About the only thing missing from Edelweiss Restaurant in Chula Vista is the namesake national flower of Austria. But the traditional wienerschnitzel that hangs off your plate and the countrified European ambience festooned instead with fresh carnations and a giant mural of Salzburg might impel you to start humming your favorite tunes from the Sound of Music.

Even the exterior façade is an unlikely fit on the modern landscape, a paragon of alpine village architecture marked by wooden banding and an old-style clock looming above flower boxes, filled in this case with plastic flora.

The Old World charm jibes perfectly with the traditional Austrian food presented by Franz Dorninger, who emigrated here from the Motherland 20 years ago with some of his country’s most beloved recipes in tow. His farmer-style bratwurst, for example, is made with finely chopped pork sans the milk that normally gives this sausage its whitish color. Served as an appetizer on a bed of tender sauerkraut, it paired swimmingly with tall icy mugs of imported Gosser beer that steered my dinner companion and I happily through our meal.

We also started with Viennese-inspired Breaded Mushrooms, which took on that delectable pan-fried flavor the central Europeans have long mastered. As with most breaded dishes in Austrian and German cuisine, the accompanying lemon wedge adds verve and tang to the coating. So when you see it, squeeze it.

Dorninger puts many homespun gems on his menu that you’d normally have to cross the Atlantic to find, especially those divine wienerschnitzels, which I’ve never seen replicated so precisely on U.S. soil.

My companion opted for the “original” – a pounded-out veal cutlet dredged in flour, eggs and breadcrumbs, then pan-fried to a heavenly crisp. It meets all the specifications needed for keeping the restaurant’s devoted following of Germans and Austrians yodeling for more. A hearty plop of excellent sour red cabbage and handmade späetzle noodles with good brown gravy rounded out the plate.

I chose the Jägerschnitzel, which has entered my dreams many nights after ravenously consuming it on trips to Germany. It’s a pork filet prepared the same as the veal, except it also comes with a topping of wonderful rich dark mushroom sauce that was liberally applied here. No doubt, I’ll be schnitzing my way back to Chula Vista sooner rather than later for more.

On the sidelines, we sampled the Austrian Home Fries, which tasted nothing like American fried potatoes because of the marjoram and caraway that get tossed in. They’re quite delicious. And as if our blood needed more carbs that evening, we couldn’t leave without trying the Potato Dumplings, which were somewhat buoyant rather than heavy in texture.

Aside from other traditional meals you’ll find on the menu, such as Viennese Filet Mignon Roast and Tyrolean Farmer’s Pancake with smoked sausage and applesauce, Dorninger has added some of his own inventions. The Chicken Breast Washcau, for instance, is marinated in white wine and honey mustard then pan roasted with bell peppers and grapes. Or the Rolled Pork Loin, which borrows from traditional Austrian stuffed veal, gets stretched and pounded and then rolled with Viennese bread and mushroom stuffing before it’s oven roasted.

Everything we ate came stamped with an unforgettable homemade quality, including the you-guessed-it Apple Strudel dessert. Choose the “Sound of Music” version, and you get vanilla sauce strewn over the top.

The drink list features about six different Austrian wines and several beers imported from Germany and Austria, including, of course, Edelweiss. In keeping with European tradition, the brand name of the beer you drink appears on your glass mug in the form of a colorful emblem or coat of arms. “I’ve seen some of my glasses walk out the door,” quips Dorninger.

For those who have never experienced Austrian food, Edelweiss Restaurant is an ideal starting point loaded with original character. Dorninger touts it as “San Diego’s only Austrian kitchen.” And to the best of my knowledge after researching the claim, he stands undisputed.