Like most good German restaurants, the food here tastes fresh, with very simple ingredients providing the flavors. Dinners start out with bread and soup, and if you go on a day when Lentil Soup is being served you are in for a real taste treat--this soup is as good or better than any of the "lent special" soups served in Mexican restaurants, mainly due to the fresh ingredients used. It tastes as if it is made from scratch, and I am sure this is the case.

I have found from experience, though, that the soup is almost always one of the high points of the meal, regardless of the type of soup served. The chef changes the soup from time to time, but it is always made from scratch. In this regard, Gunther's is one of the most authentic German restaurants I have found.

The bread is excellent as well, but I learned a tip several years ago--you can buy the bread at Marina's German Bakery on Trawood. Gunther's serves several types of bread, and it always tastes as if it had been baked the same day.

German salad is actually several different salads and appetizers

Gunther's Edelweiss is well known for its German Salad--a mixture of several simple but flavorful greens. Like the soup and bread, this is one of the best parts of the meal. I do not know the process the restaurant uses to make the salads, but its freshness and flavor makes it stand out from most others.

Wienerschnitzel is the specialty of Gunther's

Schnitzels are one of the specialties of the restaurant, and several types are available. Several are made with pork, including the breaded Wienerschnitzel. Gunther's used to serve one cutlet for lunch and two for dinner, but now it serves a single cutlet on all dinners. I do not know how anyone could complain, though, that this is not substantial enough for a meal (especially with the side dishes and appetizers that are served). Of the several main dishes I have tried, I thought the Wienerschnitzel was one of the best. A friend who used to live in Germany pointed out that Gunther's stands in relatively small company by adequately pounding the meat until it is as tender as it should be to be served in a Schnitzel.

The Chicken Schnitzel, though, has been equally good. I suspect the kitchen takes equal care in preparing the chicken as the other meats, because I have also found it to be quite tender. The flavor, though, is something I especially enjoy.

Jäger Schnitzel

Jäger Schnitzel has a mushroom sauce instead of the breading, and is another traditional German dish served at Gunther's. Although I thought the meat was excellent, I did not enjoy the sauce as much as the breading on the traditional Wienerschnitzel. I enjoy mushrooms, but the Jäger Schnitzel was covered by so many it was hard to taste the meat.

Sauerbraten

Sauerbraten had a good sauce and good quality meat, but as with other dishes I thought the meat was more outstanding than the sauce.

I am not a big sausage eater, but I believe this is one of the other specialties of the restaurant.

Fish is available (which I recall was pretty good), and I have enjoyed other things I have tried. I think that everything at the restaurant is prepared the way it should be, but it is a matter of taste as to which ones each person will like.

A friend of mine really liked the rouladen, but I do not remember enough about it to recommend it as one of the best dishes.

For side dishes I have always enjoyed the German fried potatoes and the red cabbage, among others.

Black forest

To me the Black Forest cake was good, but not to the same quality as the main meal. Desserts here, though, as less expensive than at many other restaurants, so they may be worth a try.