Hello to all my Juniper Berry friends and family!

I would like to take this opportunity to pay homage to a place very near and dear to many hearts: Niederstein’s, a true Middle Village gem. A place so many of us knew and loved for so many generations. If you can believe it, the restaurant was opened as a roadhouse originally in the 1850s by Henry Schumacher. In 1888, German Immigrant and chef John Niederstein purchased the restaurant, and the rest, as they say, was history!

That area of Metropolitan Avenue was known as the “Queens cemetery belt” and Niederstein’s thrived with the Sunday cemetery crowds. Over time, Niederstein built the restaurant up into an impressive space boasting 32 rooms which was a huge success. Aside from serving the cemetery crowd Niederstein’s was a destination for diners on holidays and all throughout the year.

An amazing fact about Niederstein’s is that it only had a handful of owners in its almost 150 years of operation. As a matter of fact, from 1968 through its final year in 2005 it was owned and operated by Reiner and Horst Herink according to a few neighborhood folks I have talked with over the years. Today that is almost an impossible thought to ponder with all the fast food and business turnarounds.

According to Forgotten New York’s 2008 article, in Niederstein’s heyday, the restaurant served over 130,000 dinners per year, which over the last 20 years of operation came to 330,000 pounds of sauerbraten along with 330 gallons of gravy, as well as 200,000 pounds of pork loin. We had to say goodbye to Niederstein’s in 2005 when the property was sold to Arby’s.

While the former glory of Niederstein’s is gone forever, I did find it especially heartwarming to see that the proprietors of Arby’s have paid tribute to the former German cuisine mecca by adorning their restaurant with some of the stained-glass panels and other classy mentions of what formerly stood there for so many years. Hats off to them for that, and in honor of Niederstein’s and all the good memories, here is a Sauerbraten recipe I hope you all love as much as I do. It is not from the Niederstein’s vault, but it will have to do!

PS… Anyone who is still looking to enjoy an amazing German dining experience, please go and see my friends at the iconic Zum Stammtisch for an unforgettable dinner in an amazingly charming environment! Zum Stammtisch is located at 69-46 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, NY 11385. You may have heard that they closed their pork store, but their dining room is still going strong.

Chef John Ricco’s Sauerbraten:
What you will need to prepare Chef John Ricco’s Sauerbraten:
3 Pound Beef Rump Roast
3 Spanish Onions
12 Whole Cloves
3-4 Bay Leaves
1 ¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 TBSP Ground White Pepper
1 TBSP Sugar
2 Cups Water
4 TBSP AP Flour
2 TBSP Olive Oil
12 Ginger Snap Cookies.

1st Step
Rough chop the onions and add in a large pot or bowl the rump roast, onions, vinegar, water, salt & pepper, bay leaves, sugar, and cloves. Leave the roast covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days, make sure to turn the roast every day. After the 3rd day remove the meat from the brine and pat it dry. Do not discard the marinade!

2nd Step
Take your AP flour and season it with salt and pepper to taste. Thoroughly cover the rump roast all over.

3rd Step
In a large pot, preferably a Dutch oven, or some other cast iron vessel, if you have one, heat up your olive oil and cook the roast on all sides until brown on all sides. Be careful not to burn your olive oil; if you prefer a higher smoke point for your oil you can use avocado oil or vegetable oil.

4th Step
Now you want to cover the browned roast with the marinade we saved, cover the pot, and reduce to a medium heat. Simmer the beef until it is tender as long as 3-4 hours.

5th Step
Remove your roast from the pot and let rest covered in a bowl. Strain the remaining solids from the braising liquid and continue cooking over a low – medium heat. In a Ziploc bag, crush up your ginger snap cookies and add to the liquid. Stir in the crushed cookies vigorously and constantly stir for around 10 minutes.

6th Step
Now transfer your sauerbraten to a cutting board and slice into ¼-inch thick slices. Smother your sliced beef in the gravy you have made and enjoy.

I recommend making a German red cabbage and either roasted or mashed potatoes to enjoy with this delicious sauerbraten.

GUTEN APPETIT!