I tried this latest Daniel Gabor offering in the second strip mall southeast of 50 on Maguire on Friday at dinner. He was responsible for Downtown's short lived Schmankerl Stub'n. I liked that and liked this better. It will be a Favorite. And not just because it is an underserved ethnic curiosity. I had the pork schnitzel for $23 because I had just seen a show where they prepared this in Austria and hadn't had a chance to quiet my yearning. It was very good. As the show informed me, all schnitzels should have an air bubble between the meat and the coating. The two palm sized, pounded cutlets had this. Sometimes fried food can taste of bad oil. This did not. Not oily either. The pork was all white meat. Sometimes you can get untrimmed portions. Now if this was luck of the draw or they trim or schnitzel lovers should prefer the odd bits, I don't know. I just know that it catered to my sensibility. The one issue I did observe was that the crust did fall off pieces once cut. I have always been told that that means the oil isn't hot enough. The dish came with a netted lemon wedge and lightly and properly dressed frisee. A nice tart foil to the rich fried pork. And ligonberry jam. Ditto. And best of all, luxurious mashed potato puree. $8 on the menu. Included here, if that wasn't clear. If I wasn't in public, I would have run my finger through the bowl to enjoy every bit of it. You are able to choose any side. Things like spatzle, cucumber salad, red cabbage, fries, etc. They also do this in chicken ($25) and veal ($29). The menu runs from $20 sausage to an over $40 steak (I think). Pork loin, waygu burger, short rib, fondue, were some other dishes I remember. They had a special menu. $6 a piece oysters were a bit dear and out of place in my opinion. Which reminds me of two oyster facts I recently learned of. There are two types. In bed and above bed. Natural versus farmed (line). Farmed have more of a cup shape shell. They also had alot of hard liquor, wine and beer. A beer ran $9+. The cheapest wine by the glass was the same price. I saw a few intricate cocktails being made. The place is four months old, but, looks a bit disheveled. Especially on a Friday night during holiday season. The entire front section is unused and littered with junk. A bad (and unnecessary) first impression. You walk down a hall from the hostess/host stand to a square dining area. High ceiling. Pretty bare. Some antlers. Black and beige color blocking. A large wrought iron chandelier. Moving in from the rear, four booths in the back and then two long tables and another set of mini booths and then the L shaped bar for a dozen or so. Granite top. Two or three small tables against the window. It was almost full. I sat at the bar. Tvs showing football. I think they had music. Food came out very quickly. Gingham attired staff. Cloth napkins. Nice cutlery. I didn't know it was the Stub'n guy before going. The Orlando Weekly guy's latest review, which echoed many of my sentiments, clued me in. Referring to your cuisine as German isn't often something that gets Insta dorks excited. However, this guy tinkers around enough to make it interesting (and delicious). I suspect he (like every other serious provider) would like the menu to be more esoteric, but, can't afford to lose the meat and potatoes crowd. In retrospect, he had more of those dining than I expected. I was very underdressed and wasn't the only one. And that was a holiday Friday dinner service. I just bring that up because I want you know that it didn't discriminate. They are also open for lunch on the weekends. I'd give it a whirl. Everything is ok-y in Ocoee.
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