Sterle’s Country House — 1401 East 55th St., Cleveland — will roll out a taste of that good life when it opens Szemerszky’s Friday. The Euro-styled Biergarten, located behind the iconic Cleveland eatery, also features grilled meats and live music by Fred Ziwich.

“We’re doing a special menu and we’ll be making it right out here in back,” says owner Rick Semersky. “People can also buy food in the restaurant and bring it outside.”

The menu features a sausage sandwich, a BBQ Pulled Veal Po-Boy and kabobs, as well as beers made by Sprecher Brewery in Milwaukee.

“We’re taking their beers and renaming them for here,” says Semersky. In other words, there’s the Sterle’s Light, Munkin Weizen, Kindsvater Lager and others.

The grand-opening bash starts at 4 p.m. Friday. Szemerszky’s will be open 4-10 p.m. Thursdays; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Semersky, who named it after the original spelling of his family name, is trying to provide a more modern take on the Old World.

It was a typical Saturday night from a bygone era.

Band members hoisted their accordions and launched into “In Heaven There is No Beer.”

The dance floor filled with couples quickstepping to the polka.

Schnitzel and stuffed cabbage were served.

German beers and slivo were raised in front of murals of bucolic Slovenian scenes.

But it wasn’t Saturday night. And it wasn’t 40 years ago.

It was a recent Thursday night at Sterle’s Country House on East 55th Street in Cleveland.

The band members did have accordions, but they also had tattoos and long hair and wore retro-ironic bowling shirts.

And many of the couples dancing in jeans and T-shirts were in their 20s and 30s — with their toddlers dancing nearby. And their parents.

The new Thursdays at Sterle’s concept at the 58-year-old ethnic mainstay adds punkier “new-wave polka” acts such as the Chardon Polka Band to the menu, plus casual schnitzel baskets and more craft and import beers. It was launched by new Sterle’s owner Rick Semersky, 40, this summer.

Semersky, whose grandparents and father called the St. Clair-Superior area home, also expanded the bar and stage area of the restaurant and added church pews to many of the tables to create a more old-world, family-style vibe. He also plans to open a European-style biergarten out back in the spring.

What’s happening at Sterle’s — an update that seeks to stay true its roots — is the latest development of a local trend. Rock clubs, corner bars, bowling alleys and restaurants on both sides of town are bringing the Old World into the New — and a new generation of patrons is applauding. And eating. And drinking. And even polka-ing.

Shaking up a tradition

“Sterle’s is one of the things that makes Cleveland Cleveland,” says Semersky. “But times are changing. I wanted to build on our tradition, and appeal to people who might not have family in the neighborhood.”

Judging from the many young faces in the crowd on three recent Thursdays, Semersky’s approach is working.

“Sterle’s has a long tradition of polka,” notes longhaired Chardon Polka Band singer Jake Kouwe, 25, a regular on the Sterle’s Thursday circuit. “Our idea was to shake it up — and yet not change it too much. The crowd has been very diverse, very young.”

Semersky doesn’t want to change Sterle’s too much, though. More-traditional acts and the same menu of schnitzels and chicken soup and paprikash still greet the longtime clientele on weekends.

“Everyone was obviously a little apprehensive when I bought it at first,” says Semersky. “They thought I was going to change it, make it a sports bar or a burger joint. Then they realized we are just bringing it up to date. It’s the same people in the kitchen, the same waitresses who served me as a kid.”

Now, though, those waitresses sport jeans and T-shirts proclaiming “Not Your Grandmother’s Schnitzel” instead of traditional dirndls.

Tony Petkovsek, host of the Polka Radio and Slovenian Show on WELW AM/1330, has patronized Sterle’s for decades. He’s glad for any changes that bring in younger crowds.

“They’re trying to reach out to the overall crowd, not just the polka scene,” he said. “They’re reaching out to a younger generation. I’m seeing younger faces all the time at Sterle’s. I hope it catches on.”

When I first wrote about it in the early 90′s it was called Frank Sterle’s Slovenian Country HouseWhen I first wrote about it in the early 90′s it was called Frank Sterle’s Slovenian Country House and it had a start story that went back to 1954. The East 55th Street restaurant, known for its Alpine chalet look and over-sized portions of roast pork and stuffed cabbage, was a local landmark and destination. In the ensuing years, though it retained a loyal following, the place fell out of step with the times and the trends. New owner Rick Semersky shortened the name, updated the menu, and improved the decor, launching a revival and making Sterle’s Country House the place to be, especially on Thursday nights when there are food deal and entertainment aimed at attracting a next generation of fans. But somehow, he’s managed to do all that without destroying the essential charm and authenticity that makes it special,bring it into the present without destroying what’s best from the past.

Semersky’s a  building construction contractor not a restauranteur. His company, VIP, is next door to Sterle’s so he’s a longtime lunchtime regular. But his neighborhood roots go deeper: his grandmother grew up in the neighborhood. He cares about what happens there. So when Semersky heard that the previous owner wanted to sell and that a prospective buyer wanted the property, not the place, he took action. “They wanted to tear down the building,” he told me. “I couldn’t let that happen. This is a piece of our ethnic history, it’s
pure Cleveland, a polka and pierogi palace we should be proud of. So suddenly I’m in the schnitzel business.”

Since he got the keys in mid-March, the place has been cleaned from top to bottom. He installed better lighting, put a window behind the bar and added lots of interesting beers to the list, ditched the white cloths in favor of new  wood tables and added some salvaged church pews for seating. An outdoor beer garden will be ready when spring arrives.

I was in for lunch recently. Had a tasty bowl of chicken paprikash. Next visit I want a schnitzel sandwich on a pretzel bun.And veal goulash. Plus the stroganoff. (Clearly, multiple forays are required). Or do a dinner (Thursday, Friday and Saturday only) that includes the chicken soup (recipe same as always, and sausage with ‘kraut.

This Thursday, January 24 from 6-8, the quirky and truly original phenom known as DJ Kishka, will bring his bearded brand of foot tapping fun to the big dining room, spinning classic polka albums. Or venture in on a Saturday night when it’s typically packed with Sterle’s stalwarts who have made it a habit to come eat and dance to the live music. “There’s people of all ages. including kids. It’s like the family wedding you don’t really want to attend,” said Rick, describing the scene. “But after a couple of drinks, you start having a good time, decide to stay awhile, and then don’t want the evening to end.”

The iconic Slovenian restaurant will serve up 500 dinners on turkey day, all of them beginning with a special chicken noodle soup.

Kathy Medved, the Sterle’s Country House Cook has been with the restaurant for more than 33-years. She’s been making chicken liver dumplings for the soup since she started.

“A lot of people like the liver, like to eat liver, you know? You taste not too much the liver because you have onion and garlic, so you have different flavoring,” Medved said.

The specialty starts with finely ground chicken liver mixed with eggs, salt and pepper, onion plus beef and chicken base, then it’s time to thicken up the mixture.

To make it, Medved says she uses plain breadcrumbs.

As for how you cook the dumplings, the seasoned cook says, “I’m going to drop a few tablespoons in the chicken broth, boiled.”

The chicken liver dumplings are a special treat. They only making an appearance on Thanksgiving and one or two Sundays a year.

“They love them.  When we don’t have them they get mad, say what happened to the chicken dumplings.”

Want to learn more about Sterle’s Country House? Check out their segment on “Diners and Dives.”

It’s no exaggeration to say that Cleveland wouldn’t be half the city it was and is without the steady influx of foreign-born peoples. But nowhere, perhaps, is our city’s melting-pot pedigree more evident than on the plates served at ethnic eateries throughout town.

While Moses Cleaveland migrated merely from nearby Connecticut, he was followed in relatively quick succession by immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Italy and Eastern Europe. Later, large numbers of Hispanics — mainly of Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican decent — also migrated here. Those folks held the door open for Asian immigrants, including large numbers of Chinese, Korean and Indian people. Exodus from the Middle East brought folks from Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon to the Great North Coast.

We have these brave pioneers to thank every time we tuck into a delicious plate of ethnic food, prepared with dignity and pride at any number of diverse ethnic eateries. Here is just an appetizer portion of the full feast:

Slovenian

In the early 1900s, Cleveland had cultivated the largest Slovenian population in the U.S., making it the third-largest Slovenian settlement in the world. In 1954, Slovenian immigrant Frank Sterle opened his lodge-like Sterles Slovenian Country House (1401 E. 55th St., 216-881-4181), specializing in made-from-scratch, stick-to-your-ribs, just-like-mom-used-to-make Eastern European chestnuts. Savor the Old World in dishes like liver and onions, roast pork and heavenly paprikash. But it’s the Weinerschnitzel — pounded, breaded and fried to golden perfection — that continues to attract gastro-buffs like geeks to a Genius Bar.

A local icon is relaunched, polka-style! And Standing on Ceremony is good for you and fun. Do both this Thursday.

Music and Dining

Sterles Slovenian Country House has long been a bridge between Cleveland and the old country. In August, it rolled out a Thursday Happy Hour that tried to bridge old-school Cleveland with today. Sterles 1401 East 55th St. offered a new take on Old World food with bands playing updated takes on old-style music. It all leads up to this: A Grand Relaunch Party at 6 p.m. Thursday. Harmonia will perform and DJ Kishka will spin. Call 216-881-4181 or go to thursdaysatsterles.com.

Sterles Slovenian Country House has a new owner, but diners can rest assured that the 50-plus-year-old eatery will undergo no major changes. The filling and affordable family-style meals — soup, salad, bread, Wiener schnitzel, roast pork, smoked kielbasa, sauerkraut, potatoes, veggies, coffee, and dessert — are going nowhere.

“I bought Sterles to keep alive a Cleveland landmark — one of the many examples of what makes Cleveland Cleveland,” says Rick Semersky, the institution’s new caretaker.

What is new is a weekly concert series, Thursdays at Sterles, which kicked off August 23. The gatherings commence at 5:30 p.m. with happy-hour drink specials, a new lineup of draft beers, and food specials, including

“Not Your Grandma’s Schnitzel” — modern takes on a comfort classic. The music gets going at 7 p.m.

“It’s a way to honor and respect all that is great about Sterles and at the same time introduce it to those who have yet to experience it,” adds Semersky.

Find them at 1401 East 55th St. Learn more at 216-881-4181 or sterlescountryhouse.com.