Washington -- Baron Is Back In His Restaurant

SUMNER, Pierce County - When Baron von Vierthaler and his wife, the Baroness Ingeborg, bought a 30-unit mobile-home park in Northern California a few years back, their plan was to retire. They arranged to sell the restaurant the Baron owns on Washington 410 between Sumner and Bonney.

But when that deal didn't work out, the von Vierthalers returned north - and out of retirement. That was a month ago. But with the couple's return, Baron Manfred von Vierthaler Winery and Restaurant - to give it its full name - is already drawing a loyal following.

The restaurant, which started life as a winery in 1976 and added food service three years later, overlooks the Puyallup Valley and offers authentic Bavarian fare - sauerbraten, rouladen, knackwurst, schnitzels.

The Baron himself is no less authentic, as a framed family tree in the restaurant lobby testifies. He claims German King Ludwig as a 17th cousin, and had his name legally changed three years ago to include his title: Baron Manfred Jochen Freiherr Ritter von Nell Buehler Vierthaler.

Born in Frankfurt, Von Vierthaler came to the United States with his parents and brother in 1953. After working as a custodian at the Tacoma Public Library, his father opened a Bavarian restaurant.

In the late '60s, von Vierthaler went to Germany to study wine making; in 1971 he was invited into the Rheingauer Weinkonvent, an exclusive brotherhood of vintners.

Von Vierthaler plans to complete the restaurant remodeling,

estimated at $20,000 to $30,000, by early fall. The basement area that once contained the wine-making operation will be converted into a beer-and-wine hall. The current main floor lounge will be renovated to feature a banquet area. He and his baroness now live above the dining room in a 5,500-square-foot penthouse that was once a dining area.

The Baron still has dreams for his next stab at retirement - a motor-home trip to Cape Horn, for example, or a treasure hunt to Mexico.