| Food | * * * |
| Service | * * * |
| Ambience | * * * |
| Value | 4.0 |
| Cost | $ $ |
| Dish | Price | Value | Rating | |
| Sauerbraten Dinner | $11.95 |
* * | * * 1/2 | |
| Rahmschnitzel Dinner | 12.95 |
* * | * * * |
Scheidel's is a little bit of a driving adventure. However, Scheidel's appears to be one of the few German/Swiss restaurants in this area. It is about 16 miles on Hwy. 49 (off of I-80 to Reno) toward Grass Valley. The scenery, however, is breathtaking, and the car radio reception is decent. Alta Sierra Road comes about 50 yards after you see the sign "Elevation 2000," and descends down a medium steep curving grade into endless pines. Scheidel's is a little obvious by its Bavarian (slightly gaudy) design, and the big sign off of 49 - "German Dinners." I called in advance and made reservations, as they determine when to close the restaurant by how busy they are, but generally open at 5:30pm and close by 9:00.
The decor is what you'd envision at a Swiss-style restaurant - very gaudy, but tasteful flowery tablecloths and carpet, Swiss canton crests, stained glass with beer steins and German sayings, and servers decked out in dirndls. The lighting is a little on the dark side, and it was a little noisy, due to a couple of groups laughing raucously. There were also Alpine landscapes (for sale) on the wall that were generic, but tasteful.
Our server was immediately attentive, spouting off the special, and making conversation about Switzerland and Europe (The owner apparently gets a lot of comments about the lack of French food, but he is Swiss-GERMAN). We each ordered a Coke and perused the menu, which was printed on a paper tablemat. There really isn't an a la carte menu, and there is a minimum per person charge of $9, which is easily covered, even with the soup & salad only. I finally opted for the Swiss Rahmschnitzel and J ordered the Sauerbraten.
Less than 5 minutes passed, and our water (served by an obsequious water-guy - " I hear your glasses calling," or "Half-Price, Today only!), Coke (served in tall glasses with maraschino cherries and juice), Split Pea soup, and warm pumpernickel bread arrived. The consistency was perfect, with just the right amount of peas, carrots and ham. And...there was enough soup for each of us to have nearly 3 full bowls each!! The bread was not too 'dark' tasting and the butter was soft but not melting. These little details count for a lot! Just after we finished our soup, the server commented on how we finished off the bowls so thoroughly, and would we like some more! (We thought, nah, we're going to save room for dinner!) Next, our server brought our salads, which consisted of carrots, croutons, and iceberg lettuce, drenched in a thick soup of bleu cheese dressing. We were dished out pepper from a grinder that had to be 2-1/2 feet long! The salad was refreshing after the hot soup, but not terribly impressive.
Before J & I could say "Schnitzel," our main courses came. J's Sauerbraten consisted of thinly sliced pork (a little overdone) in a dark sweet sauce, complemented by noodles and red cabbage in applesauce. The sauce was a little oversweet. My course consisted of thinly sliced veal in a sweet carmelized (the caramel taste was very strong) gravy, with noodles and a zucchini-tomato ragout. Both entrees were heavy and very sweet, keeping well within the guidelines for typical Swiss-German cuisine. We were very full from the soup and salad, and the entrees left us feeling bloated, but sated. At the moment we were finished, the server came a brought out a container to take the leftovers home in, as well as a little bag for the leftover bread.
All aspects of Scheidel's were excellent. The service was magnificent. We never felt for a single moment that anything was taking too long or that we were being ignored. It had a comfortable eating atmosphere. The food was delicious, especially the soup. It had good value for the meals, and we were completely sated. Unfortunately, Scheidel's is about 8 miles south of Grass Valley. How does one decide to go to Scheidel's? It is not really on the way back from Tahoe or anywhere. They're only open for dinner, so the decision to go has to be premeditated. It's unfortunate that Scheidel's is a 35 minute drive from Roseville, because it would be an adventure I would be willing to undertake a few more times.