The surprise of the strudel was its seasoning — garlic and oregano, huh?! In fact, the Rainers' background is Italian-Austrian, and they describe their food as representing both the Austrian and the Italian sides of the Alps. Right now, the Italian side comes through only in a halfhearted mushroom pappardelle ($11.75). Staying on the subject of dishes that weren't so fantastic: a Linzer torte ($5.75) for dessert that shows little evidence of the Austrian genius for desserts, and a hunk of braised shortribs ($16.75) that needed another hour or two in the pot. That said, the beef came with a heap of braised red cabbage, quietly sweet-tart.
Even at its meatiest, the food comes off as fresh and brightly flavored. The wiener schnitzel ($12.75) almost touches the borders of the platter it's served on, but the wavy golden cutlet is barely a quarter-inch thick, and there's no sheen of excess oil on its crisp, golden surface. The bratwurst, braised pork ribs, and pink-centered smoked pork loin dominating the choucroute garnie ($17.75) aren't the focal point of the dish: the mound of caraway-flecked sauerkraut is. The Rainers' take on Hungarian goulash ($12.75, $15 with a small glass of Spaten), spikes the boldly seasoned, paprika-reddened pork stew with caraway, too. The stew makes up half of a swirling yin-yang symbol on the plate, its complement a pile of nubbly, delicate spaetzle.
Lara Hata
Wiener schnitzel light: the golden cutlet is thinner than most.
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Leopold's
2400 Polk (at Union), 474-2000, www.facebook.com/leopoldssf. 5:30-10 p.m. Sun.-Thu.; 5:30 p.m.-midnight Fri.-Sat. Muni: 19, 41, 45, 47, 49, 76. No reservations.
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Why the prospect of wiener schnitzel, braised lamb shank, and chicken with chestnut dumplings incites so many people to test the limits of their tolerance for beer, I can't say, but Leopold's food is good enough to attract diners like me who are out for an evening, not a bender. If you're one of the latter, though, here's a tip: The restaurant has posted a photo of its five-liter stein on its Facebook page. I don't want to be around when you reach the bottom.
