My mother recently celebrated her 90th birthday, so my siblings and I decided to treat her to a birthday dinner at the Grünauer, a German-Austrian restaurant in the Freight House building. The Grünauer has been on my “to try” restaurant list for some time. Mostly because of its reputation, but also because I know quite a bit of German and know my way around Austria thanks to being a professional Geoguessr streamer on Twitch. We all enjoyed our dinner and I plan to visit again. In this review, I’m trying something new at the end, where I’ll be talking about a menu change that would be reflective of contemporary dining in Vienna, which I think would be of interest to Kansas City eaters.
First, I need to shout out our waiter who helped us on my family’s visit. Don’t get his name, but he provided “S” Tier service (on the night of July 17th). He was very pro-active with suggestions and anticipated what special dietary needs we had based on our questions. I later asked my siblings if they had the receipt with the guy’s name, but they couldn’t find it.
I had the Schwammergulasch for my entree and a side of bread to see if they were paying attention to this detail. The goulash was awesome. Their vegetarian take on this dish focused on mushrooms, with a savory sauce and an amazing bread dumpling. I rarely eat a dish like this, either out at a restaurant or at home. I used love goulashes when I was younger. These days, I tend to look at such a dish as “rich” and a bit “old fashioned.” In this case, it was a special treat. I am a huge fan of mushroom dishes–I always make sure to get the Inguday Wat at the Blue Nile.
My fixation on getting a side of bread may seem odd, but I’ve learned that breads are much better across Europe than they are here in the U.S. In fact, the Germans call sliced American white bread “toast bread” because it so sugary and only good for making toast. So I’m curious, when I explore food from around the world, that I try out their bakery offerings.
My sisters had a variety of meat dishes, included some schnitzels and the flatiron steak. They were happy with their dishes. Mom had a variety of vegetarian sides (she doesn’t like mushrooms). My mother got a special birthday dessert and two of us shared a cold dessert that was really good.
Love the atmosphere of the main dining room. The architecture of the old freight house lends a spacy feel to the space. There are lots of diners, but the noise wasn’t too loud and it felt like we could have a private dinner. They also have a large bar in its own room near the entrance.
Parking can be hard to find around the Crossroads District in the evenings, but the restaurants in the Freight House share a large parking lot. I’ve never had problems finding a spot.
Grünauer
101 W 22nd St, Kansas City, MO 64108
816-283-3234
http://www.grunauerkc.com/
What do you like to get when you visit a German restaurant? What is your favorite restaurant in the Crossroads District? Please share below and I’ll try and review your suggestions!
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