Restaurant Features: Bar, Live Music, On-Site Parking
Location: Stillwater, MN
Address: 8390 Lofton Avenue Stillwater, MN 55082 651-439-7128
Links: Google Map Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter
Atmosphere: The Gasthaus is a family-owned restaurant tucked away in the woods and rolling hills on private property in rural Stillwater. There is no mistaking this restaurant as anything other than traditional German/Bavarian. All staff wear traditional German attire and if you visit on a Sunday afternoon, you can listen to live accordian music. Inside you will find evidence of the Bavarian Hunter theme, complete with mounted antlered animals adorning the entry and antler-shaped chandeliers throughout the dining room and bar areas.
Menu: Appetizers: Bavarian Hors D'oeuvres Tray, Schnitzel Sampler, Sausage Sampler, Chicken Tenders, Veggie Plate, Smoked Liver Paté, Herring prepared a variety of ways, Bavarian Assorted Cheese Plate, Warmed Bri Cheese, and Fried Bread Dumplings.
Schnitzels: Wiener Schnitzel ("Vienna Style" golden brown breaded pork cutlets), Jagerschnitzel, Rahm Schnitzel, Schnitzel "A La Holstein", Puten Schnitzel, Rahm Puten Schnitzel (breaded chicken)
Pork: Schweinsbraten, Schweinshaxe, Bayerische Ripperl, and Bavarian Smoked Ribs
Fish: Walleye fillets
Beef: Rouladen, Sauerbraten, and Rostbraten.
Wurst/Sausages: Bratwurst, Knackwurst, Metwurst, and Weisswurst
Vegetarian: Veggie casserole
Price Guide: Appetizers: $6-9 Entrees: $13-20
What I ordered: To start off, I tried the Manhattan Clam Chowder (soup of the day). Delicious mix of cooked veggies and tender pieces of clam in a pleasantly spicy red broth.
The Bavarian platter is the perfect dish if you would like to try a few of Gasthaus's specialties. Included are the Jager Schnitzel (breaded pork cutlet covered with mushroom sauce) Rahm Puten Schnitzel (breaded chicken breast covered with sour cream-based sauce), Knackworst (beef sausage with garlic seasoning) and potato dumplings. I thought the Jager schnitzel was very good- The dark mushroom sauce seemed somewhat upappealing to the eye, but had a very mild flavor that perfectly complimented the pork. I enjoyed the flavor of the knackworst and although it was boiled in the German way, I prefer my sausages cooked cripsy on the grill. The flavor of the potato dumpling was good, but I did not enjoy the texture. Next time I would order mashed potatoes or the spaetzel instead. The Rahm Puten schnitzel was my favorite. The sauce that covered the chicken was very mild and creamy, yet the chicken stayed somewhat crispy.
Other dishes enjoyed by my companions: Jagerschnitzel with spaetzel (mini potato dumplings). This was a HUGE hit!
Walleye dinner. Incredible! Even if you do not enjoy German cuisine, come just for the walleye! 
Dessert: The dark chocolate cake was very rich and delicious, although the piece was incredibly slim for $4.50. The apple streusel cheesecake was incredible. Light and creamy cheesecake blended with apple pieces and drizzled with a butterscotch topping. German chocolate cake was good, but there was too much frosting and not enough cake. Two bites of ooey, gooey caramely-coconutty, and pecany frosting was enough for me!
Service: The weekends are very busy and reservations are recommended. Staff were friendly and did a nice job of answering any questions my companions and I had.
I was back to the Gasthaus for dinner last night and it was wonderful! The fried bread dumplings were really good and I loved the Rahm Puten Schnitzel. I tried a dessert that was heavenly- some type of berry torte with marscipone cheese. Delicious!
Posted by: Kristi | October 05, 2008 at 11:48 AM