Bernard’s Country Inn

Expensive, dingy, Bernard friendly, but wife very unfriendly and I just wanted to leave. cute little space to listen to pianist but food way to expensive for plain, blah meal.

I grew up in Stevens Point, and still eat at Bernard’s about once a year. Bernard’s earns five stars on the simple fact that Bernard is an actual chef who works in the kitchen, making actual food, and thats pretty hard to say about anywhere else in Stevens Point, or in a lot of towns, actually.
As I look around Unilocal reviews of other Stevens Point restaurants, it seems to be used mostly by people visiting from out of town, so I am going to provide some context to this review.
Bernard’s isn’t exactly a German restaurant. Bernard may be German (or Austrian… I can’t remember), but the menu quickly tells you that this is not an entirely German restaurant. Indeed, I’ve never heard anyone at Bernard’s refer to the restaurant as «German.» There are quite a few old-​school European hotel classics and American supper club dishes that round out the menu. I think this is important to note because you shouldn’t compare it to other «German» restaurants you may have visited (probably in larger towns), or to your Großmutter’s home cooking. Nor should you compare it to other fine dining in other cities. The service, for example, is about as good as it can possibly be in Stevens Point (which is to say, they do well with what they have). There aren’t exactly a lot of career waiters and sommeliers sitting around Central Wisconsin, so fine dining is quite a bit different here from what you will find in New York or San Francisco. Don’t be surprised when a UWSP sophomore doesn’t know how to pronounce «spätsle» or serve open-​handed. Nonetheless, the career staff at Bernard’s — notably Bernard’s wife Irene, and the manager I always see at the bar — are always hospitable, knowledgeable, and provide good service.
So, with that context being set, I will say that I have always enjoyed the food at Bernard’s, and after having eaten Bernard’s food for something like 15 years, I have never had anything that was over or under-​cooked, mis-​seasoned, or otherwise less than what Bernard wanted me to have on the plate. I will also tell you that I’ve never eaten his seafood, or pasta, or frankly much else besides the things he is obviously very very good at. Over the years, I have gravitated toward his duck and schnitzel, although I’ve certainly had other excellent dishes. The spätsle is also good and I would consider it a mandatory item to order when visiting. Indeed, the Wiener Schnitzel with spätsle is pretty much my default order.
This may also be the only place in Stevens Point that serves a good cup of coffee.
If you are from out of town, context is important to remember when dining here. The name of the restaurant is Bernard’s Country Inn. Its supposed to be rustic, its supposed to serve the classics. This isn’t nouvelle, modern, or slow food cuisine. This is a place that serves the classics of Europe. Order the classics (anything on the «fowl» and «specialties» section of the menu) and you will be happy. If you are from Stevens Point… EAT HERE NOW! This is easily the best restaurant in town. Yes its expensive (compared to Perkins), yes they actually use salt in their cooking, but thats all GOOD! Seriously, GO!

This place kind of scares me.
The food was very good and the service was excellent.
But the vibe is definitely something out of a horror story.
Run. Save yourself. While you still can.

Was this the best authentic German food I have ever had in my travels? No, it is not even close, but I was in Stevens Point, WI, so my bar on food was set pretty low. One thing that I have to note is that I cannot just order anything off the menu due to my restrictive diet. I cannot have gluten, so it make eating out a challenge.
Bernard’s Country Inn had a homey feel to it. There is a full bar in the front of the restaurant in a separate room from the actual restaurant. The décor was on the older side, but it was quaint and fit the theme.
In terms of the menu, there wasn’t a whole lot of options in terms of what was available for gluten free, but that is to be expected as this common among many restaurants unless they specialize in it. I was able to order a steak, but it was a huge let down. It tasted like burnt charcoal. The salad was the highlight of the meal. The homemade dressing was excellent. Sadly, a side salad doesn’t make a meal and I am not sure that I would dine here again.