A trip to Hermann, Mo., wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Stone Hill Winery’s Vintage Restaurant. Perched on a hill overlooking this delightful German town, Vintage is part of Missouri’s oldest and most awarded winery, which was established in 1847.
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Above: The Vintage Restaurant at Stone Hill Winery in Hermann was formerly a horse barn and carriage house. Today its beauty is reflected in beautifully manicured grounds and stylish interior. (Joan Elliott photo)
Below: General Manager Jason Wehmeyer chats with guests during a recent Maifest weekend. The women have come for a weekend getaway. (Joan Elliott photo) |
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The restaurant originally was a horse barn and carriage house. Remnants of these days are evident in the horse stall booths along its left side, as well as the original feed troughs and hay chutes. Everything is beautifully refinished and painted bright red with wrought-iron railings near the top and at either side of the step-up entrances to the booths. Each cozy little nook houses highly polished wooden tables and benches, casual but elegant in its simplicity.
On the menu
The food at Vintage Restaurant is authentically German; so authentic that some visitors from Germany have said they can no longer find food to compare in their native country.
“We make almost everything from scratch,” said the restaurant’s manager, Jason Wehmeyer. “Nothing is pre-processed. Our meat is hand cut and our pastry chef makes all sorts of wonderful desserts right here.”
The sauerbraten receives the highest acclaim, based largely on the intensive process required to make it. A beef roast is placed in a bucket and marinated in red wine vinegar, burgundy wine, juniper berries, celery, carrots and onions for about six days. Next, it’s seared on all sides, roasted in an oven, cooled and sliced thin.
“It’s like roast beef but has a slightly sour taste,” Wehmeyer said. “Guests have told us they can’t find it in Germany because people no longer want to go through the lengthy process required to make it. Others, who are still able to find it, say, ‘It’s just like home.’”
Other German favorites at this family restaurant include schnitzel, onion tart, brats, potato pancakes, liverwurst, knackwurst, grilled reuben, potato salad and red cabbage. Other standard American fare includes soups, salads, quiche, tilapia, salmon, pork, steak, burgers and spinach-stuffed portabella mushrooms.
“We don’t have a really big menu but we have a little of everything and something for everyone, even the kids,” said Wehmeyer, noting that an average adult dinner ranges from $20 to $25.
Stone Hill produces 1 million bottles of wine a year, so be sure to sample one of its 23 varieties. Norton, the pride of Stone Hill, is a full-bodied red of world-class stature and definitely a favorite at the restaurant, according to Wehmeyer.
Guests come from far and wide
Visitors come from across the United States. On a typical weekend day, Vintage Restaurant draws 350 to 400 people, many of whom come in chartered buses.
“Most of our bus groups order ahead and eat in the carriage house,” Wehmeyer said.
The restaurant has survived the economic downturn, Wehmeyer said, because of its location at the winery, reciprocal agreements with several inns in town, and the fact that many of Hermann’s other restaurants are closed Sunday through Tuesday.
“And, of course, the town’s festivals bring people out,” he added.
Upcoming events include Fall Fever Days (September); Oktoberfest (October); Holiday Fare Wine Trail (November); and Beast Fest, Kristkindl Markt and shoppers weekends (December).
For many diners, a stop at the Vintage Restaurant is the grand finale to a day of touring Hermann. Reservations are recommended for dinner, and during festival weekends, dinner reservations are taken after 5 p.m. For lunch and early dinner, it’s first-come, first-served.
For more information, visit www.stonehillwinery.com or call (573) 486-3479.
Joan Elliott is a contributor from Lake Sherwood, Mo.
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Joan Elliott photo
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What’s Cooking at Vintage Restaurant
Stone Hill Winery
1110 Stone Hill Highway
800-909-9463
Lunch
French onion soup - 5.25
German onion tart - 5.25
Potato pancakes - 3.50
Liverwurst - 5.75
(traditional liver sausage served with cheeses, breads and crackers)
Garden salad - 4.95
German schnitzel - 9.95
Sauerbraten - 10.95
Quiche- 7.95
Dinner
Appetizers
Spinach-stuffed Portabella mushroom - 6.25
Sausage sampler - 6.95
Fresh spinach salad served with
Warm sweet and sour German dressing - 5.95
Main course
German sampler platter - 15.95
(sauerbraten, schnitzel and knackwurst)
Schweinshaxe - 16.95
(German dish of beer-basted ham hock, smoked, seasoned and
served on a bed of sauerkraut)
Cherry-smoked pork loin - 14.95
Grilled ribeye - 21.50
Dessert
Black Forest cake - 4.00
Signature German chocolate pie - 4.00
Apple strudel - 4.00
Homemade ice cream (seasonal) - 3.00
