Fritz & Frites is popular little gem in Galena, IL.  Look for the pretzel shaped sign on the north end of Main street.  The small menu samples from French and German cuisine, with dishes like rouladin, escargot, schnitzel, and poulet roti.  The quality of the food and the execution of the meal was really a cut above. I was surprised to find out the restaurant is only 4 years old, it seemed like it had been there forever.

I must admit to having mixed feelings about Galena.  It’s a little bit of a tourist trap town, that’s for sure, and most tourist traps (Wisconsin Dells, Branson) I can only enjoy on an ironic level.  Galena isn’t quite as kitschy as those others though (I only counted 2 fudge shops) and when you look past the throngs of tourists on the main street you realize it is a strikingly beautiful town.  And, besides Fritz & Frites, I’ve already eaten at two other very good restaurants there, 111 Main and Cannova’s (both to be covered in more detail later, I’m sure).  And anyways, is there anything so bad about tourists, even if they are from Chicago?  😉

Pictured above is my schweinschnitzel with red cabbage and spaetzle.  The schnitzel had a panko bread crumb style crust and was cooked well, just ever so slightly dry.  I would have loved a bit of gravy drizzled on top.  The spaetzle and red cabbage were the perfect sides.  Below is Leslie’s choucroute garni (cured meats with warm sauerkraut) and red potatoes.  This was a stunning dish.  There were three kinds of sausage (only one I could identify, a weisswurst) and ham.  I couldn’t pick a favorite between them, each was tasty and unique.  The mustard served with the meal was brilliant.  When we return, I will probably order this.  But for everything we ordered, there were two more items on the menu tempting us.

Oh and how could I forget the giant “brick” of frites!  We expected a small dish of fries after all it was from the a la carte part of the menu.  We were definitely surprised.  The waitress claimed that it was made from only one potato.

We really plan on spending more time in Galena (it is actually closer to our house than Madison).  But there are people out there who know the area better than we do, any suggestions?  By the way, Galena is named for the lead ore found in the area (the same ore found in many other Driftless Area towns) and it was home to a US president  (don’t take it for GRANTed that you know which one!).

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