Das Alpen Cafe

For a minute there, I could swear I was back in Europe.


Nestled in the main plaza in Rincon, Puerto Rico, Das Alpen Cafe looks almost entirely out of place with its charming street balcony, sky-blue terrace curtains and street menu, but what a welcoming sight, indeed. That's because this German & Puertorican couple-owned, quaint German-Italian restaurant could very well be a one-of-a-kind experience for visitors, especially local ones. As you step inside, you see a not-too-large but comfortable, tasteful space complete with wide tables, chandeliers and amply-spaced bar. I quickly spotted where I wanted to be: the bar. Where else could you get continuous, one-on-one interaction with the staff, especially if it's your first visit? (There's also the beer, but... you know...)


Not surprisingly, that's exactly what happened. We were quickly greeted and attended to with menus, table settings, and answers to all curiosities about the German beer selection. Since beer selection is only just starting to expand in the island, I had been dying to have a simple Paulaner since my visit to Frankfurt 3 years ago, so I wasted no time in ordering one. Once my German beer anxiety had been tranquilized, we got down to the food business. We ordered the Das Alpen Bruschetta and the Potato Soup. Both were really good, but had minor drawbacks, as the soup was a little runny (I like my potato soups nice and creamy) and the bruschettas had little to offer taste-wise. Some of the minor flavors ended up overpowering the essential ones, as was the case with the capers on the smoked salmon bruschetta. I'm a huge fan of smoked salmon, and I always prefer to let its flavor stand out.

At this point, I'm not very excited about the main dishes, but what the heck. The bartender is cool.

The menu has two sides, on one you'll find the Italian dishes (like the homemade pumpkin ravioli) and on the other, the German dishes. Nowadays you can find Italian food everywhere, so we went for the more traditional German experience. I went for the Jaeger Schnitzel or “Hunters schnitzel,” a pork cutlet with white wine and cream reduction with bacon and wild mushroom, served with red cabbage and homemade bread dumplings - only I chose to have veal instead of the pork cutlet. Luckily for me, my partner in crime picked my second choice, the Sauerbraten - Beef marinated for four days then slow braised in red wine, vinegar, juniper, cloves and other spices, also served with red cabbage and bread dumplings.

Excellent. Now I get to taste both!


While our food was being prepared, we decided to have the beers another go. I've been to Hofbrauhaus in Munich, but I didn't get a chance to really taste everything, so I was itching to fulfill my thwarted destiny with Hofbrau. I chose their Hefe-Weisen “Munich Wheat Specialty”: unfiltered and characterized by its refreshing fruity taste, and once again, my partner almost telepathically picked my second choice, the Schneider Weisse Hefe-Weisen, a craft beer with deep sedimentation that needed to be let drip for about two minutes before drinking. I have to say, I can't tell which one I liked better. Both were excellent.

As the beer began to kick in our brains (I swear I sipped, scout's honor!), our food arrived, looking devilishly delicious. However, with our appetizer and soup experience, we w