Visiting Siegfried's Delicatessen made me realize how seldom smell is a part of a restaurant's ambience. Many restaurants these days smell like, well, nothing. The food is prepared behind closed doors and diners smell it only as it's placed in front of them.
That's not the case with Siegfried's, where a rush of warm air, aromatic with the mingled aromas of yeast, sausages and fryers endlessly cooking up wienerschnitzel, greets all who step inside. It's like coming into someone's home and, as you take in the smells, realizing that a nice meal is about to come to the table.
Everything at Siegfried's is as it should be with regard to the establishment's bill of fare, which consists of favorite German entrees, a load of tasty side dishes, sandwiches and a case of delightful desserts.
The vibe is casual, rushed, crowded and quite cosmopolitan, with floor-to-ceiling windows running the length of the space, a market of European goods crammed into the west end, an enticing cheese-and-meat counter along the east wall and a few tables flanking the bar-height window seating. We felt lucky to score one of the dining tables, a real feat during the typically crowded lunchtime hours.
Nonetheless, I felt like a dummy after we sat down to eat. I'd ordered the kids grilled cheese sandwiches, made with thick bread and tangy white cheese, and while it was tasty, they were much more interested in my wienerschnitzel. Belatedly, I realized that this is a dish tailor-made for kids, with its moist and meaty inside and crispy battered coating. The kids had their bites plain, but I liked mine with a bit of rotkohl, deliciously sour cooked red cabbage. My other side dish was warm, creamy-textured potato salad.
I'd like to have tried the spaetzle, but they were out on the day we visited, and also out of fried potatoes, though we could see the staff making more as we ate. That's another thing that contributes to Siegfried's ambience: many staff members are German speakers, knowledgeable about the food and anxious to give advice, and diners can watch their food prepared and dished up before their eyes.
My husband had the small, nicely browned pork steak and a juicy bratwurst. When we visited Germany, we had huge, U-shaped bratwursts bought from street vendors, and they were just about the best sausage I've had. Siegfried's version does justice to that lofty standard, meaty and garlicky with a chewy, but never stringy or rubbery, texture. On the side my husband had hot potato salad and Siegfried's fruit salad, a cup of large chunks of melon and pineapple.
Dessert was the crowning glory of our lunch. I had wanted the chocolate hazelnut cake, but it was out, so we tried Black Forest cake, apple strudel and tiramisu. The tiramisu, usually my favorite, came in third in this case, but not because it wasn't good. It's just that the Black Forest cake (that's Schwarzwalderkirschtorte to you "Young Frankenstein" fans) was sublime, highly moist, full of cherries and dark, sweet Kirsch flavor. And the strudel was practically perfect, a just-sweet pastry stuffed plumply with spiced thin-sliced apples, raisins and almonds.
Even after that, I took a minute to browse through the shop, picking up a loaf of crusty bread and some European chocolates. Just wanted to take a little of Siegfried's home.
Entrees $5.95-$7.25, sides $1.55, sandwiches $4.45-$6.25, desserts $2.50.
Rating: ***
Where: 20 W. 200 South
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Closed Sunday
Payment: Major credit cards accepted
Phone: 355-3891
Stacey Kratz is a freelance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret Morning News. E-mail: skratz@desnews.com