

German Salat sampler: Krautsalat, Cucumber & Wurstsalat

Flammkuchen w/ herb cheese, bacon, sautéed onions & apple

Nürnberger Bratwurst

 

Hauptspeisen

Frikadellen mit Pilzen

Two German pan-fried beef dumplings w/ wild mushroom sauce

Summer Schnitzel

Pork Schnitzel topped w/ fresh grilled pineapple & tomato, smothered w/ Gouda cheese

Ritters Rouladen

Chicken breast wrapped w/ Westphalian ham in a sauce of tomatoes, artichokes & capers

Buttermilk-battered Trout

w/ Kohlrabi, cabbage, brussel sprout & carrot slaw

 

Nachspeisen

Blueberry Cheesecake

Peach Cobbler a la Mode

Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzel Bites

w/ chocolate hazelnut dipping sauce

 

Choose 2 family-style side dishes to accompany your entrée:

Red cabbage, Spätzle, glazed carrots, German potato salad, creamed corn,

string beans, whipped potatoes, potato dumplings or zucchini

 

Add a flight of four beer or wine samplers for $9.95

 

Charlottesville Restaurant Week July 2015

Spargelfest 2015

April marks the beginning of asparagus season, or Spargelzeit. Join us as we celebrate Spargelfest in our Fredericksburg location with the fresh, delicious tastes of Spring!

Spargelfest 2015 menu (through May 3)

Beer battered green asparagus w/ house remoulade

Cream of white & green asparagus soup

Half a pound of steamed white asparagus w/ hollandaise

Hauptgerichte / Entrees

The Classic
Pork Schnitzel w/ white asparagus, sunny side up egg & hollandaise

The Delight 
Duck breast over mixed greens w/ white & green asparagus, walnuts & oranges in balsamic vinaigrette

The Vegetarian 
Green asparagus wrapped in a savory herb crepe, topped w/ mushrooms and hollandaise

 

Bavarian Chef Hot Buttered Rum

Stay warm and toasty during the cold winter months with Chef Jerome's special recipe for Hot Buttered Rum!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups vanilla ice cream

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

4 oz Captain Morgan's spiced rum

4 oz Bacardi light rum

4 oz Stroh's 180 rum

Directions:

Whip butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Add ice cream. Transfer to a 2-quart saucepan on the stove. Add nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Heat on low heat. Add rums until desired temperature. Do not boil. Serves four. Prost!

Fredericksburg Restaurant Week Menu January 2015

Fredericksburg Restaurant Week is January 16 - 26! We hope you'll join us!

Enjoy a 3-course menu. Choose one selection from the appetizer, entree and desserts below:

Vorspeisen & Suppen
Frankfurter Kartoffelsuppe
Winter Salat w/ golden & ruby beets and pistachios
Nürnberger Bratwurst

Hauptspeisen
Königsberger Klopse
German meat dumplings in lemon caper cream sauce
Schweinelende Holzfäller
Seared pork filet topped w/ bacon & mushroom jus and matchstick potatoes
Brie & Orchard Apple Chicken
Lightly breaded chicken stuffed with brie cheese & apples, set into chive cream sauce
Kochfisch Florentine
Poached haddock topped with fresh spinach, drizzled with hollandaise

Nachspeisen
Black Forest Strudel
Sour cherry strudel set into vanilla crème, drizzled with chocolate
Cinnamon Crusted Cheesecake Bites
Over walnut ice cream with bacon crumbles, caramel & sea salt
German Chocolate Cake
Chocolate cake w/ coconut pecan icing, named for chocolate maker Sam German

Choose 2 family-style side dishes to accompany your entrée: Red cabbage, Spätzle, glazed carrots, creamed corn, string beans, whipped potatoes, potato dumplings or zucchini

Add a flight of four beer or wine samplers for $9.95

Call for reservations today! 540-656-2101

 

We want to see your recipe on our Restaurant Week menu!

Do you have a delicious fruit or veggie recipe? Submit it in the Move2Health Restaurant Week recipe contest. All types of dishes are eligible: appetizers, side dishes, soups, entrees, desserts, etc. Entries will be judged on their originality, appeal and overall healthfulness. Recipes featuring in-season and locally sourced fruits and veggies have an advantage. Chef judges Jerome Thalwitz of the Bavarian Chef, Harrison Keevil of Brookville, and Joe Finazzo of Sal's Caffe Italia will each select a dish to feature in their respective restaurants during the upcoming January 2015 Charlottesville Restaurant Week. In addition to the three big winners, all entrants will be eligible for random prize drawings. For full contest rules and submission instructions, click here.

Food Fight 2014

We had a wonderful time participating in this year's Food Fight competition at the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center. The Bavarian Chef was one of five local restaurants to participate. The other food fighters were Sunken Well, Vivify, Mason Dixon Cafe, and Kenmore Inn. We were very impressed by everyone's dishes and designs! 

For our exhibit, we chose the theme Fairy Tale Food Fights. We highlighted stories by the Brothers Grimm in which food was a source of conflict, such as Rapunzel, Snow White and Hansel and Gretel. The slideshow below details our exhibit and menu for the occasion. To see full commentary with the photos, click "View Album" at the top right of the black screen. Then select the first photo and use the arrows to navigate through the slideshow. We hope you enjoy your virtual visit!

 

 

Bavarian Chef Around Town

One of the benefits of having a catering and food truck is that now we can bring the Bavarian Chef to you! Over the past several weeks we've had the pleasure of doing some lovely caterings and going to special events like Taste of the Mountains in Madison and Night at the Museum at the Kluge-Ruhe Museum. This fall we have several other events lined up, including the Tom Tom Fall Block Party, Misty Mountain Music Festival, Oktoberfest at Pepsi Place and Fridays at Champion Brewing Company. Track the truck to find us and get your Schnitzel on! We hope to see you soon!

 

Our book is now available!

Take a peek behind the line of the Bavarian Chef! In celebration of our 40th anniversary, we have published Becoming the Bavarian Chef with recipes, photos and stories that chronicle the history of the Thalwitz family and the Bavarian Chef. There are 10 recipes in the book, including Sacher Torte, Hungarian Gulaschsuppe, Sauerkraut, Forelle Muellerin and other family favorites. Print editions are available in both the Madison and Fredericksburg restaurants. An ibooks version is available in the iTunes store here. We hope you'll enjoy reading a bit of our history!

Time to Make the Baked Alaska!

Baked Alaska, also known as glace au four or Norwegian omelette, is a delicious layering of yellow cake and ice cream, topped with meringue. Frozen until ready to serve, it can be placed in a hot oven to brown the meringue or browned with a hand torch.

While the origin of this tasty dessert is debated, the term "Baked Alaska" was coined in the late 19th century by French chef-de-cuisine Charles Ranhofer of Delmonico's Restaurant in New York to honor the U.S. purchase of Alaska.

It is a fun way to end a special celebratory meal!

 

View photos below of Chef Jerome decorating a Baked Alaska and of one of our wonderful servers, John, slicing a Baked Alaska tableside:

Happy 40th Anniversary!

 40 years ago, on April 1, 1974, Eckhard and Bruni Thalwitz opened the Bavarian Chef in Madison, Virginia. Thank you to our team, our family, and all our friends, neighbors and guests for your love and support over the years. We look forward to many more! 

 

We love your "Guestimonials"!

What a pleasure it was this morning to hear from Katherine Quann about her visit to the Bavarian Chef! She wrote:

"I posted wonderful yummy pics of our visit to The Bavarian Chef on my fb page…We had a wonderful visit and will definitely be visiting again soon! Thanks for the amazing hospitality!"

Thank you, Katherine, for sharing your photos and kind comments. It was an honor to be part of your special evening out!

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Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen is a traditional German baked Christmas treat, somewhat resembling gingerbread. Lebkuchen can be rectangular or round. Our recipe calls for Oblaten (wafers) on the bottom that will give them a rounded shape. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon anise seed
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/3 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted (and a few extra untoasted for decorating)
• 1/3 cup blanched hazelnuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup diced candied orange peel
• 1/3 cup diced candied lemon peel
• 3 oz almond paste, crumbled into small pieces
• 1/3 cup apricot jam
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 18 Oblaten

Directions

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and spices.
2. In a food processor, pulse almonds and hazelnuts until finely chopped. Add candied fruit peels and pulse until finely chopped.
3. Add almond paste to nut and fruit mixture and combine. Then add jam. Add eggs and brown sugar. Add flour mixture. Once mixture is dough-like, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place Oblaten on a baking sheet and drop approximately 1/4 cup of dough on each. Spread dough to the edges of the Oblaten keeping a slightly higher center. Place almonds close together on top of each cookie. Bake until golden brown, about 14 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
5. Whisk confectioner’s sugar and milk, and brush over cooled cookies. Let stand until set. 

Food Truck Fun - Fredericksburg Christmas Parade 2013

Yesterday we made our food truck debut at the Fredericksburg Christmas Parade. What a fun and festive event! We set up at the corner of Caroline and Lafayette, so we got to see the floats line up for the procession.

Santa’s Little helpers were on board to spread cheer and serve up Christmas cocoa, along with some other tasty treats!

We were delighted to serve our very first guest!

We hope to be seeing you around town very soon! 

Thanksgiving Day

We are open 11:30am - 6pm on Thanksgiving Day! Enjoy our special Thanksgiving menu for $37 per person, plus tax, or order off our standard menu. Please call for reservations: (540) 948-6505 in Madison and (540) 656-2101 in Fredericksburg

 

Oktoberfest 2013

Saturday, September 28, is our annual Oktoberfest celebration at The Bavarian Chef Fredericksburg. Come raise your stein, savor tasty Oktoberfest fare, and enjoy some wunderbar entertainment!

The Biergarten opens at 11:30am, rain or shine, and our celebration kicks off at noon. Between 12pm and 4pm, we’ll have special performances by the Spotsylvania Alpentänzer folk dance group from Courtland High School and the UVA Horn Ensemble. There will also be children’s activities between noon and 3pm, courtesy of the Spotsylvania Alpentänzer. Accordionist Karl Willuhn will play from 4pm to 8pm. Please join us for a fantastic day of food, music and fun!

For more information, please call (540) 656-2101. Prost and guten Appetit!

Weekday "Prix Fixe Before Six" August Menu

 

Family Table Restaurant Week

August 3 - 11, 2013

Prix fixe menu

2 courses for $20 

Select one entrée and one appetizer or dessert from the courses below

Vorspeisen & Suppen

Salat Trio

A tasty sampler of Kartoffelsalat, Blattsalat & Krautsalat

Creamy Red Pepper Soup

Our signature soup topped w/ lump crabmeat

Currywurst

Bratwurst w/ tomato curry sauce over potato pancakes

Oompah Shrimp

Sweet & spicy lager-battered shrimp over greens

 

Hauptspeisen

Bavarian Sausage Platter

Weisswurst (veal), Bauernwurst (beef) and Bratwurst (pork) over homemade sauerkraut

Tafelspitz

Tender beef tri-tip w/ celery root, parsnip and carrot juliennes over Bavarian bread dumplings

Alpine Schnitzel

Pan-fried pork schnitzel topped w/ sautéed mushrooms, bacon & Emmantal cheese over chive cream sauce

Mahi am Spiess

Skewered, blackened mahi w/ fresh summer vegetables over rice pilaf

 

Nachspeisen

Apfelstrudel

Granny Smith apples, almonds & golden raisins in pastry, topped w/ homemade vanilla crème

Bavarian Nutball

Vanilla ice cream rolled in toasted nuts & coconut, set into chocolate sauce

Peaches & Cream Cheesecake

Our special house cheesecake with rich vanilla ice cream baked into the batter, topped with fresh peach coulis

 

Choose 2 family-style side dishes to accompany your entrée:

Red cabbage, spaetzle, glazed carrots, creamed corn, string beans, whipped potatoes, potato dumplings or zucchini

 

For reservations, please call 540-656-2101

Happy Anniversary Bavarian Chef

Last month we celebrated 39 years in our Madison location, and today is Fredericksburg’s third anniversary!

Before the thought of opening another Bavarian Chef restaurant was even a twinkle in our eye, a friend brought us to downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia, for a visit. We were charmed by the Old Town and its rich history. Then we saw the historic train station building and promptly fell in love with it! With a setting reminiscent of the many lovely bahnhof restaurants in Germany, we could immediately picture it—hearty meals, clinking mugs, and smiling faces set to a soundtrack of Oompah music and the occasional rumble of a passing train.

If you are ever in the area, we invite you to join us! From Schnitzel to Spätzle and beer to Bratwurst, we dish up all your traditional German favorites. We also have fresh seafood and steaks, and all our desserts are homemade.

Before or after your meal, you’ll find there are lots of interesting things to do. In Fredericksburg, we highly recommend taking a trolley tour for an entertaining and informative tour of the historic downtown district. There are lots of fun shops and museums, too. For an idea of where to go and what to see, visit the Fredericksburg tourism website. In Madison, you can hike Old Rag or take a ride up Skyline Drive. Visit the Madison County Chamber of Commercewebsite for a full list of outdoor activities and special events.

We hope to see you soon!

Click here to take a tour inside our Fredericksburg location.

Click here to take a tour inside our Madison location.

 

Tanz in den Mai!

A few weeks ago when we were at the Viktualienmarkt in Munich, the air had a cold bite to it and the sky was gray. Standing at the foot of the huge Maypole, I couldn’t help but think ahead to what it would be like on May Day. I gather from an expat blogger that as of today, the sky was still gray! Nonetheless, there must be excitement in the air tonight as new Maibäume across Bavaria are safeguarded until their big debut at tomorrow’s festivities. The typical celebration has far more on tap than just Bier. Oompah music, dancing, great food and perhaps even some Maibaumkraxeln (maypole climbing) are in order! 

Here are a few fun links to explore if you want to learn more about this fun holiday:

http://www.thesojournseries.com/bavaria/?p=1787 (a great blog to read if you like all things Bavarian)

http://www.enduringwanderlust.com/the-bavarian-maibaum-festival/ (a beautiful photo essay)

http://mountainroseblog.com/wine/ (a lovely May Wine recipe)

What is the Bavarian Chef?

That cozy-looking chalet near the Plow and Hearth outlet in Madison, Virginia—you pass it on Route 29 every time you drive between Charlottesville and Washington, D.C. It is The Bavarian Chef restaurant, founded by Eckhard and Bruni Thalwitz in 1974.

Attracted by the beautiful Blue Ridge mountain vistas, Eckhard and Bruni Thalwitz made Madison County their home after leaving their native Germany. They ran the restaurant for 13 years before turning over the reins to their son Jerome.  Today, Jerome and his team of chefs continue to dish traditional German favorites along with tempting daily specials that fuse classic and contemporary European cuisine.

In May 2010, Jerome and his wife Christine opened a second Bavarian Chef restaurant in the historic train station in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia. Whether you join us in Madison or Fredericksburg, we hope you’ll enjoy the special recipes and traditions of our family’s culinary heritage.

Want to know more? Take a peek in this behind-the-scenes video to see what we’re all about! http://youtu.be/Qugc26ae1Bk