MADISON RESTAURANT BRINGS THE BEST OF OLD COUNTRY GERMANY TO VIRGINIA DISCOVER CULINARY BLISS: BAVARIAN CHEF

March 12, 2009 2:06 am

BY NANCY DEARING ROSSBACHER AND STEPHEN W. SYLVIA

FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR (© 2009)

 She: Call your friends--the ones who truly appreciate spectacular food. Make reservations. Gas up the car. On the trek (for our Eats column is going on the road this week), prepare for self-indulgent delight, the kind in which a forkful of food makes you close your eyes and whisper, "Oh, my."

You're headed to the mini burg of Rochelle, south of Madison--where the stained-glass-windowed, peaked-roof Bavarian Chef sits atop what resembles a mini Alp.

He: The Bavarian Chef, suavely run by second-generation owner Jerome Thalwitz, seems to have created a dining category all its own: down-home continental. Upscale but relaxed, it's Gemütlichkeit with manners, where your order is met with "excellent choice" and your ice-water glass is refilled every three minutes.

Not that it's all about ice water. A half-dozen beers are on tap (the Weihenstephan is a standout), and there is a beautifully stocked, sit-and-chat bar near the entranceway.

She: On a recent visit, the handsomely plated appetizers included a melt-away tower of Portobello mushroom, tomato, backfin crab and Muenster ($9.95), and an outstanding creamy bell-pepper soup ($9.95) that--while authoritative--evaporated on the tongue like a summer memory.

He: The rich and dusky cream of wild mushroom soup ($9.95), topped with dollops of sour cream, will make you hesitate before ordering it anywhere else.

The mandel schnitzel entree ($22.95) was--as all portions are here--ample, with two cut-with-a-fork pork tenderloins crusted with almonds and ramped up with a strawberry-gin sauce.

She: Karlsbadener sahnegoulasch ($19.95) was chunks of perfectly prepared veal melded with mushroom, onion and tomato, creating what I believe is the definition of stew in heaven.

Swordfish ($29.95), a special that evening (for there are always specials), was firm yet flaky, crested with large, tender shrimp, and surrounded by a lively but not overpowering Dijon-dill sauce.

He: But wait. There's more--for there always is at The Bavarian Chef. Along with entrees come a selection of eight sides served family-style. These include ribbony spaetzle, herbed-up mashed potatoes, glazed carrots and onions, and sweet-sour red cabbage.

She: All desserts--all four score of them, it seems, given the proportions of the dessert tray--are made on-site, from cheesecakes to sacher tortes. Three forks went into the fluffy, coconut-rich German chocolate cake ($7.95), and despite everyone's best effort, some of the strawberry-and-cream-surrounded confection still left in a to-go box.

It's the way of The Bavarian Chef. Few diners go home empty-handed.

He: Last thoughts: It's not about the portions, which undeniably surpass generous. It's about a surpassingly skilled kitchen, combined with elegant service and a congenial atmosphere.

She: And if you need an excuse to get out that way, check our sidebar for other upcoming events in the area.

As if anyone needs an excuse to go to The Bavarian Chef.

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Reviewers Nancy Dearing Rossbacher and Stephen W. Sylvia publish a Civil War magazine together. She likes to cook. He likes to eat. To reach Rossbacher and Sylvia, e-mail them at editor@nstcivil war.com. Or call 540/374-5430 with comments about today's review.