Buffalo is not a new city. In fact, it’s so old that they have a place called Ulrich’s 1868 Tavern. The 1868 means it first opened in 1868, you know, three years after the Civil War concluded and the first year of the Meiji Restoration. So the place is old, and despite some recent renovations, Ulrich’s definitely maintains the old world charm that makes it easy to picture old shipmen in the 1800s hanging out with Buffalo wenches.

Despite the apparent misgivings of my waitress, I decided to have one of their specials for dinner. It was called the Holstein Schnitzel and was basically a variation on their regular weinerschnitzel with a fried egg on top. I picked chicken over veal and while the menu said it came with potatoes, I decided to get an additional side of mac and cheese because it was supposed to be damn good.

Unfortunately, when the schnitzel came out, it appeared to be the veal variety and also had a bunch of sauerkraut. These were both disappointing and although I told the waitress it was the wrong meat, she seemed confused and I just decided to go with it. Unfortunately the kraut juices effectively destroyed the potatoes, but the schnitzel survived for the most part and was pretty good despite being the wrong meat. The egg was perfect and runny, but could not make up for the kraut.

The mac was just as delicious as billed, though. It was perfectly creamy and the noodles were cooked perfectly. If I were to go back to Ulrich’s, I would just load up on mac and cheese. I can’t imagine anything better on the menu and very few things go better with beer in a tavern 146 years young.

Sausages are all the rage these days, and why shouldn’t they be? Who can turn down a good old fashioned tube and a nice brewski? For once, I could. You see, while I headed to Wirtshaus in Mid-City fully intending to tackle some sort of “wurst,” I surprised myself by going in a different direction. This direction was that of pretzel and schnitzel (and never fear, for I made sure to take down a brewski as well).

First, let’s start with the pretzel. The menu spelled it as “Bretzel,” which I now know is some crazy German way of spelling the beloved pretzel. This was done in the Bavarian style, which meant it was big and soft. It came with a useless sweet mustard that may come in handy for some, but not for a man with mustard disdain. Unfortunately, no other dipping sauce was available, for while this pretzel was poofy and salted nicely, it was far too dry to eat on its own.

As for my main course, I went with the Wirtshaus Schnitzel, a special of theirs that was not on their regular menu. Instead of regular pork schnitzel, I opted for chicken, but the special did not end there. The schnitzel was topped with a creamy sauce and a fried egg for good measure. Then, for even better measure, it came with two sides. I chose their fried potatoes with bacon and spaetzl.

Before I get any further, you may be wondering why a man such as I did not order any sausage. Well, to be truthful, I feel as though I am spoiled in the sausage realm. I’ve had regular sausages, but I’ve also had kangaroo, wild boar, duck, bison, rattlesnake and alligator. I’ve even had some of the best bratwurst in the world in Wisconsin. Yet, when I looked at Wirtshaus’s sausage offerings, nothing stood out to me. So to me, schnitzel felt like a more interesting dish, at least on this night.

And I am glad it did.

Because the schnitzel was delicious. The cream sauce turned the crispy breading a little soggy at parts, but added a nice flavoring to make up for it. There were some little slices of tomato that had accompanied the cream sauce, but I was able to easily brush them aside and get on with my life. The fried egg was a nice touch and added a unique element to my meal. While it could have been runnier, I was happy for the unique taste and texture it brought to my chicken.

Yet, with all this, the sides almost outshined the main meal. The spaetzl (a delicious German pasta/dumpling) had been cooked and salted to perfection and the potatoes with bacon were stellar. Of course, any combination of potato and bacon should be expected to be delicious, but these things were chopped into home fry-sized chunks and fried to a crisp. Yet, on the inside they were remarkably soft and easy to eat.

So while Wirtshaus wasn’t a complete home run, it still knocked some aspects out of the park. While I’m glad their lack of interesting sausages led me to their tasty schnitzel, I definitely think they could add a few more to mix things up. It may not be the best haus I’ve been to, but it was far from the worst.

As a Jew who clearly doesn’t keep Kosher (see any entry on bacon, cheeseburgers or shellfish), I sometimes find it fun to eat a meal the way my Kosher brethren do. In LA this means a trip to Pico and Robertson, which my girlfriend affectionately calls “Little Israel,” although actual Israel can hardly be called “big.” Kosher restaurants either serve meat or dairy, so to take care of my unvegan needs, this Kosher pilgrimage took me to the meat-based Haifa Restaurant.

Haifa serves traditional Middle-Eastern foods like schwarma and kebabs, which is nice since you wouldn’t really want to put cheese or other dairy foods with them. I perused the pita sandwiches and decided the Fried Schnitzel sounded just delightful. When I ordered, I asked what came inside the sandwich and the waitress told me it was the schnitzel, hummus and salad. Actually, that was what came in all their sandwiches, so instead of choosing something different, I just ordered it without and hoped there would be enough schnitzel and hummus to fill the thing.

Before my sandwich came, the waitress brought out a bunch of different miniature side dishes. This was all good and well for the veggie munching crowd, but there wasn’t anything to offer for unvegans. Oh well, it was a little bonus that I hadn’t been expecting anyway and it kept the rest of the table happy. Suckers.

My pita sandwich came and looked perfect. Not a vegetable in sight. I chomped in and found it pretty enjoyable. The combination of breaded chicken with pita was a nice double dose of carbs that I always appreciate and the hummus helped keep it moist. If anything, this could have used a bit more hummus, but it was pretty good as is. The meat was actually pretty awesome and was definitely the quality I expect from Kosher meat. Of course, this came at the somewhat premium cost of $8.95. Yet, the premium wasn’t huge when you consider the cost of some sandwiches in LA that don’t even adhere to strict ethical and religious codes.