State College staple Herwig’s closed 6 years ago. A look back at its unique fare, atmosphere

In our Uniquely stories, CDT journalists celebrate what we love most about Centre County, its history & culture. Read more. Story idea? cdtnewstips@centredaily.com.

The chill in the autumn air dictates a change of eating habits, as we lose interest in vine-ripened tomatoes, and crave the robust onion-scented flavors of Oktoberfest. When I called former Herwig’s Austrian Bistro owner Bernd Brandstatter at dinnertime at the end of September I caught him at home, cooking up his garden tomatoes to make a homemade sauce for his pizza.

This month he will be making Tiroler Gröstle and Frittatensuppe to honor the Oktoberfest tradition and to recall the past in the restaurant when he and his dad would make and serve 60 orders of Weinerschnitzel on a busy day. It was the restaurant’s most popular dish, though many customers were loyal to the Rosemary Roasted Pork and Sauerkraut with Bread Dumpling or the house-made Bratwurst.

The Brandstatter family started their culinary legacy in State College with Herwig’s Edelweiss at Skimont at Tussey Mountain from 1982 to 1986. They also ran a travel agency, Universe Travel, before everyone booked their travel via the internet. In 2002 the Austrian natives opened Herwig’s Bistro on Fraser Street, with Herwig Brandstatter, always known as Brandy, cheffing traditional Austrian home-cooking and his talented wife Gundi making delicious pastries like Apple Strudel and Maronitorte with chestnuts. Their son Bernd was the manager at the little café, which meant, he confided, “that I got to do the dishes after they hung up their aprons for the night.”

From 2006 to 2018, Herwig’s had a storefront on College Avenue and the family worked hard. So hard, in fact, that Bernd injured his back carrying a 50-pound bag of sugar up from the basement and endured sciatica pain that he kept at bay with the help of medical marijuana. His experience with that condition led him to alternative health methods and now he is the general manager of the Ayr medical marijuana facility in State College, where he has worked for five years.

He loves what he does, helping patients, but he misses seeing the restaurant customers and working with his parents. Gundi passed in 2013 and Brandy in 2018.

The following article ran in the Centre Daily Times in 2002, not long after they opened the bistro. Regular customers will recognize the heady aromas and the banter that was the hallmark of the Herwig’s. It’s a lost treasure.

Centre Daily Times, October 2002:

It was dinnertime when I went to Herwig’s to speak with Brandy Brandstatter and I was hungry. I sat and waited while four customers milled about, squinting at the blackboard, deciding what to order, and listened to Bernd Brandstatter run through the litany of the menu. “Groestl — it’s an Austrian specialty made of assorted meats sautéed with potatoes and onions; Kaes spaetzle — three cheeses melted on egg noodles; Jaegerschnitzel, a roast pork dish with mushrooms and bacon; Roast Pork with Sauerkraut, our signature dish, and Wienerschnitzel, of course. We had Goulash Soup, but ran out, but we still have the Vegetable and Couscous soup — half price now because it is after 3 p.m. There is homemade bratwurst and we have grilled pannini sandwiches.” “Which you don’t want to order!” boomed Brandy, from the other side of the dessert case. “You must have a real supper.”

While I waited, the aromas intensified as each dish was prepared to order. The smell of sauerkraut and caramelized onions was thick in the air and I wanted to gulp it down. It smelled like my grandmother’s Polish kitchen on a feast day.

When you enter Herwig’s, you are transported to an Austrian family kitchen complete with a German-speaking, sometimes lederhosen-clad host — who has been known to yodel in the canyon near the parking garage on Fraser Street in State College. In the early evening, fluorescent lights cast an other-worldly glow in the shoebox-sized space that has just 6 booths. Posters on the wall show serene Bled, Slovenia and the frosted Alpine village of Igles. The banter between Brandy and Bernd, two natural showmen, is mostly in German, punctuated with occasional American slang, like, OK?

Brandy Brandstatter was born in Austria in December 1939 and started cooking at the age of 6. After completing college and then a two-year culinary program at a hotel school, he wanted to learn English and traveled to Bermuda where he learned it very quickly while employed as a bartender during spring break. He lived in Italy, California, Spain, France and ran an English pub in Innsbruck for two years. On his way to Australia to open a bakery in 1982, he stopped by State College with his wife Gundi, daughter Uta, and son Bernd to visit a friend, and the family settled. “This is a very nice place to live,” said the well-traveled chef, mincing parsley and dabbing a lemon wedge into it, “We all really liked it here — so we stayed.”

Gundi is involved in keeping the books for the business — as well as making her Apple Strudel and other European specialty desserts. Son Bernd works full-time in the restaurant and daughter Uti is a registered nurse currently living in North Carolina. Such an international family is fortunate that the other family business is a travel agency —Universe Travel which previously operated from the Days Inn, now runs from an office in their home, arranging tours and flights.

Austrian cooking is a robust cuisine with Slovakian, Czech, and Yugoslavian influences. The emphasis is on using local ingredients and eating to celebrate the seasons. Potatoes are prominent, in tangy dill-laced potato salad or as a side dish. Root vegetables are popular, and often pureed. At Herwig’s, there are two types of dumplings featured, a large bread variety that is typically served with a sauce, and tiny egg spaetzle that are topped with strong mountain cheeses.

An intuitive cook, Brandy asserts “I like to read cookbooks like novels, but I don’t use recipes. Anyone who likes to eat can be a very reasonable cook.”

Well, maybe; if he has been around long enough and has kept his eyes open in his travels. And if he has the formal training, the support of family, and a burning desire that flames on in a little kitchen tucked away in the mountains of central PA.

The following Wienerschnitzel recipe is from the 2002 CDT article. During our recent talk, Bernd Brandstatter confided that he has 15 Wienerschnitzel tucked away in his freezer. He is ready for Oktoberfest. Lately he is making a vegetarian take on that dish. “Schnitzeleriac is blanched, breaded and fried slices of celeriac served with a homemade herb aioli and plenty of lemon slices to offset the greasy aspect and to give it a truly ‘refreshing’ flavor.” I’d order that!

Herwig’s Wienerschnitzel

• 4 cutlets of veal or pork, pounded out to flatten and tenderize
• salt and pepper
• one half cup flour
• 2 large or 3 small eggs, beaten
• dash of club soda
• 1 cup unflavored dry breadcrumbs
• vegetable oil (such as soybean) and a tablespoon of butter for frying
• one lemon, cut into wedges
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley

Season the pounded cutlets with salt and pepper and cut around the edges to make the cutlet stay flat when it is fried. Dredge the cutlets in flour. Combine the eggs and the club soda (which will make it crispier) in a shallow cake pan or bowl. Place the breadcrumbs on a large flat plate. Dip the cutlets into the egg wash and then dredge with the crumbs. Can be prepared ahead to this point, and then wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated. Heat the oil in a pan, enough oil so the cutlets float when they are cooked. Add the butter and cook each side until golden brown. Garnish with a lemon slice that has been dusted with parsley and serve with potato salad, if desired.

Get the Latest in Penn State Sports