We were on a quick getaway to Harrison Hot Springs for a couple of days and one night. Typically a summer tourist destination, we were surprised to learn that there was still plenty to see and do during this, their cold and rainy off-season.
Harrison has a few really unique and special dining options, and one of them is Black Forest, a traditional German restaurant located right at the centre of the town.
We had the option of being seated indoors or out on their covered and heated patio, up front. We opted for the latter as decorated for the holiday season and with its all glass facade, it felt like you were in a snow globe.
We would order a handful of their more traditional dishes to share between three. Starting with the Black Forest green house salad that came highly recommended by our server. None of us typically order salad when dining out, but were glad we took the recommendation. It does not look like much, but was a tasty and uniquely dressed salad of butter lettuce with their house made creamy herb vinaigrette dressing. The sweetness of the lettuce came through. I surprisingly liked the raw slices of mushroom in the mix, for their specific texture and more muted flavour. But the star of the show was the dressing that was a cross between tartar sauce and ranch, both of which I like.
Given the rarity of them, we wanted the Escargots de Bourgogne. Half a dozen snails baked in a garlic herb butter. Not surprisingly the snails weren’t fresh and the oily butter and dense seasoning could only do so much to hide that fact. This was more oil than snail, and became a dip for the side of bread.
We had to order the oven roasted Pork Hock served with sauerkraut, as a handsome display on the plate. It was equal parts fatty and dry with tough pork meat and a thicker layer of gelatinous fat, all under crispy pork skin. A heavy dish, the tangy mustard on the side was necessary to add acid and balance it out.
The vegetables sides also allowed us to breathe in between bites. They were the same for all of our 3 mains. Delicious roasted potatoes for starch and base, firm and crispy carrots and broccoli for texture and freshness, and a serving of pickled purple cabbage for acidity and tang.
Spaetzle “Jaeger Art”, homemade German pasta with their Black Forest mushroom sauce. As it should, the pasta ate more like eggs in taste and texture. Tender chewy strands that are best taken in a mouthful. I liked them as is, with the mushroom gravy it ate more like a poutine sans cheese.
This is their house made Hausegemachte Bratwurst served on a bed of sauerkraut and then topped with fried onions and a peppercorn sauce. This was a clean and juicy sausage. Not too salty, it had a tasty depth to it, thanks to its unique mix of herbs and seasoning. Not flat and one toned like other bratwursts I have had. This one you actually could and would enjoy as is, and as its own entree.
Black Forest’s menu includes a large listing of Schnitzel made in house and dressed in a variety of topping and sauce combinations, that is hard to narrow down. We eventually settled on the Schnitzel Charlotte topped with shrimp, crab meat and scallops in a Riesling sauce. This was a pounded flat slab of pork, breaded to a crisp for equal parts chewy and crispy. Dry as is, the creamy seafood topping and sauce helped to add some moisture in this German take on surf and turf.
Although we were already pretty full, we did contemplate dessert, but with options like chocolate cake and cheesecake and with our familiarity with both cakes, we decided to opt out.
In closing, Black Forest is a great spot in Harrison Hot Springs for some authentic German cuisine. Bumping during summer, but now cozy and warm for winter.
Black Forest Steak & Schnitzel House
180 Esplanade Ave, Harrison Hot Springs, BC V0M 1K0
(604) 796-9343
blackforest-restaurant.com
