Schumachers Grill 212

With a name like Schumachers and a location more than an hour away, dinner better be good. It is. New Prague itself is quaint, and the hotel’s restored 1890s façade and cheery sign are the best-looking things around. Owners John and Kathleen Schumacher have reopened their storied place, having stripped out the stuffy Bavarian interior in favor of fresh bare wood with touches of clean blues and soft taupe. The low-key bar holds a mix of diners waiting for tables and locals catching up with gossip and a game on TV. House drink specials include the “Wop,” a blood-colored brew of various liquors garnished with a pickled crab apple. In the dead of winter, it packs a warming punch.

Chef John’s new menu, still notably Czech and German, is long on house-made specialties of charcuterie, game, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and pastries. Prepared with less fat than his earlier renditions, and served with less sauce, the food is reminiscent of what you’d see in the small bistros of today’s Berlin or Prague. Find traditional pheasant sausage, thoughtfully seasoned to allow the game’s delicate flavor to shine through. Try the lightly crusted schnitzel with caraway-spiked kraut or duck slowly cooked until meltingly tender with tangy-sweet red cabbage. The elk steak is grilled to rare, juicy doneness, and is lighter tasting than beef. A very good Reuben and house sausage selections round things out.

Schumachers hasn’t messed with the good stuff, like real apple strudel and the house torte. Count on tart fresh apples in a crackly crust and the torte of meringues loaded with schlag (whipped cream). If you’re tempted to try more on the menu, take a pretty, comfortable room, and stay the night.

212 W. Main St., New Prague, 952-758-2133, schumachershotelandgrill212.com
Restaurant Rater: 83