As you enter what was once the Titus Will auto dealership, you notice a complete transformation. The space is huge (approximately 14,000 square feet), but it has been redesigned to be cozy and warm. A massive fireplace fills the center of the room with wraparound seating. Accents include Belgian wood doors, crystal chandeliers, reclaimed SeaTac streetlights, four post lights from actor Michael Douglas’ former home, and green enamel sconces from an old Tacoma factory.
Within this space is housed an on-site bakery that produces all of the restaurant’s breads, including pretzels, rye bread and desserts such as Berliners and strudel. An in-house charcuterie program produces at least a half-dozen daily sausage choices from a kitchen outfitted with a smokehouse.
A good place to start your dining experience at Rhein Haus is with the Oktober sampler: a large variety of in-house smoked and cured meats, cheeses and rye bread. Other savory menu items include sausages and schnitzel. A ShowCase favorite is the pork schnitzel accompanied by apple slaw. The cutlet’s delightful crunchiness comes from a light pretzel breading, and then it’s served with a rich butter sauce complemented with lemon, capers, parsley and shallots.
For dessert the restaurant creates fresh-made sweets daily. German chocolate cake tops our favorites list. Another decadent option is Banana Bavaroise, a flan-inspired dessert with peanuts, malted meringue and chocolate ganache.
The on-site executive chef, Kelly Wilson, speaks highly of the restaurant’s quality German food. “We are consistently delivering good food and reaching new limits of what is possible. I’m really proud of what our team is accomplishing in such a small time. The owners are really great people who promise to focus on the people as we strive to make the experience excellent.”
We think they are hitting the mark on that note!
253-572-4700; rheinhaustacoma.com
649 DIVISION AVE, Tacoma