Austrian Cuisine/Restaurants

Salzburg – Dinner at Gablerbrau, The Views from Kapuzinerberg, Mirabell Gardens, And Some Last Minute Wanderings

May 9, 2020 mmm-yoso Austria, Austrian Cuisine/Restaurants, Travel

Since we had only planned on one full night in Salzburg, the Missus really wanted to make the most of our time; we'd started with the Old Town, then "hiked" up to Hohensalzburg Fortress. We decided to head on back to the room to freshen up and then grab some dinner. We took a fairly "scenic" route, walking thru Kapitelplatz.

And grabbing another look at Stephan Balkenhol's "Sphaera".

"Everyman" was still standing on his golden orb, looking off into the distance at “Frau im Fels”, his female counterpart. We tried to get a photo from here, but it was basically impossible.

We crossed thru Residenzplatz, you can tell what a beautiful day it was…..

We crossed over the Salzach River and headed to the Seminary where we were spending the night….the Missus suddenly realized that She needed some balls……ahem, Mozart Balls that is, for some folks back home. Luckily there was a location of Cafe Konditorei Fürst nearby; Mozart Balls or more properly Mozartkugel was created in Salzburg in 1890 by Paul Fürst, so it was only right that we would get some for the Missus's friends.

It was just up the street from the Seminary, so we stopped by and the Missus got Her gifts.

Cafe Konditorei Fürst
Mirabellplatz 5A
Salzburg, Austria

We headed back to Gästehaus im Priesterseminar.

Freshened up; no time for nap on this day and went through options for dinner.

We decided on something fairly close to our accommodations in the "New Town" and after looking thru my list decided on Gablerbrau, which seemed to have a nice selection of beer and some good dishes.

The folks here are very friendly and the place did actually "look the part"……

We placed our orders and of course, I got some beer…..which was quite good.

The bread was fragrant, adequately moist, and decent overall.

We ordered one starter, the "Tafelspitzsulze" jellied beef….since we enjoy jellied meat dishes. This however, was fairly uninspired; the jellied meat overly hard instead of chewy.

The produce was good; though the dressing not to our taste.

Right about this time groups of customers started coming in.

And the staff handled things quite well. Service was very good.

The Missus wasn't too hungry, so She ordered the special for that day; the Duck Salad.

That tomato was delicious, as were the crisp and pleasantly bitter greens. The duck was over-cooked and tough though.

I ordered the Oxtail Braised in Red Wine.

Which was served with Parsley Potatoes. The oxtail didn't look very appetizing as it was almost totally black. It was tender, though strangely bland, except for being on the bitter-greasy side. The potatoes were nicely seasoned, but undercooked; the centers still being too hard and crisp.

A fairly inauspicious meal; though, like I mentioned earlier, we enjoyed the service and I liked the beer.

Gablerbräu
Linzer Gasse 9
Salzburg, Austria

I was ready to call it a day; perhaps grab a beer or two…..but of course, the Missus had other plans. After a bit of discussion, we (She) decided we should head up Kapuzinerberg the hill which is on the opposite side of the Salzach from the Old Town and Hohensalzburg Fortress.

There are several viewpoints ("Aussicht") along the way and the views are wonderful.

There are ancient walls along the way……this was used to enclose a Capuchin Monastery that was built on this hill during the 16th and 17th century.

Looking down, the Missus and I were quite envious of the folks having drinks and meals on the makeshift rooftop "terraces" below. I'm thinking we'll try to find one of these places to stay at when we're back in Salzburg.

We took in a bit more of the views before finding some stairs and heading back down to Steingasse. There are a bunch of bars and brewpubs on the street, but I was kinda pooped and we decided to head back to Gästehaus im Priesterseminar; the seminary we were staying at.

There's a reason so many love Salzburg……not the least of which is how picturesque the city is.

The Missus asked me if I wanted to stop at a shop to pick up a beer on the way back to the room…..but I had noticed something when we had left the seminary in the morning.

Near the elevators on the bottom floor of the seminary were several vending machines….and one of them had beer…..in a vending machine…..in Salzburg…..in a Seminary Guesthouse!

It was a pretty warm evening; there's no A/C in the rooms, so we left the windows open. Turns out the street right behind the seminary is lined with bars and things were pretty noisy….which kept me up for a while, until the Radler kicked in and sailed off to never-never land.

We got up fairly early the next morning; breakfast was provided with the room……

Since out train didn't leave until 1pm, and the train station was a fairly short walk away, we checked out, left our bags at reception and headed out. There was one site which was almost across the street that I wanted to see.

Mirabell Gardens. Part of the Mirabell Palace complex; yes, the gardens are beautiful, bright, green, wonderful statues…..designed in in the late 17th century, it is quite wonderful. But there's another reason tourists flock here.

And it's not only to dress up "in character"…..

Mozart is one big draw for Salzburg….the other being The Sound of Music, which was not only filmed in Salzburg, the Von Trapp family actually did live in Salzburg.

It's really hard for kid raised in the 60's and 70's to not have seen The Sound of Music and one of the most memorable scenes was filmed in Mirabell Gardens. Who can forget this one….try NOT to hum along….

So you might recognize this fella…..

And this is a view from the steps…..

I couldn't help but smile…….

And I'm sure many folks were enjoying, if not actually trying to act out (it was more fun watching some of the folks) their Do-Re-Mi moment.

From here we decided to head back to the Old Town for one last stroll…..plus there was one last thing I wanted to see….so we walked past the Salzburg Christ Church.

And crossed over the Makartsteg Footbridge, lined with "Love Locks".

Back to the Old Town.

To the area around Residenplatz and came upon what I wanted to see; the "Wetterstation" a weather station that dates back to 1888.

Not sure why; but stuff like Astronomical Clocks and the like always fascinated me. This actually measures the barometric pressure, temperature, and humidity.

Having fulfilled my geekiness we wandered around a bit more.

It was a lovely day and Cafe Tomaselli was doing some major business.

And all the carriages were ready to go in front of the cathedral.

And "Everyman" was still staring off to his love somewhere in the hills above.

So all was well in Salzburg……

We did some last minute shopping…..

Then went to pick up our bags and headed off to the train station.

I think we'll be back someday….I need to get a good meal here after all.

But for now…..

We were off to Munich.

Thanks for stopping by!

Vienna – The Albertina, Vis a Vis Weinbar, and Plachutta Wollzeile

February 25, 2020 mmm-yoso Austria, Austrian Cuisine/Restaurants, Wine Bars/Wineries

We finished up our exploring for the day at the Albertina.

Once the home of Maria Christina, whose husband Albert of Saxony was a collector of fine art. Built on the one of the remaining fortress walls of Vienna, this former palace, now museum not only houses a collection of art, but you also walk through grand and colorful staterooms. Like the Hall of Muses.

And the Audience Room among others…..

And there were some very familiar works; like Albrecht Dürer's Young Hare.

I cracked the Missus up when I told Her the reason I recognized this was because a friend of mine had a lawn ornament that looked exactly like this watercolor….and he probably had no idea it was based on this.

I found "Rubens's Son Nicolaas Wearing a Red Felt Cap" to be quite striking as well.

And from one of my favorite artists; Joan Miro; "Birds and Insects".

Still, it was the staterooms that really caught our attention. This is the Study of Archduke Carl.

After the visit; we headed back to our apartment and had a nice nap.

Upon awakening, we headed up Wollziele. It was still too early for our dinner reservations, so we headed to the wine bar that had been unexpectedly closed the night before. We made a couple of stops along the way to do a bit of shopping and passed this interesting mural.

I found it somewhat funny and whimsical. Upon returning home, I did a bit of research and according to Atlas Obscura, the mural named "Wolf and Cow Playing Backgammon" dates back to 1509! Funny what you run into….

The wine bar I had on my list was in a little alleyway, between some busy shopping streets in the same area as the very popular Wiener Schnitzel restaurant Figlmüller and is named Vis-à-vis. It's a cozy little shop; just 2 booth and a couple of seats. It was quite empty when we arrived, but filled up quickly.

The Missus had a nice white and when I couldn't figure out what to have; one of what seemed to be a regular customer came up and made some recommendations. He recommended an Austrian Grüner Veltliner, a very nice, dry, crisp, wine…..he even told us the name and where the winery was located; but I'm sorry to say, we can't remember.

The woman who ran the place was very kind and friendly, and that gentleman who spoke perfect English was so hospitable. Plus, we couldn't complain about the prices at €5,5 a glass.

Vis a Vis
Wollzeile 5
1010 Vienna, Austria

We really hadn't wanted schnitzel for our last dinner and I was fascinated with Viennese Tafelspitz, a restaurant named Plachutta Wollzeile seemed to be quite popular, so I had made reservations.

The restaurant is quite large and as the evening progressed got really full….both tourists and quite a few Austrian families as well.

The Servers were quite professional even though the place got super slammed as the evening went by. I'm glad we got there early.

We ordered our Tafelspitz; I figured one order to share would be enough. We also got two appetizers….and I got a "cold one" and the Missus a glass of wine to start.

The first item to arrive was the "Starter Trilogy"; Jellied Beef, Goose Liver, and Steak Tartare.

The "jellied beef" was basically an aspic, very clear and beefy. The goose liver was quite nice; not overly strong in terms of funky-offal flavors; decent on the bread provided. The beef tartare was a bit too mushy for my taste; though it had a nice, clean finish, with no off flavors.

Since it was white asparagus season, we ordered the White Asparagus with the Herb and Tomato Vinaigrette and Chopped Egg. This was by far our favorite dish of the night.

The asparagus was so lovely; sweet, with just a hint of bitter, nice and crisp, the tomato relish was no biggie, but for some reason, that savory chopped boiled egg really added to the overall flavor.

The Tafelspitz….you can order different cuts, but we went with the traditional, which is boiled beef rump. Is quite a production as it is served in a pan full of very clear consommé like beef stock. And served with potatoes rosti, creamed spinach, horseradish with applesauce, bone marrow, a chive cream sauce, and bread. Whew…..

We weren't big fans of the creamed spinach, which was pretty bland……it reminded me of really bad 1960's type dishes. The applesauce with horseradish really lacked "oomph"; which might be the objective, but it was just too sweet for us.

The chive sauce was ok; it needed more pungency for my taste, but it was the best of the bunch.

I had always thought that Potatoes Rosti was kind of like a shredded potato formed into a cake, ten browned. What we had was all in pieces making it more like American hash browns. It was nicely seasoned, with a good combination of crisp and tender potato shreds.

The beef broth was nice, with a definite bovine goodness, though a bit on the salty side, it had a nice and clean finish. The Tafelspitz was perfect in texture, it held form, but was easily cut with a fork….it really didn't seem to have as much beefiness as I anticipated though. For me, the best item was the bone marrow, which looked like it wasn't going to be soft enough; but was so buttery in texture and so beefy. It was perfect on the almost rye like Viennese bread.

We left quiet full, but not stuffed. All-in-all we were glad to have tried Tafelspitz; though it's not something we'll crave. That white asparagus though……

Plachutta Wollzeile
Wollzeile 38
1010 Vienna, Austria

After dinner, we strolled around for a bit. checking out some of the shops and just digesting and burning off our meal.

We stopped by a convenience store and I bought a Gösser, an Austrian label owned by Heineken.

We'd done quite a bit during a couple of days in the city and we were pooped. After the beer, to quote Ringo Starr it was "all da da down to Goodnight Vienna!"

And tomorrow we'd be headed to Salzburg.

Thanks for stopping by!

Vienna – Wien and Co and Würstelstand Zum Scharfen René

October 26, 2019 mmm-yoso Austria, Austrian Cuisine/Restaurants, Wine Bars/Wineries

We'd put in some decent mileage during our first day in Vienna. After resting up a bit, we decided to walk to a wine bar I had on my "list". Unfortunately, they were unexpectedly closed for the evening. So what to do? Well, we didn't want anything substantial, so we headed off to just stretch our legs as it were. Initially, we thought we'd just drop by Julius Meinl and do some self-catering.

But after wandering thru the aisles of this very upscale grocery, we decided to just grab a glass of wine. Fairly close by was a location of Wein & Co, an Austrian chain of a combo bar and wine shop. It was quite convenient, so we just walked in and found seats at the bar of this busy little café.

The place was hoppin' at this time of the day….what we'd call happy hour here in the states. We both had glasses of Veltliner, which was very pleasant, dry, slightly acidic, quite refreshing.

The service was very professional…….I kinda think of this place as an slightly upscale happy hour joint…..

Wein & Co Wien Stephansplatz
Jasomirgottstraße 3-5
1010 Wien, Austria

Fortified by a couple of glasses of wine, the Missus asked me what I wanted for dinner. I told Her that I'd heard about a sausage, called Käsekrainer that I just wanted to try. And heck, what would a visit to Vienna be without a stop at a Wurstelstand. We were kind of headed back in the direction of the apartment and decided to stop by a stand on Schwarzenbergplatz, named Zum Scharfen René.

The stand was fairly busy, so I decided not to take any photos of it.

When I walked up to order, two of what I only assume were "regulars" were really funny….I think they were pretty well "lubricated" and were really helpful.

Anyway, I told them I really waned to try a Käsekrainer and they told me to get the Currywurst with the "special sauce" as well.

As so, we had dinner at a sausage stand in Vienna.

I loved the texture of the sausages, the skin had a wonderful "snap". The flavors came thru really well….not a big fan of the ketchupy "special sauce" on the currywurst as it was a bit too sweet and sour for me. The dark bread, almost rye like was moist and actually tasted really good.

I really enjoyed the Käsekrainer, basically a sausage stuffed with Emmenthal cheese.

Think of a sausage injected with milky "Swiss cheese". Again the casing had a nice snap, the sausage was delicious……porky, smokey, with soft, creamy, milky, deliciousness in every bite. The nice slightly pungent mustard helped to cut the richness. This was really good…..

I truly understand how good this would be after an evening of imbibing "refreshment".

Zum Scharfen Rene
Schwarzenbergplatz 15
Vienna, Austria
Hours:
Monday 11am – 7pm
Tues – Wed 11am – 4am
Thurs – Fri 11am – 5am
Saturday 9pm – Midnight

After getting our share of encased meats in tubular form, we were ready to call it a night……

Because tomorrow was going to be another full day……

Thanks for stopping by!

Vienna – Paul Restaurant and a Quick Visit to Saint Stephen’s Cathedral

September 12, 2019 mmm-yoso Austria, Austrian Cuisine/Restaurants, European Restaurants, Travel

When planning our last trip to Europe, we decided to fly into Budapest and end our vacation in Paris (of course). Instead of flying to Paris, I talked the Missus into doing the trip by rail….I love train travel. The Missus decided to humor me; with the only condition being no trip over four hours long. Which would make a slight difference a bit later on. I plotted out our course from Budapest and decided our next stop would be Vienna (2 hours 45 minutes by train). The Missus had always wanted to visit Vienna….the history, art, music….and of course, the coffee culture.

We walked the mile and a half from the Vienna Central Station to the Parkview Residences where we were staying. Since we travel light, we try to alternate hotels and apartments. It was a bit of a blustery walk….in fact, it always seemed windy in Vienna. It was also a bit drizzly, but thankfully not pouring.

I really liked our location, while not in the center of Vienna, it was just outside the Ringstrasse, the ring road that circles the inner city. It was also right across the street from the Stadtpark, the large and lush city park.

Since it was already late in the afternoon when we arrived; I decided on something fairly close to the apartment, though right inside the ring road. Right past the park is Paul Restaurant, serving smaller plates in the bar area, in the style of a modern brasserie of sorts.

And while the Missus really never took to Vienna; She enjoyed the Austrian wines, and Paul was a good start.

We ordered five dishes off the menu, which turned out to be a perfect dinner. Remember, all we hadn't had much during the day.

Things started with a very nice Grilled Lettuce Hearts with Langostines.

The Langostines were perfectly cooked, sweet, and tender. The grilled lettuce had some nice varying textures and the grilling brought out some smoky-sweetness as well. The bacon bits added another layer of flavor and those confit tomatoes were delicious.

Next up; the Porcini Soup. While very comforting, the Missus said this didn't measure up to what I make at home (I'll get to the recipe one of these days). The fact that I use 1 ounce of porcini, porcini cream (when I can get it), truffle oil, two types of mushrooms, etc…..makes it a fairly pricey proposition.

This was smooth and creamy, with a mild porcini flavor.

I really enjoyed the Beef Tartare.

Rich and yet refreshing; the texture was smooth and decadent. Wonderful with the toasts provided.

The only clunker of the evening were the fried dumplings, which we probably shouldn't have ordered. The wrappers were like cardboard and the filling lacked flavor.

The jus was too salty and really made this an odd dish.

The cheese plate was a nice dessert, but nothing really stood out.

This was a nice, not too fancy, solid meal. Not overly rich and quite satisfying. The service was relaxed and the folks were friendly. And the Missus enjoyed the wine. Check out the sitting area outside the restrooms downstairs!

It was just what we needed. We were saving our heftier meal for days when we'd be doing more walking.

Paul Restaurant
Johannesgasse 16
Vienna 1010, Austria

Speaking of walking, after dinner the Missus wanted to check out St Stephen's Cathedral.

Like many Cathedral's and Churches it's really difficult to get a complete and clear photo. It's just so impressive. There was quite a bit of work going on so we weren't able to see some things like the Turkish cannonball still stuck in a buttress dating back to the second Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683.

I was later told that there's always preservation and restoration work going on at the Cathedral.

The doors were open when we arrived so we walked in. There was choir practice commencing when we entered. The darkness of the place gave it quite and eerie feel.

We noticed what seemed to be stones in netting above the center of the Cathedral. I later learned that this was a work by Austrian artist Peter Baldinger, named "Sky Full of Stones", you can read more about it here. We lingered for a few more moments, then headed out, taking one last "lap" around the exterior of the Cathedral.

We headed back to the apartment, walking through the park. There's quite a bit to see in the park, a wonderfully grand Historicist Music Hall, a children's playground, we'd use the U-Bahn Station when leaving Vienna, and of course, many monuments. On this evening, the Johann Strauss Monument shined brightly, piercing the darkness.

We got back to the apartment, did a load of laundry, checked emails and such, then headed off to sleep. According to our plans; the next day would be a full one.

Thanks for stopping by!