Eatdrink #42 July/August 2013

№ 42 | July/August 2013 www.eatdrink.ca 37
balls served with spicy
The Bavarian Inn platter
mustard — helps to
soak up the beer! Try
the mountain high
meat loaf sandwich or
the Bavarian bratwurst.
If you have room, fit in
a root bier float.
A stroll along Main
Street is required after
this meal, and before
you even consider
tucking into dinner
— which is a must
in Frankenmuth.
Famous chicken
dinners are offered
by the two branches
kuchen recipe. “The
of the Zehnder
Three generations of the Zehnder family welcome first time you come
guests to the Bavarian Inn and Restaurant
family. Dorothy
here you have the
Zehnder, a whirling
chicken dinner. The
dervish at ninety-one, who still works next time you have the ultimate platter,”
each day, and her clan, led by son Bill and she says. It features smoked pork loin,
granddaughter Amy, operate the Bavarian sauerbraten, bratwurst and schnitzel.
Inn and Restaurant. Their cousins operate The Bavarian Inn is celebrating its 125th
Zehnder’s Restaurant across the road. To anniversary and has grown into a large hotel
put this phenomenon into perspective: complex with multiple swimming pools,
the Bavarian Inn serves 600,000 meals water slides, games rooms and gift shops.
annually! Dorothy has her own popular Guest rooms are named after the numerous
cookbook and people clamour for her apple German families who still live in the area.
Aside from all the food and drinks,
Frankenmuth is an interesting community
with deep roots in the Lutheran faith. Our
guide, Herb Zeilinger (who is thrilled to
have a room named after his family at the
Inn) informed us about Frankenmuth’s rich
German history. A visit to the impressive
St. Lorenz Lutheran Church, which depicts
the history of the region through its stained
glass windows, is worthwhile. All in all, it’s
a fun weekend getaway within a few hours
of the border crossing at Port Huron.
www.visitgreatlakesbay.org
JANE ANTONIAK is a culinary travel writer for eatdrink.
She is also Manager, Communications & Media Relations for
King’s University College, Western.
BRUCE FYFE is a regular contributing photographer to
eatdrink. He is also a librarian at Western University, London.
Zehnder’s Restaurant