The waitress at Sterle's had me at "I like to sop up the gravy with my potatoes." That was all it took to sway my order to the Sterle Special; schnitzel with mushroom sour cream gravy - comfort food at its best. I even think my schnitzel edged out the chicken paprikash my husband got as the best thing I ate, and that's saying something, because the paprikash was really good.
Sterle's serves great food without an ounce of irony or pretension. That parsley sprig is on your plate not because they're winking at how retro parsley garnishes are, but because that's the way they've always done it, and what they do, they do with care. The apple strudel, the spatezle, even the salad and bread were some of the best I've had recently. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable, and with the band and the dancing, a little festive; I turned to my husband at one point and said "it feels like we're at a wedding reception, with much better eats."