The Cupertino Courier Photograph by Skye Dunlap Hardy Steiner hoists a German beer before munching on a hearty lunch of pork, sauerkraut and potatoes. A piece of Bavaria rests in Silicon Valley's heart By Pam Marino There's a bit of Bavaria right in the heart of Silicon Valley. Walk into Hardy's Bavaria in Sunnyvale and it's like being transported to Germany, with German music playing in the background, the rich smell of schnitzel and strudel, and even the latest German newspapers and magazines on display. Hardy Steiner, who came to the United States from the state of Bavaria in Germany more than 30 years ago, opened his restaurant and bar nine years ago at the corner of West Evelyn and Sunnyvale avenues. Before that, Steiner was a chef at Dinah's Shack in Palo Alto for 27 years until it closed. He decided he was too young to retire, so he started Hardy's Bavaria. Steiner and his staff cook up German-Austrian food, he said. And although some people often assume German food is heavy, Steiner said that isn't necessarily so. He said just like the food from any other nation, German-Austrian food offers lots of variety. One of Steiner's mainstays is schnitzel, which is a meat cutlet prepared something like scaloppini. A wiener schnitzel is a veal cutlet--not a hot dog, though many Americans may think that because of the fast food chain Wienerschnitzel. "That's not it," Steiner said, waving his hand. The restaurant also serves dishes like sauerbraten, a round of beef marinated and braised, like a pot roast, and served with potato pancakes and red cabbage. "We use a lot of potato pancakes; they're very popular," Steiner said. Also offered are several different bratwursts, as well as rack-of-lamb, or Lammrücken in der Kräuterkruste, which is lamb roasted in an herb crust. The restaurant also has seafood items like trout and scampi. "We smoke our own salmon--it's one of our biggest sellers here for appetizers and for full meals," Steiner said. For those who prefer meatless dishes, Steiner has provided items like Gemüsestrudel, or vegetable strudel, and Käsespätzle, a German pasta baked with mixed vegetables, mozzarella and gruyere. And of course there are dumplings. One dish is Troler Semmelknödel, a bread dumpling in a ragout of different mushrooms. The apple strudel is baked two to three times a day in the restaurant "so it's always hot and fresh," Steiner said. Hardy's also offers German chocolate cake and cheesecake for dessert. Dinner prices range from $8.95 to $16.95 for entrees; lunch from $4.95 to $8.00. Hardy's also sells several German beers, including three on tap: Spaten, Erdinger, and, for Lent, Weltënburger Bock, a very dark, rich beer. Steiner said the story behind the beer is that the monks, who were supposed to fast during Lent, brewed themselves the beer to make up for the food they weren't eating. The beverage list includes many German wines, and 15 different German liquors. Hardy's Bavaria is at 111 W. Evelyn Avenue in Sunnyvale. Phone 408/720-1531. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays. The restaurant is closed Sundays and Mondays. [ Back to Contents Page | Cupertino Courier Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Cupertino Courier, February 3, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.