Gerda Reichenbach was the inspiration for Reichenbach Hall. Yet few if any of the drinkers and eaters at the cavernous, rip-roaring German beer and eating spot on West 37th Street have ever heard of her.
There’s a story behind every restaurant, and this one began in the early 1900s when German immigrants Willy and Gerda were raising their family in a less than fashionable area of New York City. Each weekend, Gerda would labor in her kitchen to turn out a massive meal featuring traditional German specialties for friends and family. Her two grandsons, Keith and Willy (“The Beer Brothers”), remembered those Oktoberfest-like dinners and last May, in tribute to them, opened the convivial, high-decibel Reichenbach Hall, probably the largest and most authentic German eatery in the city.
It’s a high-ceilinged place with long, bare communal tables, barrels and bags of mail on high, overhead beams, big-screen TVs, and cute, chirpy, dirndl-dressed waitresses that provide quick and informed service.
Beer is clearly the point here. In addition to a full bar there are 15 German beers on tap. They are served in ½ liter, full liter, and 2-liter boots to a rousing, male-dominated crowd, many of whom stop in after work for one or more brews. Although the beer-fueled happy hour-type bedlam lasts for a couple of hours, newcomers and those who remain are rewarded with diverse Germanic treats from a voluminous menu of wursts, schnitzels, spätzles, and zwischen brot.
Most portions are of the huge, take-a-doggie-bag-home type. Order cautiously, sparingly, for many dishes are intended for 2, 3, or more diners. Nowhere is that truer than among the appetizers. We ordered two for four diners and had to send a third of it back to the kitchen. The cold cut platter (fanned-out slices of exceptional liverwurst, ham, headcheese, blood sausage, cheese, etc., accompanied by while and brown bread) defeated us all by itself while obatzda (three balls of Bavarian cream cheese spread infused with beer and spices and paired with onions and a touch of paprika) proved to be so rich we managed only a dab or two of it.
Among the entrées, Frikadellen was the number-one pick. The perfectly seasoned, so-called “German Meatballs” — actually a couple of tasty, hamburger-style patties — came with braised Savoy cabbage and loffelknodel (marvelous little dumplings). The monster-sized mixed bratwurst plate featured plump, robust bratwurst, bauernwurst, and Nürnberger rostbratwurst accompanied by potato salad, standard sauerkraut and housemade red cabbage. Lovely, soft, mellow-flavored beef in the spätzle and goulash dish made it memorable.
At dessert, a huge hunk of respectable black forest cake took second place behind a noteworthy apple strudel with a flaky, lighter-than-air crust.
5 W. 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), 212-302-7744; www.reichenbachhall.com
