Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Cypress Nook’s German meatloaf moist, flavorful
Q: I recently had dinner at a German restaurant called Cypress Nook. I had the German meatloaf that was to die for. It was so moist, and the gravy was so flavorful. I was wondering about getting the recipe for that meatloaf — it is that good. Is that something that you could get from the restaurant? Thank you so much. — Helga Roysdon, Pompano Beach
A: Everything is worth a try, Helga. Lucky for you, Ilse Wettengel, owner of Cypress Nook Restaurant (201 E. McNab Road, Pompano Beach, 954-781-3464, cypressnook.com), carved out some time to speak with me. Between gym workouts, replacing a broken kitchen freezer, doctors appointments and managing the busy holiday season, Ilse was kind enough to share her Hackbraten (meatloaf ) recipe.
Ilse and her late husband Peter opened the doors to the German-American restaurant Cypress Nook back in 1979. Although she lost Peter 24 years ago, Ilse successfully carries the torch. The cozy eatery is in a historic cottage built in 1948.
It’s not uncommon to see long lines out the door waiting for Wettengel’s famous breakfast specialties such as oversized golden pancakes, omelettes and eggs with bratwurst, knockwurst, kielbasa and corned beef hash. The homey restaurant serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week and dinner Wednesday through Saturday.
“We do a big breakfast business. Guests come for our ambiance, portion and quality,” Wettengel says. “We serve the best German sausages. Our dinner menu offers traditional items like wiener schnitzel, beef roulade, Hungarian goulash and the Hackbraten. Our signature dishes — schweinshaxe pork shank, rind roast braten and sauerbraten — are always popular, too. We also run specials that are hard to find anywhere else like our stuffed cabbage or lamb shanks.”
The Hackbraten, or German meatloaf, has been prepared the same way since Ilse and Peter started serving it in 1979. Although Wettengel says, “I don’t really use a recipe, I just know it by memory, sight and taste.”
And that’s hard to replicate.