When the weather starts to cool, but I am always reminded of the old Alpine Village Inn and the Rathskeller, (Closed in 1997). This was my favorite place to get a hot bowl of chicken soup, cold beer in a goblet and seasoned cottage cheese to go with a small loaf of bread.
The long gone Alpine Village Inn was located at 3003 Paradise Road, across the street from the Las Vegas Hilton. This famous place began serving German food in a downtown location in 1950, then moved four times before settling into its final location on Paradise, in 1970.
Alpine Village Inn in Las Vegas Nevada, Photo By: Allen Sandquist
The main 250-seat dining room was looked like of a Bavarian village, with wrought-iron grill-work, sloping roofs, the male staff workers all wore lederhosen and the waitresses wore long skirts like the ones on a St. Pauli Girl beer bottle. The atmosphere was always festive.. The underground Rathskeller, my favorite, was a bar and sandwich shop under the main restaurant, with peanuts on the floor. Guest were encouraged to sing along with the piano player where you would attempt to learn German by singing the Schnitzelbank song.
In the Rathskeller at the Alpine Village Inn “Schnitzelbank” Board
The chalet-style peaked-roof architecture, along with big-game trophies, Swiss clocks, decorative horns and copper bells, and an extensive miniature train set all made Alpine Village a Las Vegas landmark for 27 years. The Alpine Village Inn closed its doors in March 1997.
One of the most memorable items of the Alpine Village Inn was their famous chicken soup and the seasoned cottage cheese. The soup was always served piping hot in heavy pewter bowls and the cottage cheese were served with mini loafs of pumpernickel bread.
Here is the Chicken Soup and the Seasoned Cottage Cheese Recipes:
This recipe was featured in the Las Vegas Review Journal after the restaurant closed.
CHICKEN SUPREME SOUP
2 quarts water
2 teaspoons celery salt
2 teaspoons Accent
1 pound ground chicken (cooked)
1 medium onion, ground
Yellow food coloring (optional)
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon
2 to 3 carrots (ground)
Roux:
1/2 cup oil
1 cup flour
Cook
Boiling the soup ingredients for 30 minutes.
Cool
Removed the pot from the heat and allowed to cool slightly.
Blend
Ladled the mixture into a blender, about 2 to 3 cups at a time, and blended until almost smooth. Be careful during this process, hot soup in a blender can shoot everywhere even with a lid on. The blender process gives the soup a creamier texture as was served at Alpine Village Inn.
Thicken
To prepare the roux, heat oil add flour slowly and stir with a wire whisk. It should be the consistency of mashed potatoes. Don’t burn the roux.
Poured the blended mixture back into a large pot and add the cooked roux and continued to cook until the soup thickened.
Note: when adding the roux to the soup, use small amounts as the roux is a thickener and watch the consistency (you may not need it all- try not to over thicken) you want it to look like a thick gravy.
SEASONED COTTAGE CHEESE
2 pounds cottage cheese, small curd
1/2 teaspoon caraway
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Accent
1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 tablespoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Mix all ingredients together and chill for several hours or overnight. Serve as a condiment or as a dip.
Enjoy
Tags: Alpine Village
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This was one of our favorite places to dine and a Christmas
Eve tradition in our family.
I agree I used to go there also and I miss it. I wish they would reopen another one in town. The holidays were always good to go there. I started going there in high school in my German Club and in college in the Art Club.
Alawys the best. The old joint out on the strip across from the Hacienda and the newer one on Paradise were both great.
This was THE destination restaurant in Vegas all the time I lived there (1974 – 1987), the place you took anyone visiting town, the place your high school club would go for it’s award ceremony, and the place many went for Prom… It was such a fun experience and the food was great to boot! Such a loss… I was so disappointed to find it closed when I came back for a visit.
The best always. Miss all of it. The pewter, the chicken livers, the cottage cheese, etc.
The alpine village inn was one of a kind,sure miss the place.after they closed i was fortunate to puchase two of the light bar fixtures,with the alpine village inn logo and lowenbrau on the otherside,also got some of the little wooden train figures,and also a wooden alpine village inn sign,i really treasure them
Mike were you the manager in the Rathskeller? I worked there in 1989 I loved that job!
Wendy
I worked upstairs
Chris P
Saw the signage today while watching the Bond flick “Diamonds Are Forever”. I enjoy seeking out places I find in film. Unfortunately, my first trip to Vegas was in 2000, so it was long gone before I ever got there. Sounds like it was quite a place!
Just noticed this in the movie as well. Too bad its not around anymore
I’m chiming in two years later because I just went down the rabbit hole of chasing the locations in “Diamonds are Forever. I saw the Inn sign and had to check it out. Of course that scene took place at the Shell gas station which presumably still exists as the Arco. Also appearing in the background is the Landmark, famously destroyed by Martians.
I’m formerly a location scout in the TV/film biz, so I tend to get caught up in this!
By the way, I’m originally from Niagara Falls. There was a German restaurant/pub (also long gone) on Clifton Hill called the Rathskeller which seemed a lot like the Alpine Village – right down to the Chicken Supreme soup. Maybe they were owned by the same entity.
My Dad took me here every year for my birthday and last day of school. I have the best memories here. My favorite parts were the piano player singing tiny bubbles and stepping on peanut shells . We loved throughing the shells on the ground. A big loss to lose such a tradition. Remember the trains? I would watch them while we waited. What about the ski lift??lol……..
Always went there to celebrate a special occasion. Sure miss it!!!
I really miss this place. It was THE Restaurant to go to. The food was so wonderful and the atmosphere was great. Loved the fact that everyone dressed in Alpine clothing, from the waiters, waitresses, all the way to the guys who would park your car. I’m so glad (and grateful) to have the recipes for at least the GREAT House Soup and Seasoned Cottage Cheese. I’ve made them both a few times and loved every bite and swallow of them. Learn from this restaurant: whenever you find a place you love the food at, go as often as you can because one day it will no longer be there. I have very fond memories of Alpine Village Inn.
Sadly, I’d never been there but you an clearly see the sign of the restaurant this in the James Bond film “Diamonds are Forever” when Bond and Tiffany Case pull into the gas station driving the red ’71 Mustang Mach 1. Just a bit of trivia !
Second bit of trivia: earlier in the same movie you can see an add of the Alpine Village just next to the add of Shady Tree.
I grew up in Vegas and went there several times a year. Was very disappointed when I returned and found Alpine Village was no more. I remember the large baked potatoes with the little pick that said “sorry I’m so small but I’ve been scrubbed and scrubbed…”. I’m also really missing the little cinnamon rolls and gingerbread bites that they used to serve. Can’t seem to find those recipes anywhere.
did u go to basic/ gary s
8 years later, lol. Basic in Henderson, right? No. But we did live up the street when I was younger. Western, class of 83.
You can see the restaurants’ sign in the 1971 Bond movie “Diamonds are Forever” where Jill St. John and Sean Connery stop at a Shell gas station next door in a red Mustang.
Went there every year in the seventies. We always hoped to see Elvis there because we were told he ate there. What happened? The place was always packed. Forgot about the pick in the potatoes.LOL. A lot of very good memories
One of my greatest memories growing up..My parents took us there on a regular basis..Was telling my husband all about it and looked it up..So glad to have found this page..
we had one in Denver too. Sounds like someone needs to start selling it again.. I speak of the cottage cheese seasoning
Every time we were in Las Vegas, we went. The first time was in 1971. We stayed at the Hilton and saw Elvis on stage. We too remember the huge baked potatoes, the little sign and the Cottage Cheese. I used to order the cottage cheese seasoning from them. I have looked forever for the recipe. I used to use it in sauerkraut. It really enhances the favor. Am now going to make a very large batch and bottle it in canning jars. My whole family loves it.
So many nights , and the place was always packed, I know have the soup recipe and I can cook ,
The recipe above for the cottage cheese seasoning is missing the oregano. Oregano is listed on the plastic bottle I still have of the seasoning. I just made some & it tastes great. Since they’re all dried ingredients anyway, it doesn’t matter how old it is.
OOPS I basically just left a post here (July/2016) that says the same as you, so sorry for covering this. I also have a container and I also agree that age can weaken the product but not spoil it!
Is this the official alpine seasoning ??! We used it to make chicken wings. We went the alpine village a lot when I was a kid . I’d love to get my hands on some of that seasoning
It was one of my favorite places too; it certainly didn’t close from lack of popularity. Never had anything from the menu that wasn’t good. Late 70’s early 80’s jicama suddenly bcame popular, and it seemed no matter who was throwing the party around town, there would be a bowl of the dip and and plate of veggies, with lots of jicama to dip in it. My last bottle of the seasoning purchased at the Alpine Village probably about 1985 (lasts forever, but only about one batch left of the original!) clearly lists oregano and BLACK pepper, and ‘dried green onions’ NOT chives. Maybe they had altered the recipe by the time the 1997 RJ article was written, but thought I’d share the actual label ingredients on my last jar.
I loved this place.I went to Vegas twice a year70’s to 90’s and ate here sometimes twice in the 5 days there.I loved how the servers carried all the goodies around their waist,everything I had was always the best and delicious.I talk about this restaurant all the time.I was always thirsty and I remember water with crushed ice in Pewter mugs,it hit the spot.Good memories.
I was trying to duplicate the cottage cheese taste & found this artical to my great happiness. I spent Christmas’s there when I first came to town with my daughter. Also my first husband and I had a trio that performed at the resturant in Phoenix in the 60’s. I have such warm memories of watching the train go around the ceiling and remembered my Dad’s displays of the 50’s. I truly miss this wonderful place & all the wonderful food. Haven’t be able to enjoy Cottage cheese again till now. Thanks, for these memories. Joy in New Mexico now.
Thank You for the look back! I really enjoyed that restaurant when it was thriving, and miss it even more so today now that it’s gone! We had our office dinners there on many occassions during the 1980’s. One of our co-workers, his wife Mary Johnson worked there for many years up until the restaurant closed for good. I was very glad to see they included the famous “schmierkaese” recipe (seasoned cottage cheese) on this page. It was a huge hit!!
I am so excited to have finally found the ingredients for the cottage cheese seasoning. I used to buy it at the restaurant and was so disappointed when it closed. The seasoning totally changes the flavor of cottage cheese into something special. This restaurant was our very favorite place to go when I lived there.
It’s hard to beat the seasoned cottage cheese on a Ritz cracker. We usually have it once a month.
I know your post is from a couple of years ago, but please scroll down to see the “actual” ingredients that I took directly from the back of my Alpine Village Inn Seasoning container! I hope you see this and it helps!
Was looking for the house dressing recipe. I don’t remember it being italian which are the only recipies I have found. Does anyone have others or was there just one house dressing.
Just made the chicken soup again. All the recipe is not here. My mom lived next door to one of the part owners years ago and she told mom they left out ingrediants in the newspaper. Has anyone got a decent recipe. Seems like no one comes to this site much anymore any help would be cool.
A lot of people ask me for the recipe. It’s as good as it gets.
CHICKEN SUPREME SOUP
FROM THE ALPINE VILLAGE INN
THIS RECIPE SERVES BETWEEN 6-8 PEOPLE
Prep time 1 hour
Ingredients (adjusted to my preferences)
Stock
3 Qts -Water
1 1/2 Tbs -Table Salt
2 Tsp -Accent (meat tenderizer.)
3 Tbs -Granulated chicken buillon (Any brand/any type)
1 Tsp -Black pepper
1 Tbs -Kitchen Bouquet (in condiments)
1-2 cups -Baby carrots or 3 large cut carrots (peeled)
1 large -White onion (cut in quarters)
4-5 Stalks -Celery (I don’t use celery salt, i’ts too salty)
1-2 lbs -Chicken breast (cut in chunks)
Roux (Flour Thickener, this is a bread soup)
½ cup – Cooking oil (Olive, Canola, or Vegetable oil
1 cup -All purpose flour
Preparation
Fill a stock pot or large sauce pan with the water and add all ingredients to the stock pot or large pan
1. Boil the stock for at least ½-46 min hour or until the vegetables
are soft
2. Remove from the heat and let cool, so you can work with it
3. Remove the veg/chicken stock from the pot into a strainer
4. Using a blender, blend all the stock ingredients, adding water to
thin out the veg/chicken mix, return blended veg/chicken
to seasoned liquid in the pot
5. Reheat all ingredients in the pot to a boil, add 1-2 cups of
additional water to the stock
Roux: Preparation and mixing
a. Heat the oil in a large soup pot
b. When the oil is hot (put a pinch of flour in the oil, if it boils it is
ready to mix)
c. Put the flour in the oil and blend rapidly until it’s look resembles
mashed potatoes
d. Immediately after blending the Roux,carefuly put it in the stock
mix, and blend with a whisk, until there are not lumps. The flour
will actually cook to the right consistency in the soup stock
The Soup is ready to eat. Enjoy
IMPORTANT
Once the flour mix is added, the flour in the soup is cooked. any overheating will burn the flour on the bottom of the pan and ruin the WHOLE BATCH of soup. Use low or medium heat, and stir constantly to heat, or reheat in a crock pot, or a microwave to reheat, and to keep the soup warm.
This Soup Recipe should be a reminder of all the fun times we spent at the old Alpine Village Inn, that no longer exist in Las Vegas.
With Love, Clark and Jeri Odom Ellsworth
We old timers remember with fondness when the Alpine Village was located in a quaint converted home on the N.W. corner of Las Vegas Blvd. North and E. Washington, across from Fantasy Park. The park then extended all the way to the main streets. We ate at the restaurant as often as finances would allow in the ’60s and followed the chicken soup to both new locations. How things have changed!
This was one of if not the .one favorite restaurant of my sons growing up every birthday we ask where do you want to go they always said APV they are in their 40s now. We miss it and loved it as well.
Is this the Twilight Zone? I just walked in here to print the recipe for the Alpine Village Inn cottage cheese seasoning, checked my email, and the notification was there that you had commented on here.
I just received this article from my daughter. She has heard me go on and
on about the fabulous cottage cheese dip I bought from a german restaurant
in Las Vegas! I am sooo happy to have the recipe……
Thank you!
Paula
You’re welcome. Enjoy.
My son and I would drive out from Los Angeles, often, get a hotel room somewhere in Vegas and go here for dinner….it was our favorite place….one day, after checking into our hotel room….we drove over only to find it either closed or gone completely….not sure which…..my son is gone forever too…..some of the best things in life, or only memories now 🙁
One of our fav places to eat, we miss it weekly.
I’m so excited to have this recipe I still have half of the original bottle I bought there . My last time there I was on a date with the actor James Woods miss this place place immensely .JoAnn Ruffino
My grandmother was a hostess there in the 1960s, wore a dirndl! They would get the place very dolled up for Christmas, chalet-style. I was enchanted as a kid.
So many memories as a child remember the cartoon artist that drew your pucture
We lived in LV for many yrs & also loved the soup. When we saw the recipe in the paper, we tried it right away. It was good but not even close to the original. Very disappointing!
I grew up in Las Vegas from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. My family, friends & I loved the APV. We loved going down to the Rathskeller. We would do the sing along with the German songs on the Easel board, eat the chicken soup in the pewter bowls & loved the cottage cheese dip on triscuits. As everyone else I was disappointed to find that the APV had closed. I was so excited to find the cottage cheese spread recipe, I still talk about it to this day. Thanks for the memories
Does anyone have the recipe for their salad dressing. When ever our daughter or friends went to Vegas I’d have them stop by the Alpine Village Inn and buy me a few bottles of their house salad dressing. Does anyone have the recipe for that Dressing. Does anyone know anyone who knows all the recipes. They need to get them published so they won’t be lost.
google alpine village inn,las vegas. alpine village inn will come up with the recipies,if not google in alpine village inn house salad dressing,i worked there for a short time in the 70s,i miss it too!
Yes, I Also Remember & Miss The Always Festive Alpine Village & Underground Rathskeller The Bavarian + Christmas Experience was 2nd. To None in LV, A Landmark next To the Emplowded LANDMARK Hotel & Casino ! Where has My Old Vegas Gone ?
The actual ingredients to the Cottage Cheese Seasoning are (in order of amount): MSG (yup… easily omit), Sugar, Caraway Seeds, Minced Green Onion, Salt, Black Pepper, Celery Salt, Oregano. How can I be sure? I still have the 14oz plastic container I purchased somewhere back in the mid 80’s! Haven’t used it in a while but hey, it’s just dried herbs which grow weak, but basically last forever!
I have the upgraded,Chefs Book non-msg recipe.per 1995.
1/3 Cup Sugar, 5 Tablespoons fine grain Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, 3 Tablespoons Caraway Seeds, 1/4 cup Dehydrated Minced Green Onion, 2 Tablespoons Coarse Black Pepper, 2 Tablespoons Celery Salt, 1 Tablespoon Oregano, and 1 Teaspoon White Pepper.
hi chef,i made the soup and followed the recipie. there was a very bland taste. when i pureed it was kind of gritty. i just read the comments and someone had said not all the ingredents were there, can you figure out what was left out?
OK: So now I have THREE different versions of the Cottage Cheese Dip – slight variations, to be sure, but still different… I, too, bought a container of this amazing spread, brought it home in 1985, used it about halfway down for a couple years, then my wife thought it might have gone bad and threw it away – Verdammt! Soooo glad to find this page! Anyone know the most accurate ingredients, and amounts of each? Let me know!
I think we all have created some sort of fan club! Does anyone have the correct recipie for the soup?
Here’s what I came up with for amounts of ingredients. I still have the original bottle that lists all of these ingredients plus MSG.
Ingredients
• 3 cups small curd cottage cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chives – dried ground
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano – ground
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together cottage cheese, caraway seed, sugar, black pepper, chives, celery salt, salt and oregano. Allow the mixture to chill in the refrigerator 8 to 12 hours, or overnight, before serving. *See below
Original list of ingredients on back of bottle of seasoning from Alpine Village Inn calls for monosodium glutamate (MSG) – (Accent seasoning). Since my wife believes MSG causes her to have migraines I developed this without MSG.
I am 65 now and grew up here in vegas. The Alpine Village is without equal even today. Remember the delicious baked potato with the small sign on it apologizing for being so small?
Herchell, had a great sense of humor. Does any place in vegas serve the soup?
My family moved to Las Vegas in 1963. Alpine Village was part of our family Birthdays. My children grew up with the chicken soup whenever they were sick. I wish my grandchildren could experience what we all experienced. I went online and found the original recipes for the soup and cottage cheese seasoning that were
Given to the Review Journal when the restaurant closed. I want generations of our family to have the memories my parents, I, and my kids have to look back on. Making the soup this weekend
Good luck not all ingredients are in the recipe.
Made the soup. Amazing. Brings back great memories.
Charlie’s Down Under – Makes the Soup on Wednesdays – call to check – Alpine Village Soup that is. Summerhill Plaza, 1950 N Buffalo Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89128
It’s close but not the real soup. Still something missing.
A lot of people ask me for the recipe. It’s as good as it gets.
CHICKEN SUPREME SOUP
FROM THE ALPINE VILLAGE INN
THIS RECIPE SERVES BETWEEN 6-8 PEOPLE
Prep time 1 hour
Ingredients (adjusted to my preferences)
Stock
3 Qts -Water
1 1/2 Tbs -Table Salt
2 Tsp -Accent (meat tenderizer.)
3 Tbs -Granulated chicken buillon (Any brand/any type)
1 Tsp -Black pepper
1 Tbs -Kitchen Bouquet (in condiments)
1-2 cups -Baby carrots or 3 large cut carrots (peeled)
1 large -White onion (cut in quarters)
4-5 Stalks -Celery (I don’t use celery salt, i’ts too salty)
1-2 lbs -Chicken breast (cut in chunks)
Roux (Flour Thickener, this is a bread soup)
½ cup – Cooking oil (Olive, Canola, or Vegetable oil
1 cup -All purpose flour
Preparation
Fill a stock pot or large sauce pan with the water and add all ingredients to the stock pot or large pan
1. Boil the stock for at least ½-46 min hour or until the vegetables
are soft
2. Remove from the heat and let cool, so you can work with it
3. Remove the veg/chicken stock from the pot into a strainer
4. Using a blender, blend all the stock ingredients, adding water to
thin out the veg/chicken mix, return blended veg/chicken
to seasoned liquid in the pot
5. Reheat all ingredients in the pot to a boil, add 1-2 cups of
additional water to the stock
Roux: Preparation and mixing
a. Heat the oil in a large soup pot
b. When the oil is hot (put a pinch of flour in the oil, if it boils it is
ready to mix)
c. Put the flour in the oil and blend rapidly until it’s look resembles
mashed potatoes
d. Immediately after blending the Roux,carefuly put it in the stock
mix, and blend with a whisk, until there are not lumps. The flour
will actually cook to the right consistency in the soup stock
The Soup is ready to eat. Enjoy
IMPORTANT
Once the flour mix is added, the flour in the soup is cooked. any overheating will burn the flour on the bottom of the pan and ruin the WHOLE BATCH of soup. Use low or medium heat, and stir constantly to heat, or reheat in a crock pot, or a microwave to reheat, and to keep the soup warm.
This Soup Recipe should be a reminder of all the fun times we spent at the old Alpine Village Inn, that no longer exist in Las Vegas.
With Love, Clark and Jeri Odom Ellsworth
Does anyone have the correct recipe fo the chicken soup? I have read from so many that they did not publish the full recipe
You said amazing so why do you need another recipe. Did you make the soup. I have tried a few times turned out somewhat close but not like it was. I have said my mothers neighbours owned part of the alpine and the lady told her they did not put the whole recipe in the paper. My mom never could get the real recipe. We have heard from chefs about the cottage cheese seasonings. How about you chefs work on the real soup recipes. Please.
The best chicken soup I have ever had or made. The rabbit was awful. They replaced it with bratwurst. A very memorable place.
Moved to Vegas 1962 as a kid absolutely loved Alpine Village!!!!! Got married and continued to go with my family.. Boy do I miss this place along with the old Vegas…I’m going to make some cottage dip again this Christmas..
Happy Holidays!!!
I married into a family that gathered in force each Christmas Season. Memories that beam tradition, fondness and love in the holiday season. All of our experiences completed us as family and tradition as only The Alpine Village could. Yes, we miss it and those family members that are no longer with us. Bless this place and the people that were there. To place a bite of their gingerbread bites into ones mouth shouts Christmas unlike no other memory for me. IF, only that same recipe were available today! Anyone have the exact recipe ?
I worked here in the RathSkeller down stairs, so much fun !
I wish they would bring back or open in Leavenworth, WA
It was our go-to place for special occasions.
Came across the street after my High school graduation at the convention center for a celebratory meal with the family.
My Husband proposed to me there, more than 35 years ago.
I remember this place well. I really miss the cottage cheese and the train. Some things never go away.
Alpine Village was the best. My parents would take me there in the 70’s and 80’s for dinner. Anytime they let me choose I picked Alpine Village or Jubilation. If you are from Vegas in the 80’s you will also remember Jubilation, State Street and Piero’s. Anyway, Alpine Village was my absolute favorite. I loved going at Christmas-it was so charming and festive during the holidays! Later, during college at UNLV, my friends and I would hang out in the Rathskeller, drinking the beer, eating the peanuts and singing with the piano player. I have the best memories of that place. I wish it was still open!
My husband & I have been married over 48 yrs but if there was one place we enjoyed dining at it was the Alpine Village!
I wish I knew where ALL the recipes are kept or who has them. I imagine the Leverton Family has them, but maybe Lou Weiner’s family has them. I can’t remember the Swiss Rosti potato recipe, and I’d really like to have that one.
Unfortunately I can’t remember but it was part of our intro we gave to the customers…it had 7 ingredients
In the kitchen we did the roysti dance