Karl Ratzsch’s
Bread Basket with Buttered Rolls and Garlic Crisps
Potato Pancakes – Served with Apple Sauce and Sour Cream
Duck & Goose in Combination – One Half Goose Shank and One Quarter Roast Duck served with spatzel, Red Cabbage, Old Fashioned Dressing, and Natural Gravy
Viennese Apple Strudel
Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
Returning to Milwaukee with my sights set on one of the city’s most storied dining spaces it was just moments after 11:30 that I entered Karl Ratzsch’s and quickly settled at a large table in a room beset on all sides with steins, antlers, porcelain, and painting from an era long past it would not be long before I was greeted by an elderly woman – a server potentially as old as the restaurant itself and as such a lovely historian, if not particularly exceptional in terms of expediting an order or keeping water glasses full. Unapologetically resting on a menu of German classics, many present on the menu for greater than 40 years, it was largely with my order pre-planned that I sat down with a mix of local businessmen and tourists alike and with a basket of soft rolls atop large croutons studded with garlic to whet my appetite it would not be long before my first course arrived, a duo of $8 potato pancakes proving thin and crisp, though admittedly a touch oily for such a steep tariff while applesauce proved no better than the stuff from a jar. Moving next to things more interesting, a dinner-only item prepared at my request during lunch, it was with wide eyes that I was greeted by the “Duck & Goose in Combination” and requesting buttery spatzel in place of wild rice I’d be remiss to say which of the plate’s five parts was best – the crispy skinned shank proving moist yet lean while duck was gamey and rich, each tender morsel falling from the bone and melding perfectly with sage-tinged stuffing in a thick gravy that was savory but not ‘salty’ in the least. At this point already anticipating dessert despite the substantial day of eating ahead it was in a duo of items from the tableside platter that I decided to invest and with each item served piping hot from the kitchen suffice it to say that no matter how “famous” (and delicious) the flaky puff pastry surrounding apple and spice was it simply could not compare to the bourbon soaked ‘bread,’ a veritable poundcake already laced with butter yet more than capable of soaking up plenty of sauce…the rest eaten with a spoon while still warm on the plate.
RECOMMENDED: Duck and Goose in Combination, Bread Pudding, Spatzel.
AVOID: Potato Pancakes are too oily and the bread basket is simply so-so, the later served gratis but not particularly enthralling none the less.
TIP: Offering a more limited menu at lunch than at dinner, those interested in dinner-only items are advised to call the restaurant in advance – my request for the goose requesting no deposit and served with no delay save for that of the leisurely service, an issue not particularly limited to my table and something the ‘business lunch’ crowd may want to keep in mind if there are any constraints of time.
http://www.karlratzsch.com/
