Central & Eastern Washington - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 370

( www.southleavenworth.com ; 913 Front St; mains $15-21; lunch & dinner) Sick of sausages
and sauerkraut? (Most people crumble after three days. Divert here. The Mexican menu
with Cuban and Peruvian inflections is cool and creative but always true to its Hispanic
roots. Highlights of a made-from-scratch roll call are the self-proclaimed 'to-die-for'
Oaxaca mole, the melt-in-your-mouth nachos and 30-odd types of tequila. It also offers
(sigh) good old German sausage.
Café Christa GERMAN$$$
( www.cafechrista.com ; upstairs 801 Front St; mains $13-20) Christa's features quaint European
decor, discreet yet polite service and a menu that rustles up a plethora of old-world clas-
sics such as bratwurst, Wiener schnitzel and Jäger schnitzel served with sauce, red cab-
bage and spätzle. Even better, you can wash it all down with an accompanying stein of
Hofbräuhaus Munich lager.
Pavs Cafe Bistro FRENCH$$$
(833 Front St; crepes $10-20; 11:30am-9pm Mon-Fri, 9am-9pm Sat & Sun) Ah, oui! If another
lick of accordion music will make you run screaming for the mountains, tuck instead into
this wee French cafe serving delicious crepes, seafood and French-ified steaks and pas-
tas. It's also one of the best choices in town for breakfast.
Andreas Keller GERMAN$$$
( www.andreaskellerrestaurant.com ; 829 Front St; mains from $15; lunch & dinner) The definit-
ive Leavenworth experience lurks in this cavernous basement or rathskeller, with a genu-
ine Oktoberfest atmosphere inspired by lederhosen-clad accordionists crooning Bavarian
drinking songs. To add to the authenticity, the head chef is German and prepares wonder-
ful Wiener schnitzels, potato salad, sauerkraut, red cabbage and rye bread.
Visconti's ITALIAN$$$
( www.viscontis.com ; 636 Front St; lunch & dinner) Another escape from Bavaria lets you
head south (figuratively speaking) to Visconti's, where you may think you've reached
Italy, so good is the ravioli - and the wines.
Icicle Brewery PUB
(935 Front St; pub meals $6-10; noon-10pm) This pub is in the brewery itself, with big vats
shining behind the bar. The modern, industrial-hip building brings you back to the Pacif-
ic Northwest with light meals like soups and Ploughman's plates that (like the five deli-
cious beers on tap) all use local ingredients.