By DCist contributor Amanda Kazdoy

Bistro Europa, a German and Italian restaurant smack dab in the heart of Old Town, suffers from an unfortunate situation. It occupies prime real estate (on King Street between Columbus and Washington streets), but never seems to have the full house that its more pedestrian neighbors, Bertucci’s and Austin Grill, enjoy every night.

Perhaps it’s the absence of Zagat clippings in the window or the loud bar upstairs (which the restaurant owns and operates), but something isn’t quite right. And that’s too bad because, frankly, the maultaschen alone are worth hopping on the George Washington Parkway to try. Maultaschen ($7) are Swabian-style dumplings (Swabian is pronounced “SHWAY-bee-un” and refers to a German dialect or someone or something from the southwestern region of Germany known as Swabia) that are thin, delicate and filled with a delicious mixture of bratwurst and spinach. But what takes these handmade Swabian delights from merely delicious to sublime is how they are served. They are presented in a soup format, swimming in a bowl of broth and breadcrumbs mixed with a tangle of caramelized onions. As the crumbs soak up the broth, a Cream of Wheat-type mixture emerges, adding a savory textural counterpoint to the tender dumplings.