For 33 years, nestled between other businesses that have come and gone on the lower blocks of Lonsdale Avenue, Jagerhof Restaurant has tirelessly serviced the North Shore dining community.
The restaurant's longevity is staggering; in those three-and-a-third decades, the culinary world has undergone radical, paradigmatic shifts, welcoming and dismissing meta-trends including nouvelle and haute cuisine, California minimalism, fusion fare, the small plate revolution and microgastronomy.
All the while, Jagerhof has maintained a disciplined focus on the traditional foods of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol, a hearty and often rustic cuisine that typically features dishes with relatively few ingredients, each prepared simply and with a view to showcasing their individual qualities.
If this approach to cooking sounds oddly familiar, that's because it is the meta-trend of today, a movement that is hyper-focused on small, thoughtful selections of top quality ingredients that are not overwhelmed by heavy-handed technique. It requires tremendous skill from a chef to know just how far to take an ingredient to find its best expression.
At Jagerhof, the approach is alive and well as I discovered one recent evening when I visited the storied room with my frequent dining partner Gil. For an early weeknight, the restaurant was surprisingly bustling with activity and we were lucky to get a table when we arrived at nearly 8 p.m. The service immediately proved to be attentive as three members of staff independently approached us to ensure we had been looked after as we awaited our seats.
In April of this year, Jagerhof underwent a change in ownership, its former proprietors retiring after a commendable run and selling the place to Chris and Sandy Gehry, hands-on owners who run the room in an affable, engaging manner consistent with the restaurant's approachable menu.
When the Gehrys took the helm, they brought with them chef Felix Roesner, formerly of Bravo Cucina up the road, another stalwart bastion of dining on the North Shore. As Chris explained to Gil and I following a truly exceptional meal, the new Jagerhof leadership team is seeking to strike a balance between the preservation of the respected traditions that have kept the place afloat for so long and the subtle modernization and innovation that is going to appeal to new generations of diners and keep Jagerhof relevant for years to come.
Gil and I decided to try a wide cross section of the menu by sharing everything we ordered. Our meal began with an aperitif of German aquavit (a potent, grain-based distillate that appears far too rarely on contemporary menus, in my opinion) and escargots in garlic butter with toast points. The escargots were exactly as I like them: plump and slightly chewy, dredged in garlic butter and topped with a fine persillade ideal for mopping up with toast.
We got down to serious business with a platter of house specialties, which included traditional bratwurst, a golden filet of Weiner Schnitzel with mushroom sauce, smoked pork chop, roasted potatoes, sautéed purple cabbage and sauerkraut. At just $21.95 this platter is a good value and something I'd be inclined to come back for.
The bratwurst was exceptional. Light, subtly spiced and not overly salty, the sausage paired brilliantly with the purple cabbage, which had warm and comforting notes of a brown spice I couldn't quite put my finger on; perhaps it was clove. The schnitzel was crispy and satisfying, though I must admit that I found the mushroom sauce (thankfully served on the side) superfluous and maybe even a touch incongruous with the other items on the platter.
The star of the dish, however, was the pork chop, a briny, moist and reservedly smoky, ham-like number custom crafted to pair with the generously portioned sauerkraut.
To accompany our meal, we sipped Gruner Veltliner, a brilliant, crisply acidic Austrian white wine that should really be more mainstream due its food-friendly profile.
Last up in the savoury category was an order of Weiner Schnitzel Cordon Blue, a thin filet of veal wrapped in ham and Swiss cheese, dredged in light batter, and fried until crispy. The salty ham and the rich cheese really brought the dish to life and made me reconsider, if just for a moment, my general aversion to and avoidance of veal. Beautifully tender, homemade Spaetzle, a traditional German hand-shredded, egg-based pasta, accompanied the schnitzel in place of potatoes.
We wrapped up the meal with two delicious desserts: Palatshinken, thin, golden crepes filled with wild berry coulis and topped with whipped cream, and Viennese style apple strudel with crème Anglaise. Both dishes revealed an exceptional talent for pastry in the kitchen and a laudable restraint in the use of sugar.
Our meal, comprised of aperitifs, an appetizer, two mains, two desserts, and a bottle of wine was $117.
Jagerhof is located at 71 Lonsdale Ave. 604-980-4316
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. Contact: [email protected].
