

I admired her as I know hundreds of others did.” – Baltimore SunĪpparently, Mrs. Haussner was a tireless person who was always there. It was one of those rare places,” said Carleton Jones, retired Sunday Sun feature writer and restaurant critic. Haussner’s “didn’t have a rival in the 1940s, 1950s and into the 1960s, and for years, there was simply no point in going anywhere else. She was an art collector both behind and ahead of fashion, and the art made Haussner’s a nationally cited tourist attraction. “She had a strong business sense, and her warm, welcoming, kindly presence, together with the comfortable food, made you happy there. Dorsey, former Sun art critic and restaurant reviewer. Haussner was the soul of Haussner’s,” said John R. Haussner passed away a year after the restaurant closed. William Haussner passed away in 1963 but the restaurant continued for several decades under Mrs. It is said that their novel-length menu boasted 112 entrees. “Master chef” William Henry Haussner opened the restaurant in 1926 upon emigrating from Germany.

Haussner’s was known for their crab cakes, their beloved strawberry pie, and above all, their fine art collection.Ĭollected by the owner’s wife, Frances Wilke Haussner over the course of 73 years, the collection sold for ten million dollars after the restaurant’s closing. For the many who have, there has been no shortage of nostalgia stirred as a result of the announcement. While I did fortunately have the chance to visit Eichenkranz, the city’s last remaining German restaurant, before it closed this past May, I had never been to Haussners.

Haussner’s Menu, 1967, New York Public Library Last month it was finally announced that the building would be demolished to make way for an apartment building. It has stood vacant, going through numerous sales and auctions while the surrounding neighborhood of Highlandtown slowly transforms around it. The fate of the building once occupied by the famed Haussner’s restaurant has been uncertain for a decade now. For this week’s installment, I turned to the news for inspiration. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce poured over the top.November is upon us, and although the autumnal comforts of the past few posts (biscuits, pies, and cornbread) have been pleasant, I thought I’d better branch out, lest I lose my *edge*.Let the sauce reduce slightly then either strain or blend to make it relatively smooth. Put the Dutch oven on the stove on a medium heat, add the crushed ginger snap cookies and remaining butter and stir.Remove the meat from the pan, tent with foil to keep warm and set aside.Bring to a simmer, cover, then put in the oven for approximately 1 ½ hours until meat is tender. Add the flour, stir, then pour in the marinade liquid (just the liquid, not the additional onions).Add the carrot and onion and soften them slightly. Melt butter in a Dutch oven and brown the meat on all sides.When ready to cook, remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry.Leave to marinade for 3 to 5 days, turning once or twice a day. Pour the cooled marinade over the meat, cover and refrigerate.Pat dry the beef and put in a non-reactive ceramic or glass dish big enough to also hold the marinade liquid but have meat largely submerged.Bring the mixture to a boil then turn off heat and let it cool. Pour the wine, vinegar and water in a pan and add the bouquet garni, bay leaf, salt and sliced onion.Put the herbs and spices for the bouquet garni in a piece of cheesecloth and tie it shut.Ginger snap cookies are crumbled into the gravy! It might sound odd, I know, but the sweetness takes the edge off the acidity and adds a smoothness and depth to the sauce as well. In fact the name sauerbraten comes from the German words "sauer" meaning "sour" and "braten" meaning "roast meat".īut maybe even more unusual is the finishing touch to this dish. You could almost argue that you pickle the meat before cooking it, as many recipes use pickling spices to infuse the marinating liquid, which is also very acidic. It is most commonly made with beef but can also be made with venison and other meats as well. It's that bit different from an American-style roast as the meat is first marinated in a spiced wine and vinegar liquid before roasting. Sauerbraten is a kind of German pot roast. And as it got closer to Christmas, the glass generally came with a slice of stollen.īut we also enjoyed some delicious plates of sausages with braised red cabbage and other classics like jaegerschnitzel and sauerbraten. I loved that we sometimes just had to find an excuse to warm up with a glass of gluhwein (mulled wine) on a cold day.
