German restaurant opening on Route 9 in Queensbury
QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- For 10 years, Christian Raeth has been planning to open his own authentic German restaurant. That dream is finally becoming a reality.
His restaurant, Spargel On Nine, will be opening in the former Outback Steakhouse and 40 Oak space at 925 Route 9. 40 Oak permanently closed in July.
Raeth was born and raised in Germany and started his culinary training when he was 15 years old. He came to the United States in 1990 and permanently moved here in 2000. He previously worked as a chef at the Albany Country Club, Fort William Henry, and Van Patten Golf Club, and has been working at Sysco for the last 13 years.
Raeth is both the owner and executive chef of Spargel On Nine. He said "spargel" means "asparagus" in German, and Germans love asparagus. It'll be an authentic German restaurant to a fault, said Raeth, since everything will be made from scratch and nothing is directly pre-made from Germany.
"I didn't want to be put in the bucket as your typical German restaurant because this is something we're not going to be," said Raeth.
Raeth is staying true to his roots as Spargel On Nine will be as close to a restaurant that one might find in Germany. It'll be a fine dining establishment, showcasing all regions of Germany.
Spargel On Nine will have strictly German food including sauerbraten, schnitzels, roast pork, potato dumplings, sauerkraut, and more. The restaurant will have a full bar with liquor and Italian, French, and German wines, as well as six beers from a single brewery.
"In Germany, the breweries are very powerful places. They either own the buildings of the restaurants or you have to sign contracts with them," said Raeth. "If you sign a contract with them, you can only use their beer. I'm copying this to a T. So, if you're looking for a Miller Lite, well, you're not going to get it."
Raeth hasn't decided which brewery's beers he'll be having at Spargel On Nine yet. As for the building, Raeth will soon be starting renovations and installing a brand-new kitchen.
He's hoping to open Spargel On Nine the first week of November, depending on when he gets the liquor license. The restaurant will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. to start. It may eventually expand to be open on Tuesdays and for lunch, and will also be offering catering.
"I'm hoping the community embraces us as much as the Germans do their asparagus," said Raeth.