Black Forest Review in the Dining Out Guide
Black Forest Restaurant brings the best of German cuisine and hospitality to La Cruz
Dear Gringa Gourmet,
I’m headed north up the coast to do some exploring beyond Puerto Vallarta. Is there a restaurant you’d recommend adding to my “itinerary?”
-- So many restaurants, so little time
Dear So Little Time,
One of my all-time favorites is the Black Forest in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, an easy ten-mile jaunt from Vallarta, which is well worth the drive. (Check out the website). Everything on the menu is delectable, offering many lovely culinary departures from standard fare. Each of the beautiful twelve-page menus features an inset black and white snapshot of a different European city, in celebration of the restaurant’s continental cuisine. An intimate courtyard dining area, vibrant with scarlet walls, offers half a dozen tables-for-four, each smartly appointed with black linens topped with white, against the backdrop of overflowing fuchsia bougainvillea on the street side perimeter, and petrified tree trunk columns that support the roof. A majestic nearby Mango tree, interesting statuary, and a restful flowing fountain complete the picture.
Once having ordered a libation and chatted with the restaurant’s friendly quartet of co-owners, Chef Winfried Kuffner ––who brings extensive training/experience from some of Germany and Switzerland’s more renowned restaurants–– his wife Andrea, her brother Peter and his wife Yvonne Demetz ––who first launched the business in 1997 as Papasito’s–– the challenge is deciding what to order, given the many delicious options. For starters, I highly recommend the Toast Williams ($55 pesos), a wonderful combination of ham, blanched pear and Roquefort cheese melted atop toasted bread. Three other choices including a baked feta cheese, tomato and black olive dip promise to titillate your taste buds. For your second course, share a bowl of the rich, flavorful Potato Bisque topped with crunchy homemade croutons ($35 pesos) or one of the restaurant’s three salad choices, but save plenty of room for the generous and delicious entrees.
Although the Black Forest offers various pasta dishes, I cannot resist the German cuisine for which the restaurant is famous: Schnitzel Baden-Baden ($98 pesos)—breaded pork loin with red wine gravy served with spatzle and red cabbage is a winner. Another great choice is the Hungarian Goulash—lean and tender chunks of pork loin stewed in bell pepper gravy and served over fettuccini. If you’re a coconut fan, you will love the Chicken India, a butterflied pollo breast battered in coconut flakes combined with curry sauce and served on a bed of mangos along with a timbale of rice. My personal favorite is the Black Forest Casserole ($115 pesos)--Sautéed pork tenderloin served on knopfle and spinach in Roquefort cream sauce gratineed with Gouda cheese and topped with a “tipsy” prune rolled in bacon. (Oh, be still my heart!) Equally inspired/delectable fish, beef and chicken choices are also options. Children’s portions of any item on the menu, as well a special menu for kids—all taste-tested and approved by the owners’ children, Susana, Judith and Cheyenne-- are available for the little ones.
The wine list is lovely, offering several reasonably priced red and white choices by the glass and bottle, including German favorites such as Liebfraumilch, Riesling and Hambacher Schloss. Grand Finale choices not to be missed are Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte ($40 pesos), chocolate cake layered with kirsch-marinated cherries and whipped cream, and/or one of the decadent specialty Kaffees ($30-$40 pesos.) Guten Appetit!
