JLB picks: The 5 'wurst restaurants in SWFL
Our food critic says these five German restaurants are the absolute 'wurst, and that's a good thing.
Lovers of German food, sausages and bad puns, I salute you.
• Austrian-German Restaurant: To get to their wurst you have to bypass roast pork knuckles and paprika-tinged goulash served over tender spaetzle. In exchange you get Bavarian weisswurst served with a pretzel and grainy mustard, or bratwurst with sauerkraut and horseradish. Fair trade. (Royal Palm Square, 1400 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers; 936-8118; ag-restaurant.com)
• Duke of Germany: The Duke makes its bratwurst in house, grilling them till snappy and serving them over creamy mashed potatoes. Knockwurst, weisswurst and currywurst (oh my!) are also on the menu. (3816 Chiquita Blvd. S., Cape Coral; 540-2000; dukeofgermany.com)
• German Deli Spot: You've got to love a place that piles liverwurst, pickles and slivered onions onto deep-brown slices of house-baked rye bread. More traditional 'wursts (bratwurst, currywurst) are served with house saeurkraut. (19976 S. Tamiami Trail, Estero; 221-7753; thegermandelispot.com)
• Schnitzel House: Don't let the name fool you. Serving all sorts of sausages, Schnitzel House is so the 'wurst. And you know a place is authentic when you have to translate its Facebook page from German to English. (17274 San Carlos Blvd., Fort Myers Beach; 437-8664; find it on Facebook)
• Stephan's German Bistro: With braised cabbage rolls, potato-leek soup and four types of schnitzel, Stephan's 'wurst can be overlooked. But with three kinds (curry, brat and weiss) and hand-made spaetzle on the side, it shouldn't be. (25245 Chamber of Commerce Drive, Bonita Springs; 949-9990; i-like-stephans.com)
Jean Le Boeuf is the pseudonym used by a local food lover who dines at The News-Press' expense. Contact our critic at facebook.com/jeanleboeufSWFL or @JeanLeBoeuf on Twitter and Instagram.