For my boyfriend and I, going to Olive Garden and scarfing down enough breadsticks to fill a freight train is our go-to for date night. We’re creatures of habit, which, I admit, has probably hindered our culinary experiences to some extent. So when Newport’s Katharina’s Café-Konditorei showed up on my radar, I jumped at the opportunity to salvage what carb-laden dignity we have left.
The café originally opened a few blocks away from its current location on Washington Avenue in 2014, where it quickly outgrew the space. Two years in, they closed to renovate a different building on the street, where they had their grand re-opening July 1.
Elena Hambuch, Katharina’s owner and a resident of Newport, conceptualized the restaurant around a European tradition she longed for from her daily routine while living in Mainz, Germany: having an afternoon coffee with cake. Soon after, though, the quaint menu of confections and caffeine expanded to include breakfast, then lunch, then dinner.
We decided to go to Katharina’s on a mild Saturday evening, which allowed for a brief stroll through the residential area of Newport before we made our way inside. Outside, diners chatted among themselves and picked at pork and pasta dishes — everything was picturesque. A light breeze ushered us in, where we were met by a packed house. Despite the dinner rush, they quickly accommodated us and gave us a table upstairs that overlooked the street below. With light, mint-green paint, simple elements and delicate foliage on the windowsills and tables, the café perfectly embodies what Hambuch calls German gemuetlichkeit, or coziness.
Once seated, we were given a crispy baguette with butter to munch on, which I washed down with the Hugo ($10), a refreshing summer spritzer comprised of prosecco and elderflower liqueur garnished with mint and a lemon wedge. We settled in after ordering, and I found myself lulled by the café’s old-world, minimalist charm — though, I admit this could have been the Hugo at work. For an appetizer, we split the flatbread spezial ($10.50), which was a generous portion of bread topped with robust diced tomatoes, arugula, a blend of cheeses and black forest ham. The cheese was sharp and complemented the freshness of the veggies. My only gripe with the dish was that it came as a whole and was difficult to cut without making a mess. That, and the ham was sparse.
For the main course, I opted for the jägerschnitzel ($16.50), a breaded pork tenderloin in a dark gravy with mushrooms that came with fries and a side salad. The pork itself was tenderized to perfection and featured a thin breading that was peppery but not overly so. Hambuch told me later that the menu draws on the recipes her grandmother, Katharina, made for them growing up. For this reason, the kitchen utilizes very basic elements: salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg, cloves and bay leaves.
“My grandma didn’t use coriander or didn’t use curry — it was the basic spices that were available in Europe,” Hambuch says.
I could taste this refined approach in the protein as well as the gravy, which was thick, creamy and mild. Within it were roughly chopped mushrooms that tasted as if they’d been plucked out of the ground that morning. I would have preferred a different side item to the fries, as the dish itself was already so heavy, but this is a personal preference. In all, it was a tasty introduction to German cuisine.
The star of the meal was actually my boyfriend’s choice, the holzfällersteak ($17.50), a marinated pork steak with grilled onions, home-fried potatoes and herb butter accompanied by a side salad. While not as tender as my jägerschnitzel, it was covered in a highly enjoyable garlic-butter mixture. Large chunks of flaky and piping hot pan-fried potatoes were also coated in the sauce.
Katharina’s Instagram-worthy sweets — German chocolate cake and almond croissants to name a few — were on my mind the entire week leading up to our dinner. Photos I’d seen online showcased beautifully decorated treats that looked like illustrations from a storybook. Unfortunately, we had made our reservation for too late in the day, and by the time we were ready for dessert, around 9 p.m., they didn’t have any cake left. To say I was devastated is an understatement (I may or may not have slowly crumpled to the ground).
After paying our bill, though, we were pleasantly surprised with a baggie of complimentary croissants to-go, which I happily devoured with breakfast the next morning. They were buttery, flaky and well worth the hype. Though I wasn’t able to try dessert this time around, I look forward to going with my girlfriends sometime to indulge in afternoon kaffee und kuchen, or coffee and cake.
Actually, I could see myself going to Katharina’s for any number of occasions, whether it be for a date, morning tea with my mother and sister or by myself to sip on a cappuccino and get some work done. The atmosphere is elegant without being too fussy, and the food is fresh and flavorful. Being able to experience another culture’s food so close to home is an added bonus.
It’s no secret that here in Zinzinnati we love celebrating German heritage (hello, Oktoberfest). At Katharina’s, Hambuch has seen a significant amount of the Queen City and Northern Kentucky’s European population come out to support her family’s business. During my visit, the host of accents present was something I took note of.
For this community, those who traveled to and ate in Deutschland, or those who are unfamiliar with the cuisine, Katharina’s offers an outlet to the country’s hearty fare. “If they miss Germany they come here and have a piece of it,” Hambuch says.
Katharina’s Café-Konditorei
Go: 736 Washington Ave., Newport, Ky.; Call: 859-291-2233; Internet: katharinascafe.com; Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.
*an earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed the entire last paragraph to Hambuch
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 6, 2017.