Schindler's Tavern: New Hamburg's claim to fame

Take a 20- or 30-minute drive outside of Cape Girardeau to the unincorporated community of New Hamburg, Missouri. Early settlers named the land after Hamburg, Germany, and the name was updated to New Hamburg in 1866. St. Lawrence Parish was founded there in 1847 and remains an integral part of the community. All Google searches aside, if you want to know about New Hamburg's claim to fame all you have to do is ask a local, who will tell you about a little bar in New Hamburg serving up fried bologna burgers and mugs of Stag beer from the tap: Schindler's Tavern.

I had my first bologna burger at Schindler's a couple of years ago and made a return trip this weekend to refresh my memory. My first trip was on a warm bright summer day with one of my children. We had the windows down and country music blasting as we traveled the winding country roads wondering if we were even headed in the right direction. This time, the country music was playing but it was a cloudy cool day. The landscape was bursting with treetops that seemed to be on fire with their mixture of bright orange, red and yellow autumn leaves. My favorite time of year.

On my first visit, we took a seat at one of the small tables, but this time my friend and I took our seats at the bar. A college-football game was playing on a TV in the corner and the man watching it suddenly turned and shared a joke with us. Something about carrots and bunnies. This seemed to set the tone for the afternoon as we continued the conversation with one-liners about parsley and anecdotes about aging. Believe me, if you don't know you will find out soon enough. Reader's Digest had it right: Laughter truly is the best medicine.

My friend explained that if you eat at Schindler's, you're over 21, and if you enjoy beer you must order a Stag on draft. Apparently, drinking a mug of Stag with a pickle spear is part of the experience. Not one to pass up an opportunity to blame shenanigans on peer pressure, I did as instructed and sipped my pickle spear beer, or stickle, as other diners trickled in.

We eventually paused our conversation long enough to place our order. This didn't take long -- we were there for The Bologna Burger. The menu described it as "our house famous 9-ounce burger patty topped with American cheese, grilled onions, fried bologna, pickles, ketchup and mustard" all for $6.65. I didn't think I could eat an entire burger myself so my friend agreed to split a bologna burger and try a couple of the appetizers. He chose chicken gizzards and I selected the breaded hot wings.

Schindler's Stag.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

Our appetizers were served hot in paper lined plastic baskets. My friend enjoyed the gizzards but they aren't really my cup of tea. I was pleasantly surprised by the chicken wings. Rather than a wet sauce the wings were prepared using a spicy dry rub concoction that allowed them to remain crunchy with a bit of heat that sneaks up on you.

The bologna burger arrived steaming from the grill and had me salivating. The bun was lightly toasted and the meat was slathered with melted cheese and caramelized onions. The thick-cut bologna slice had just enough char to bring out the flavor, and the beef patty was so thick it took a little maneuvering to fit even the corner of it in my mouth for the first bite. My bologna burger was delicious, the crinkle cut fries were crisp, and along with the small-town bar atmosphere, I can certainly understand the draw to Schindler's Tavern. It has the atmosphere big-time movie producers try to recreate in scenes involving beloved local watering holes in Anytown, USA. Schindler's is the real deal. No pretenses. A classic slice of Americana.

On my next visit I think I will try ordering my burger with mayo. Ketchup and mustard are great, but I grew up with mayo as the condiment of choice for bologna sandwiches and think it may add a little personal nostalgia to the recipe for me.

Whether you are looking for a country drive destination, a history buff location or are curious to try what has in the past been declared the "best burger in Missouri" Schindler's at 1029 State Highway A (in Benton, for your GPS) in New Hamburg may be just the place you're looking for.

Call Schindler's at (573) 545-3709 for details.

Schindler's Tavern burger.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo