(Update: Unfortunately, Das Wirtshaus closed at the end of 2016)
The good news is that I managed to get work to pay for a trip to Frankfurt to attend a conference. Of course, there’s always a downside to that: my four days in Frankfurt for work were mostly spent… working. Sure, I could regale you with tales of food at the conference center, but unless you are looking to spend a lot of money on some below-average schnitzel, I don’t think I’ll bother.
But after the conference let out at 6pm my first full day, several of us decided it was a great opportunity to go and actually check out the city. Giving everyone a chance to dress down a bit, we met up at Alte Oper (the old Opera House), and checked out the area. Just east of Alte Oper on Große Bockenheimer Straße (a major street for restaurants), there are no end of restaurants, and after checking several out, we ended up settling on Das Wirtshaus, a pub featuring beer, wurst, and schnitzel.
Indeed, beer, wurst, and schnitzel is what we had. By this point in the conference, I had already had plenty of opportunities to sample the local beverage of choice, which for Frankfurt isn’t beer, but apfelwein (also called ebbelwoi, or what we in the states call “hard cider”). It’s everywhere in Frankfurt, whereas you actually have to search out a good beer bar. But Das Wirtshaus had a rather good selection of beers, so I got to again enjoy a proper German Alt and a Dunkelweiss. Splendind.
Moving on to dinner, I passed on the wurst (this time), and decided to go for the schnitzel. Das Wirtshaus specializes in the local variety of schnitzel, Frankfurter Schnitzel. It’s your basic pork schnitzel, but the local variety involves serving it up with Grüne Soße (literally “Green Sauce”), a cold cream sauce heavily herbed with a veritable garden of herbs including sorrel, chives, chervil, parsley, and whatever else the chef is in the mood for. It’s an interesting combination, giving an almost tarter-sauce like tanginess opposite the savory meat and crispy breading notes of the schnitzel, but I rather enjoyed it.
Overall, we liked Das Wirtshaus. The staff was very friendly, the prices quite reasonable, and the food had a nice variety of German classics. A bit touristy… but hey, we were a big bunch of tourists. I wouldn’t mind going back.
