Sterle's Country House

It's suddenly November, and it's that time of year when I take a glance at my annual "To Dine" list to see what I have left to accomplish before the start of the new year. For 2013, I was left with four restaurants to tackle by the end of next month. Time to get crackin'.

Luckily, I have a troop of friends who are always up for helping me cross one off of the list. This led us to a last-minute trip to Sterle's Country House on Saturday evening.

Between three days of work travel and five days of early mornings last week, I was exhausted. I just wanted to crawl inside of a cozy sweater, fill my belly with comfort food, and spend quiet relaxing time with friends. That is exactly what we did, and it was perfection.

I immediately fell in love with Sterle's from the moment that we were seated. We had dropped the average age in the room by at least a decade, the smells coming from the kitchen were heavenly, and the live polka band had us clapping our hands and moving in our seats.

The best way to sample their menu is to select the Family Style Meal (for at least two people, and no more than one Family Style is allowed at a table). With this option, you select three of the entrées, one side dish, and it also comes with a house salad, steamed vegetable, coffee or soft drink, and dessert.

"R" and I wanted to try the Wienerschnitzel, Pierogies, and Chicken Paprikash. We selected the dumplings as our side, to be paired with the paprikash.

A half portion is pictured. When sharing the Family Style between two people, they go ahead and spilt the platter for you (which was great!). No fighting over schnitzel.

Sokolowski's will still reign supreme for the pierogies, but the schntizel and paprikash were better at Sterle's (in my opinion). The cafeteria-style of Sokolowski's is fun and an experience, but the fact that the food sits out can hurt the quality at times.

The Family Style is $20 a person, and it includes a ton of food. Bread, individual salads, and dessert were also included. We were still fighting off a food coma hours later. It's hearty, filling, and sticks with you. The individual entrees are in the $15 - $18 range, making this restaurant quite a deal. For example, the individual entrée of Wienerschnitzel includes a house salad, choice of potato as a side, and THREE good-sized pieces of schnitzel for just $18.

Free parking is in the large lot next to the restaurant. It's so big that the Cleveland Flea has been held there. The restaurant also has a private event space, and a large bier garden. I'd love to go back on a (warmer) Sunday for their Bloody Mary bar, and to sit in their outdoor bier garden. This spot just made it on to our list of restaurants that requires a visit at least a couple of times a year.

Frank Sterle's Slovenian Country House

1401 East 55th Street

Cleveland, OH 44103

Get directions

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(216) 881-4181