The Best Of Everything

Thinking `Outside The

Frankenmuth's Bavarian Inn, the fried-chicken HQ,
also boasts a varied array of steak, fish and veal.

restaurant that does
steak items like Burgundy
Inn top sirloin ($19.50) ... Also the
its talking with
Sirloin, char-broiled
Franconian strip steak and butter-
everyone else's
Certified Black Angus
flied shrimp ($21.95.)
mouth needs few
topped with a hearty bur-
It even has about six German clas-
words of its own to speak
gundy mushroom vegetable
sics like a luscious four-German
self-accolades.
sauce ($21.95); Beef tips
meats plus chicken entree ... and you
Endless praise in many
Merlot, sauteed with roasted won't find too many better wiener
millions of words have been
vegetables and tomatoes and schnitzels ... lightly breaded choice
written and spoken about
finished with a rich Merlot
veal, hand-trimmed and prepared to
DAN NY
Bavarian Inn restaurant of
sauce, served over a bed of
order ($16.95).
RAS KIN
Frankenmuth.
pasta ($16.50); Smothered
Bavarian Inn's all-you-can-eat
Local Columnist
However, it may still be a
steak, char-grilled Certified
chicken reputation is not to be
restaurant that, although
Black Angus New York strip
denied ... It is an exalted and right-
built upon a coveted history ... is still topped with sauteed red onions,
ly deserved one held in very high
somewhat misunderstood in a way.
green and red peppers and finished
esteem by multitudes.
When speaking about
with provolone cheese ($21.95).
But it is a shame that, in some
Frankenmuth's Bavarian Inn ... the
All the steaks are Certified Black
ways, that repute probably keeps
first thought that probably comes to
Angus meat (that's terrific meat) ...
some people away ... Those in a
mind is family-style all-you-can-eat
hand-cut at Bavarian Inn ... During
party who don't eat chicken ... or
chicken fried in vegetable oil, for
the Steak Fest, there'll be sirloins
vegetarians or fish eaters or steak-
which it is world famous.
($18.50); New York strips ($19.50);
and-potato lovers only ... Just one
This can't be knocked since about
Rib eyes ($21.50); T-bones ($22.50),
in a group might be the cause of
10 million chickens, representing
etc. ... Also a luscious Black Angus
others not fulfilling their dining
well over 30 million pounds, have
prime rib of beef lightly seasoned ...
enjoyment.
found their way into an awful lot of
satisfied stomachs.
But Bavarian Inn is not really just a
chicken place ... it has so many other
things going for it that sole restriction
to chicken isn't really fair today.
What of people who don't eat
chicken? ... And they are much more
than is thought ... Should vegetari-
ans, as example, stay away? ... Hardly
so ... Even though Frankenmuth
Bavarian Inn's reputation may have
been built on the serving of chicken.
And the fact that every year it goes
through eight tons of beef, one ton
of turkeys and four tons of veal does
a lot of talking, too.
Being there during the MmmM!
Michigan promotion was a treat ... It's
on until Aug. 25 ... Almandine broiled
whitefish is delicious ... with toasted
almonds and a bechamel wine sauce
($16.50) . ... And the asparagus and
William "Tiny" Zehnder and wife, Dorothy, have led the Bavarian Inn since 1959.
portabello pasta is full of flavor with
sauteed fresh asparagus and portabello
mushrooms, tomatoes and red peppers The steak dinners during Steak Fest
Since Tiny Zehnder (few refer to
topping a bed of fresh pasta finished
will include homemade soup,
him by any other name; it's
with a vegetable broth ($15.50).
coleslaw, three made-in-house salads,
William) bought the Fischer Hotel
Also, a skinless and boneless turkey fresh-baked stollen bread and white
in 1958, and in 1959 had its grand
florentine in seasoned bread crumbs
bread with preserves, buttered noo-
opening as the Bavarian Inn, the
and parmesan cheese, serve-d atop a
dles and hot vegetables.
food amounts prepared have been
light spinach sauce ($15.95).
Always on the regular dinner menu in unbelievably staggering num-
Sure Bavarian Inn serves steak ...
is a 12-ounce Frankenmuth Heritage
bers.
In fact, from Aug. 26 through Nov.
steak, a choice New York cut
The nickname of Tiny is usually
3, it'll feature a Steak Fest ... with
($19.50) and the 14-ounce Bavarian
reserved for persons who are far

A

above the norm in weight or size ...
But in this instance it is a moniker
that has stood since the day
William Jacob was born ... When a
visitor said of the new little baby,
"My, isn't he tiny?"
Tiny's wife, Dorothy, is a fine person
and wonderful cook ... She loves the
Bavarian Inn kitchen and spends many
hours of every day working in it ... on
new recipes and graciously if not proud-
ly, showing others the huge and won-
derful food workshop ... with its state-
of-the-art food preparation equipment.
Dorothy was one of the judges in the
recent Bavarian Inn Pie Contest ... and
thankfully, her fabulous rhubarb pie
wasn't an entry ... Would have been
quite hard to beat the fresh tender pink
rhubarb in custard, baked in a flaky
crust and topped with delicately
browned streusel ... Try a piece ... Your
taste buds will tingle with joy.
Bavarian Inn is more than a restau-
rant ... Downstairs, there's a doll and
toy shop, gift shop, jam and bakery
store, chocolate shop, wine and beer
cellar, souvenir shop, game room,
candy shop, etc.
Frankenmuth itself is a wondrous
town with its many attractions for
which people come from all over the
world ... Frankenmuth River Place
with 30 shops and attractions ... (laser
light show, mirror maze, paddle-wheel
boat tours, children's activities, etc.) ...
and so much more.
Hard to believe that it took me only
55 minutes to get to Frankenmuth from
West Bloomfield ... What used to be a
complete day from morning to night is
now a matter of minutes and hours.
And hours of enjoyment it still is
with so much to see and do in the
very interesting town of Frankenmuth
... with the ultimate realization of a
truly pleasurable visit to Zehnder's
Bavarian Inn restaurant.
NEW TENANT at the former
Seafood Tavern on Maple off
Telegraph in West Bloomfield ... is
expected to be Crabhouse Joe ... slated
to be open by January 2004.
ON THE SPOT reporting ... by
Rita Geiringer ... "When I heard
through a friend that Tringale's New
York Pizza and Deli restaurant on 12
Mile east of Orchard Lake Road, in
Farmington Hills had started offering
items for lactose-intolerant folks like
me, I had to run right over and see if
it was any good!
"I think there's only one other
restaurant around that does that. I also
think I picked the hardest item on the
menu, because the original recipe for
DANNY RASKIN on page 76

8/22
2003

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