Dh and I finally made it out to Schumacher’s Grill today. It was a gorgeous day, with little traffic and lots of sunshine on Hwy 19. It takes about 34 minutes to get there, but it’s a sweet way to catch the last colors of fall, see the textures that have been hidden all summer long and to get a few minutes to listen to some classical jams on the radio while discussing the new home situation with the dh sitting next to you.
Most of the old timers around here know of John Schumacher, the super chef. There’s a long history here, but I won’t go into that. Suffice to say that he is back at the old hotel, which is lovely and decidedly Czech, mixed with Americana here and there in the form of wall art.
Now, to the important part…the food. I had a Grilled tea salmon sandwich with Swiss cheese, pineapple, craisin compote, and tartar sauce, and lettuce on a ciabatta bun that was the best I ever had. I had a vegetable soup called Vomacka, which had green beans, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, dill, cream and ??? (here is a recipe, but not the recipe link; http://www.chef2chef.net/recipes/recipe-archive/30/162813.shtml It was very, very good. Quite delectable, would go back for more, yummy and nothing bad to say about it good. I had no room for dessert, but we brought home a few apricot kolaches, which were super delicious at four for five dollars. Iced tea, which was too strong for me, but better than the local water they serve. Ick.
My dh had the Hotel Burger with American cheese, a pile of grilled onions, bacon, dill pickle and lettuce on Ciabatta bun, with French fries. He said it was as good as the Northfield Golf Club’s burger and he thinks those are the best in the state, as far as he can tell.
The service was good, and the servers were many. I think we had three. No music, but we sat by a window and we were entertained by all the people going to Wells Fargo drive thru ATM on a Saturday afternoon. Some even walked up.
I don’t know if there is easy handicap access. The front had several stairs, but there may be a back way or ‘rear entrance’ as some people call this architectural function. I am from Chicago and we have alleys and the back ways. Call first.
Reservations are a good idea, and call for hours as well. Good luck to the Schumachers! Your food is worth driving for.
http://schumacherhotel.com/restaurant.html