After almost two years in Kaiserslautern, I still haven’t adapted to German food. And on top of that, my favorite item at local festivals — flammlachs, or flame-grilled salmon — is actually of Finnish origin.

My efforts to try more German dishes have led me to say yes when someone suggests trying a new restaurant.

Back in January, the Ladies of the KMC Facebook group booked Schlemmerwerk im Kipperhof in Otterbach for a monthly dinner meetup. I recently returned with a colleague to try their summer menu.

The restaurant’s name translates to “Gourmet Works in the Kipperhof,” referring to the half-timbered Baroque house — the oldest restored building in town — that was converted into a previous restaurant in 1991.

Schlemmerwerk serves a mix of traditional and modern takes on German cuisine that includes burgers, steaks cooked on a heated stone and homestyle dishes.

Our host for the January visit, a native Texan, recommended the steak. I ordered a small Argentine filet, cooked medium and served on a hot stone. I added grilled shrimp in garlic confit on the side.

I could’ve eaten three more sides of the shrimp and my steak was cooked just how I like it. It was a hearty meal for a chilly evening.

The hospitality was equally impressive. The weak cell signal at our table in the cellar made it tough to use translation apps, but the servers were quick to help and provide recommendations.

At the end of the meal, one of the owners, Jennifer Schilling, came down to thank us for trying the newly opened restaurant.

The return visit came on a Sunday evening. We were seated across from the kitchen entrance and watched as burger after mouthwatering burger came out, buns piled high with toppings. But my assignment was to try something German.

Unfortunately, they were out of my first two picks: grass-fed beef braised in Irish beer from the summer seasonal menu and Grandma Else’s beef roulade from the “Like Grandma’s” menu.

The waiter suggested the seasonal lemon pasta with salmon. Y’all, I tried.

I enjoyed the creamy citrus sauce on my pasta and the salmon was cooked nicely to medium. The dish was such a large serving that I had half of it packed up to go after eating all the fish.

I also ordered their tapas in hopes of getting a German cuisine sampler. It had chicken skewers in teriyaki sauce, falafel in a sweet-and-sour sauce, salmon tartare, fried chicken strips and fried shrimp in a mango sauce.

Not really German, but quite tasty. My favorite was the crispy shrimp, dipped in the tangy, sweet sauce. My co-worker preferred the chicken strips, paired with an herby yogurt sauce.

For his main course, my colleague had one of the Schlemmerwerk specialties, the Kipperhof-Pfaennle. It’s straw pig from the Rheinland-Pfalz region, lathered in a mushroom cream sauce with homemade spaetzle.

It was “creamy, yet light, while the mushrooms and pork were heavier. The mushrooms were meaty and much better than I expected,” my colleague said. “You could tell they didn’t just pick up whatever mushroom was cheapest and got one(s) with some taste.”

I sampled a bit of his dish and the rich, brown mushroom gravy was seasoned well, while the spaetzle was firm and slightly chewy.

My colleague said it’s a common dish in the region, but one difference was the chunkier pieces of mushroom, which we both liked.

I would love to have had the gravy over some long-grain rice, though that’s closer to a smothered pork chop dish — something my Southern grandma would make.

The dessert menu changes often enough that it’s written on a blackboard. When I mentioned my tree nut allergy, the server helped out. The restaurant can accommodate most food allergies and restrictions with advance notice.

My favorite dessert was the panna cotta with strawberry sauce. It was creamy and the sauce was sweet. I found the cherry crumble pie to be tasty but not sweet enough for my American palate, and I wanted more of the filling as well.

The raspberry cheesecake also wasn’t very sweet, but that meant the tangy taste of the berries really came through and made it my second-favorite.

One small but thoughtful touch: each table has a cube you can press to call the waitstaff. In a region where it can sometimes be hard to get your server’s attention, that feature stands out. Combined with the quality food and service, it’s a big reason why I’ll be returning.

Schlemmerwerk im Kipperhof 

Address: Hauptstrasse 12, Otterbach, Germany 

Hours: Sunday, noon-10 p.m.; Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 12-2:30 p.m. for lunch; dinner hours are Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 5-11 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays. 

Prices: Main dishes range from 15 to 30 euros. Steaks from 25 to 45 euros.

Information: Online: schlemmerwerk-im-kipperhof.eatbu.com/?lang=en#