A Bit of My Life » Best Kept Secret in Hamilton

Best Kept Secret in Hamilton - Zum Linzer

I felt the need to keep this restaurant to myself when I was living in Hamilton - now that I am no longer there, it’s time to let the cat out of the bag.

Forget the Schwaben Inn. Forget the Black Forest Inn. Zum Linzer is where you need to be to get your taste buds rocked and rolled.

When you walk in it looks like someone’s living room - there are cute little lace doilies on each table setting, and odd dishes on the wall that recall crafts in an old folk’s home. Looks are very deceiving.

You will need a reservation, regardless of the day of the week. I’ve tried to go there on a Tuesday evening and it was packed. Trust me, you’ll find out why.

On your first visit, you must order a dish that somehow incorporates Helmut’s (the owners) famous schnitzel. This is not hard. Most dishes on the menu somehow incorporate schnitzel. Try not to insult the poor dear chef by ordering chicken or fish - schnitzel is his god-given gift. You have to eat it.

There is a meat lovers dish that incorporates kassler, schnitzel, sausage, and a healthy wollop of the homemade sauerkraut - this is highly recommended for the meat lovers in your crowd. Otherwise, any one of the schnitzel dishes will do.

You start off with a salad and house dressing. The house dressing is delicious and the recipe will never be divulged. Once this is whisked away, your schnitzel dish will be delivered to you more speedily than if you had ordered it at a drive-through window. It will be heaven in your mouth - the schnitzel has a perfect breading on it, just crispy enough on the outside, with moist, delicious pork on the inside. Helmut is a master of his craft.

For desert, you want to order the desert that is named “Kasserschmarn” or something similar - it means hot love in German. It is partially called this so that the waiters can hear nice proper ladies saying “Give me some hot love”, and partially because that is exactly what it is - hot raspberry sauce and raspberries drizzled over vanilla ice cream.

For drinks, a good German white or some of the delicious on-tap beer both pair equally well. Coffee is strongly recommended with desert as you will not find finer coffee in a top-rated restaurant.

All of this for an extremely reasonable price tag make Zum Linzer the best dining experience in Hamilton. Guten Tag!

Dinner for 2, With Booze: Under $80.00
Location: Wentworth and Main, on Main - Park in plaza just a little further up the street
Chef: God (Helmut)