Shultzy’s hearty fare

By BRANDON SULLIVAN, Features Writer

Published: May 21, 2008

"Seattle's Wurst Restaurant since 1988!" the menu cover at Shultzy's Sausage proudly claims. Catchy title, but does the food live up to this clever bit of marketing?

Shultzy's sausages are homemade. They grind most of the meat for the sausages right at their restaurant at 4114 University Way NE in the U-District and add the freshest spices for a truly unique flavor.

The restaurant is also home to the famous sausage burger. Though their menu is filled to the brim with delicious items of all kinds, the charbroiled sausage burger is the without a doubt the best one on it, and there are six different incarnations of it.

For $7.59, you can get the original "Shultzy" that started it out: a simple-but-delicious sausage patty served on a lightly grilled, sesame-seed sprinkled French roll, combined with grilled onions and peppers. Add dill pickle chips, and you've got "The William Shultzy" for $7.69.

A bit of Italian kick is added for the "Novie Wedge," a grilled sausage burger topped with homemade marinara sauce and provolone and parmesan cheeses for $8.19.

For the same price, you can get the "Chatalas Burger," which soaks the patty in some hearty Cajun spices before encasing some grilled onions in between the burger and a generous layer of melted cheddar cheese.

There's also the "Geneva Convention" for the same price as well: a bratwurst-burger with grilled onions, kraut, and Swiss cheese.

If you want to take a break from all the sausage, there's the "Uncle Norm," a chicken burger with sun-dried tomato and basil, still for just $8.19. All of the burgers come with a small cup of coleslaw and Shultzy's unique thin, slightly crunchy fries.

In addition to the delicious sausage burgers, they also have dozens of other items, including an entire selection of chicken burgers and bratwurst burgers for around the same price.

Sirloin burgers make an appearance, too, and there are vegetarian burgers for the vegetarians as well.

And what would a restaurant be without a wide selection of sides? Shultzy's has a decent crop of sides from which to pick. They have chili, rice and beans, sausage gumbo, baked beans, four different kinds of salads, and a few add-ons as well, like cheese, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

Though their burgers and sides are nearly universally scrumptious, there are a few stand-outs. The Chatalas Burger sticks out first and foremost in my mind; the spicy Cajun zip complements the tangy sausage very nicely, and though I usually don't like grilled onions on my burgers, the way the onions are layered in between the tasty cheddar and the spice-soaked patty adds a perfect little crunch to the otherwise relatively soft sandwich.

Though this burger isn't a lot of food and won't satisfy the hungriest customers, the extra fries that come with should do it. Shultzy's grills their fries in a unique way, so that each of them is very thin, fairly short, nice and crunchy, and surprisingly satisfying. Popping them into your mouth is as easy as taking a handful of popcorn, and when a little ketchup is poured over them, it's a perfect complement to a fine meal.

For the non-SPU crowd, Shultzy's also offers a fine array of nine authentic German beers on tap that they keep on a regular rotation. Affordably priced, hand-selected wines also add some class to the drink selection.

Shultzy's atmosphere is cozy and warm. The booths and tables are all made of wood that has been waxed to a sleek shine, and a low light from the lamps bathes everything in a cool glow. You'll almost feel like you've been transported back to a German pub, which really enhances the dining experience and will doubtless make you want to come back for more of those delicious sausage burgers.

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