Elm & Adeline Streets
Trenton, NJ 08611
(609) 393-6133
I cannot believe the Mystery Muncher has lived in Trenton so many years without having frequented one of the city’s best restaurants.
One block from Artifacts Gallery, the Blue Danube restaurant is tucked away so nicely, if you didn’t know it was there, you would never find it. From the initial presentation of the building, which is right out of Europe, to the quaint bar and comfortably casual table settings, you know when you walk through the door things are off to a terrific start.
Our server, Robin, escorted us to our table. We had perused the menu online, and ordered the Danube Sampler (which comes for one or two), a medley of stuffed cabbage, pierogies, mititei and noodles with fried cabbage. For that course, we had Baltika beer from Russia and an Obolon, from Ukraine. The former was very dark, like Guinness, but much sweeter. The Obolon has a fresh and distinct taste, with a nice bitterness, soft in flavor yet refreshing.
While we waited for our appetizer, Robin brought us homemade bread with herbed butter. The bread was crunchy with a soft, warm inside, and the butter was homemade. I kept saying to my co-Muncher that we shouldn’t fill up on the wonderful bread, but it was difficult to resist.
The stuffed cabbage was fresh and had a hint of fennel. It was not greasy, and had not been sitting in a pan or a skillet waiting to be served. Very nice.
I have had pierogies before (I have lived in Trenton for a while), but these were freshly made and lightly seared, dressed with a dollop of sour cream. They were great, and I am going back for more.
Mititei, a Romanian sausage, is usually made with beef, pork; mutton, beef and pork, or lamb and pork—you get the idea. Pick some meats and shape them into sausage-style rolls, chilled for two to eight hours, then grilled … just awesome.
The noodles on the plate were somewhat plain by themselves, but when combined with the subtly spiced fried cabbage, they came to life. The appetizer could have been a meal.
Many friends had recommended a particular wine to accompany our entrees—the Egervin 2008 Bulls Blood. A product of Northern Hungary from the wine region around the town of Eger, it is not a very complex nor an expensive wine. It is fun to drink and it went great with our meal.
For dinner we ordered three specials, just $11.95 each. Co-Muncher ordered the Beef Goulash. I ordered the Veal Paprikas and we shared an additional order of the stuffed cabbage.
The specials come with soup or salad. We chose the cream of potato soup. It’s made with a touch of tomato that gives the soup a delicate blush. The soup is well blended, but not too creamy, and shows a subtle touch of spices.
The goulash came with noodles, seasoned with paprika, I believe some caraway seeds, and a few spices in a very good—not pasty or starchy—gravy. The combination of the gravy and noodles brought out the best in both. It was just yummy.
The Veal Paprikas, an extremely tender veal marinated in paprika cream sauce, was served with fresh home made spaetzle. This is another dish I will go back for. The veal was not tough at all, and was so perfectly cooked I only needed my fork to cut it. The spaetzle was made in house and, truthfully, was the best I have ever had. When combined with the cream sauce from the veal, well, we found ourselves spooning out the combination like it was a dessert.
The stuffed cabbage was filled with pork, beef, and rice, slow cooked with tomatoes, sauerkraut, and shredded cabbage. It was another special from Margaret and Peter Pulhac, the owners, that is right out of the old world. Just delicious.
We enjoyed our meal without question, and enjoyed the company of three ladies to my left and another friend two table away. It’s that kind of restaurant, where you find yourself interacting with people at the next table like some extended family dinner at your great aunt’s house. Who knew? I wish I had gone there sooner.
We were full, but one look at the dessert tray and we knew we needed that perfect after-dinner sweetness to finish the evening. There was a boatload of choices, but we settled on made-in-house cheesecake and Savarina, a rum-soaked sponge cake topped with fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and a generous amount of rum.
Whoa baby! The cake was remarkable in that, even though it was drenched in rum, it was still very springy. How do they do that? The cheesecake was very creamy, a generous portion, and also very good, a classic taste that everyone enjoys.
Robin brewed some fresh decaf for Co-Muncher, and I had the KGB: a serving of Kahlua, Grand Marnier and Bailey’s in a good cup of coffee. What a way to finish the meal.
So, grab some friends, stop in to see Marge and Bob at Artifacts Gallery before 5 p.m., and then off to The Blue Danube. You are set to enjoy two of Trenton’s finest places! Blue Danube accepts major credit cards.
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