Jeremy Wallace/The Aspen Times
Wienerstube is truly a haven for meat and potato lovers. The Bavarian-inspired eatery in Willits picked up the mantle and a couple other pieces when the original Aspen restaurant closed in 2011. And now, some 25 minutes from Aspen, the Stube is back to serving up hearty breakfasts of elk sausage eggs benedict or waffles as well as a vast selection of meat in both traditional and unique dishes for lunch and dinner.
“I’m a meat person,” says owner Vladan Djordjevic, who worked at the original Wienerstube some 10 years ago and has brought in fellow cooks from back in the day. “I eat all the meats.”
Take the tender prime ribeye, for example. The cut is grilled and served on a heated Himalayan salt slab, letting the diner choose how salty they prefer each piece to be. By the time you’re halfway through the steak, the slab is drenched in juices, and each bite practically melts in your mouth and requires little chewing. It’s hard to be all things to all people, but Wienerstube gets about as close as possible, whether you’re looking for French toast and a fresh-squeezed mimosa for brunch or a fine-dining experience paired with Austrian wine for supper.
Or even somewhere in between with its generous happy hour specials. The chicken wings can go beak-to-beak with any other bird in the valley, smoked and grilled with a dry rub–no breading or oil necessary. For something unique try the fried avocados. The creaminess of the avocado goes well with the tingle of the chipotle goat cheese sauce. There’s a light crunch, and then smoothness.
“We always try to do something different,” Djordjevic says. “We don’t want to have the same things and do the same things as everyone else. We’re thinking outside of the box.”
Another dish unique to the valley but which has been around for ages is the Jager goulash. “Jager” is the German word for “hunter,” and you can taste and see why: wild boar, lamb and beef diced and slowly cooked for hours along with veggies and served on top of homemade Kaiser spaetzle, a chewy and flavor-absorbent pasta. And, of course, no classical Bavarian meal would be complete without a schnitzel–fried pork, veal or chicken–coated with breadcrumbs made in house and served with lingonberry sauce, tzatziki and a healthy scoop of mashed potatoes. Complete the experience by sipping a traditional hefeweizen out of Das Boot (the Stube serves Koenig Ludvig, which has been brewed since 1516) or a mug of Stiegl Radler, poured with 60 percent beer and 40 percent grapefruit juice.
“It’s a great summer drink,” Djordjevic says. Enjoy a couple of those seated at Wienerstube’s new patio, which will eventually be draped in vines and plants, along with a sausage plate and it may be hard to discern whether you’re in the Alps or the Rocky Mountains.