Kochkurs: Wild, Kürbis, & Quitten

This weekend M and I attended our fourth cooking class at Straub's Krone, and this time the main ingredients were wild game, pumpkin, and quinces. Once again we had a great time, and even I am becoming more comfortable taking on various tasks (though if I had my druthers I'd keep my participation to observing, listening, and taking pictures - and eating!).

The menu for today was:

Wildterrine mit Quittenchutney & Blattsalaten

Wild Game Terrine with Quince Chutney and Salad

Kürbiscremesuppe mit Kürbis Apfel Frühlingsrolle

Pumpkin Cream Soup with Pumpkin-Apple Springroll

Rehrücken im Pfannkuchen Pilz Mantel, dazu zweierlei* Rosenkohl

Saddle of Venison in a Pancake-Mushroom Jacket, with Two Variations of Brussel Sprouts

Kürbismousse mit Quittenkrapfen

Pumpkin Mousse with Quince Doughnuts

*Zweierlei is another brilliant German word that has no perfect equivalent in English. When you see "zweierlei" on a menu followed by an ingredient, that means what you'll find on your plate is that ingredient prepared in two different ways. This was "zweierlei Rosenkohl", and we had loose blanched brussel sprout leaves as well as brussel sprout puree.

As always we began with Martin Straub (the Chefkoch) going through the menu explaining what we'd be doing as well as telling us what substitutions can be made, answering our questions, and elaborating on his instructions. One of the participants this time was on a gluten-free restricted diet, so Martin explained the changes he'd made for that: rice cakes in place of breadcrumbs, gluten-free flour and where to buy the good stuff, etc.. I took notes ("If Quitten are steinhart, add Wasser & cook longer") because I can't remember anything unless it's written down. Since both languages are swirling in my head, my notes come out in messy Denglish.

Then it's time to don our aprons and plunge in! Martin knows me well enough by now to suggest easy tasks for me, which I appreciate. I took care of the brussel sprouts - a tedious, repetitive job which was perfect for me. It's not that I'm helpless in the kitchen, but when I'm part of a cooking team, I lack the confidence to do unfamiliar things. I'm often afraid I didn't understand exactly what I am supposed to do, and that freaks me out. Martin knows that M, on the other hand, can do pretty much anything in the kitchen with confidence. So when M is taking care of a task, Martin can tend to his other students. 

This is a 1- or 2-man kitchen, and there were 7-8 of us in there!
For schnibbling we stood at the outside of the counter.

We spend about two hours doing every preparation step that can be done first, under Martin's guidance. He asks, "Ok, who wants to cut the meat (wild boar)?" and someone steps up. "Who wants to start on the pumpkin?" and so on. Even if you have never worked with pumpkin or quince before (as M and I have not), he'll explain very clearly what you need to do.

I seriously have no idea how he keeps that all straight. When he's doing it himself and with his crew, ok - but with strangers? With strangers he has no idea whether they know what to do or not? And he never loses his cool or gets upset - it's not like cooking with Gordon Ramsay! If someone screws something up, he either says "Ok, let's do it again", or he shows us how to fix it. The cooking class started at 10:00 and ended around 16:00. I have a hard time keeping my patience for 45 minutes teaching the Englisch-AG!

M dealt with the pumpkin for the mousse and the soup.

The butternut squash next to him makes me think of Jerry from the Veggie Tales.

Two of the other participants peeled and cut the Quitten. I had never in my life heard of Quitten, even when translated into English - quinces. I was certain we don't have those in the U.S., but when I was in Wisconsin in June I visited a friend and we wandered through her garden. She has a quince tree! 

I have to say, the Wildterrine was really tasty, but the Quittenchutney topping was amazing!

Wildterrine mit Quittenchutney & Blattsalaten

M is pretty sure we're going to make this at home next time we have guests - if we have them when Quitten are in season.

That's yet another thing about Germany that is special - since they care where their produce comes from, far preferring local produce to stuff brought in from other countries on trucks, they pay attention to seasons. Fall is pumpkin and quince season in Germany, and they happily order dishes with either. But they would be quite sceptical if they saw those on a menu in March. 

Pumpkin is a huge thing here. Nearly every German restaurant adds a special Kürbis menu in the fall, and there's even an annual 9-week long pumpkin festival in Ludwigsburg, which you can read about on the Stuttgart-based blogs Traveling Hopefully and Kaffee und Kuchen. In Wisconsin the only thing I ever heard of anyone doing with (canned) pumpkin was baking pumpkin pie to serve at Thanksgiving. Otherwise we carve jack-o-lanterns out of pumpkins for Halloween, some roast and eat the seeds, and after Halloween - hopefully before the pumpkin has started to rot - it gets thrown away or tossed into a field.

But back to the cooking class...

The saddle of venison was cut from the bone and freed of the fat and sinews, and then browned. The bones were also fried up to be used for the sauce.

"noch ein bisschen Rotwein" = dump a bottle of wine over it
while your students stand there drooling...

Then the venison was wrapped in its pancake jacket, then in a tin foil wrapper like a bonbon.

Most of my photos show Martin doing the steps because I'm never sure how the other participants feel about having their pictures taken, and I try to avoid getting in their way with the camera. Martin often does an example, and then we students take over. Martin is used to my camera by now (though I have a photo from our first Kochkurs of him giving me an exasperated look which clearly said "Enough with the pictures!"), and he knows what I'm doing and pays me no heed.

So we did lots of preparations, managing not to trip over each other too much, and eventually the starter was ready. It was, of course, time for a glass of wine, and Martin had chosen a Rotling - a mixture of red and white. 

We toasted to the fact that no one had yet injured him- or herself or screwed anything up beyond saving, and sat down to enjoy our starter. We chatted, shared some stories, asked Martin lots of questions while we ate.

When we finished we brought our plates to the kitchen where the whirling dervish that is Martin's kitchen assistant had washed everything we'd touched up to this point, and we carried on with the next steps.

Since we now have a Thermomix at home, I was able to confidently use Martin's to mix the brussel sprout puree and then the pumpkin soup. Seriously, all that means is I put the cooked mush into the mixer and pureed it, added some salt, pepper, and nutmeg (Germans put freshly grated nutmeg in just about everything), mixed it again, and poured it into a bowl. Others had done the hard work.

pumpkin cream soup with pumpkin-apple spring roll
The dark bit in the soup is a splash of pumpkin seed oil and pumpkin seeds.

I haven't ever liked anything pumpkin, and still these were both delicious. I would definitely like to do the spring rolls at home, though M would prefer them to also have some meat in them.

Right. I'll bring this post to a close with the rest of the dishes.

main course
venison wrapped in pancake with zweierlei brussel sprouts

Admittedly by this time we were stuffed, and dessert was yet to come. I must say that I'm proud to have been in charge of both versions of brussel sprouts without having screwed them up. M actually saved the loose blanched leaves without even knowing it until 5 hours later when I admitted something I'd misunderstood, but that will remain our secret.

Pumpkin Mousse with Quince Doughnuts

This Kochkurs was every bit as enjoyable as the others we've done. We meet nice people, we learn lots of great tips that help us in our own kitchen, and we eat some truly excellent food that we wouldn't have tried cooking just for ourselves. We don't always cook at home what we've prepared in these classes, but that's not the point for us anyway. We have some new ideas, we've got all the recipes, and we have learned plenty. 

I asked Martin if he thought he could do a cooking course in English or Denglish, and he thinks he could do that. I've offered to translate the recipes and instructions, so bloggers in the Stuttgart area, you may be hearing from me soon! :-)  

You can read about our second Kochkurs from March this year here.

Asiatischer Kochkurs

On Saturday M and I attended our second Kochkurs (cooking class) at the fabulous restaurant in our little town. The Kochkurs is something the Chefkoch is starting to do more regularly, much to our delight! The theme this time was Asian cooking, which we don't do a lot of, to be honest - but we knew it wouldn't matter. For us the point is the skills and information he teaches us, the tips on where to buy various ingredients, learning how to make our own sauces, and listening to anything else he has to teach us.

Our menu:
Glasnudeln mit Rindfleisch, Chili, und Koriander
Thai Curry Suppe mit Garnelen Zitronengras Spieß
Chicken Teriyaki mit Wokgemüse und Eiernudeln
Sago Pudding mit Mango und Sesamkaramell

the kitchen, before we messed it all up

The Kochkurs started at 10:00, and we only returned home around 16:00! The restaurant is normally open on Saturdays for lunch, but on the days he does the Kochkurs, the Chefkoch closes his restaurant and the students invade the kitchen. We each got an apron and a copy of our menu and instructions. He started out explaining the food we'd be preparing for the four-course menu we'd also get to enjoy, answered whatever questions we six students had, and then we dug in.

Under his instruction and guidance we did all the preparations that could be done ahead, so lots of schnibbling of vegetables, combining ingredients for the marinade and dressing, preparing the meat and shrimps, and mixing and cooking the pudding, which would then be poured into dessert cups and chilled until the end.

Our Chefkoch is not only a master chef but also an excellent teacher. We weren't just putzing around in his kitchen - he taught us the best way to peel a clove of garlic, that it's best to peel peppers for something like stir fry because the peel is hard for many people to digest, that it's essential to get the pan very hot before adding meat to fry, how best to peel ginger (with a cheap spoon!), and which ingredients can be easily substituted for the ones in his recipes ("If you don't have maracuya juice, just use orange juice"). Those tips were especially helpful for me, because I'm one of those who tends to stick blindly to a recipe out of fear of screwing it up by substituting. He explained the how and why of almost everything we did and always got our attention when moving to a new major step so we'd know what to do at home when we try to recreate these dishes.

One major difference between German and American recipes is that German ones tell you which herbs and spices to add, but often not how much. It says "etwas Curry" ("some curry). When asked "how much more [herb] should I add?" our Chefkoch often answered with, "about double what you just added."  I know that's one of my big cooking problems - I never season anything enough.

using a scissors to cut loose the right amount of glass noodles
from the package

showing us why meat loses its healthy red color so quickly

anrichten: dishing up the Glasnudelsalat

I think he's telling us here about his fabulous mixer that also heats
while mixing, which is excellent for making Hollandaise sauce, for instance.

Although we worked with ingredients we've never used at home before (lemon grass, mango, curry paste, coconut milk...), he showed us that these recipes are absolutely do-able at home by mere mortals like us! Everything was hands-on instruction, demonstration, and explanation.

He gave us some tips on where to buy local fresh produce and that we should always buy seafood frozen, since there is no fish that comes to our area fresh from the fisherman. What's marketed as "fresh fish" in our grocery store, for instance, has been frozen (and thank goodness) on its journey from the sea to Horb.

I learned that when I buy a pot of herbs, they'll last longer if I re-pot them right away into a bigger pot. Perhaps I should have known that already, but I've never bothered except in the summer when I plant the herbs outside. When asked, the Chefkoch told us which type of pans he prefers and why, how to clean a stone mortar (don't ever put it into the dishwasher!), and what parts of a leek are good for which purposes (you can use more than just the middle white part!).

one part of the dining area - the open kitchen where he works is just
to the left, so guests can watch the action while they dine!

It was a perfectly enjoyable and informative morning and afternoon! Just like last time, I came away having learned a lot, and having tried (and helped prepare) several dishes I may not have ordered. The Thai Curry Suppe was admittedly too hot for me (I have a wimpy palate), though I did enjoy half of the serving. And that soup is what confirmed what I have long thought - although there are foods I don't like and foods I haven't yet dared to try, I am pretty sure I would eat anything cooked by this chef. That soup contained three ingredients I really don't like (curry, ginger, and coconut [milk]), and yet I found it tasty. If I ever get the courage to try sauere Kutteln (sour tripe, which I think is the lining of a cow's intestine), saure Nierle (kidneys), or Hirnsuppe (brain soup) - all dishes I've heard of here in Swabia - it will only be at this restaurant. I, however, am not sorry those dishes aren't currently on his Speisekarte!

butterflying and skewering the shrimps with lemon grass

One of the other students said that she had grown tired of going out to eat because there just aren't many restaurants around that offer such a fabulous dining experience, delicious and special food, and that "extra something" that she would eagerly return to or recommend them to others. But then recently she came to Straub's Krone and was really impressed. Swabians don't give empty praise, and we could only nod in agreement. That's why we dine here about once a month!

We are in Swabia, after all. What would a Kochkurs be without
a bottle of wine with which to toast our first course?

tossing the strips of beef  - make sure the pan is HOT!

grinding coriander seeds and mixing the Teriyaki sauce
Don't bother with a lightweight mortar - this sucker weighs
7 kg (15 pounds)

explaining the next step while M keeps stirring the pudding

After our first preparations were completed, we finished and dished up the salad course and sat down with the Chefkoch to enjoy our first course with a glass of wine. We chatted about all kinds of topics, some related to cooking and some not, and then we cleared the plates and got back to work. Each course after that worked the same way. Despite the chatting and relaxing, our Chefkoch never once rushed us or indicated that we should quit yammering and get back to work so he could have a rest before having to open up for dinner business! He gave the impression that he wanted to be right where he was, teaching us whatever he could in those several hours, and enjoyed doing it.

At the first Kochkurs we attended in 2013, he taught us how to make Bratkartoffeln at my request, and I haven't failed at that since (before then it was kind of hit-or-miss for me). We learned tons of basics that day which have become normal for us now, and I have no doubt that we'll keep learning new techniques with every class we take.

This is the Sesame Caramel garnish we made for the dessert:

Mix soft butter, warm OJ, sugar, and 1 Tbl of sesame seeds.

Spread thinly on parchment paper.

Bake  for 10-15 minutes and let cool.
Gently break it into the size pieces you want.

We are already looking forward to the next Kochkurs, which he said will be during the Spargelsaison! We couldn't get enough of his asparagus dishes last spring (Germans go mad for white asparagus during the roughly 6-week season), and since we only have one (delicious) home recipe, we're eager to learn more from him!

I will end with the final products - the dishes we prepared.

Glasnudeln mit Rindfleisch, Chili, und Koriander

Thai Curry Suppe mit Garnelen Zitronengras Spieß

Chicken Teriyaki mit Wokgemüse und Eiernudeln

Sago Pudding mit Mango und Sesamkaramell

Eating Wild

This post started out as a brief description of a wonderful meal we ate yesterday, and it became a long "I LOVE this restaurant!" post instead. 

For M's birthday this month I of course made a reservation at our favorite local restaurant, where the Chef/cook/boss/owner and his wife know us well. He greeted us before we sat down and said he had something special to prepare for us if we were interested, and it was "Wild." Wild means it is either venison or wild boar, and M told the chef a while ago that he should let us know anytime he has Wild, and we'll come if we can. The chef knows a hunter in this area, and so the Wild that comes to the table here is local.

Straub's Krone

(If you are a vegetarian or vegan for moral reasons, you may want to skip the next few paragraphs, but for more about the restaurant, start again at the paragraph just above the buffet photo.)

M and I indicated our interest, and the Chef (which appropriately means "boss" in German, but he's also the chef) said when he saw we were coming he saved for us a Kitzrücken. I know that Rücken means "back" (tenderloin, usually), but I didn't know the word "Kitz." I looked quizzically at M, and both he and the Chef said at the same time, "Bambi". I've heard people jokingly refer to venison as "Bambi," but I know the German word for venison. It starts with Reh- or Hirsch- normally. So I realized right away that they meant young deer, or fawn. Without hesitation and without hearing the accompanying side dishes, we told him we'd be happy to have that. He said he would get it started because it needed time to rest in the oven.

We sat down and ordered a bottle of water as we always do and two glasses of Sekt (champagne, for simplicity's sake) to toast M's birthday. We told the hostess (the Chef's wife) we didn't need menus. We each had a salad following some slices of baguette with their homemade herbed olive oil.

The Chef brought out the cooked piece of Bambi Kitz on a platter with a sprig of rosemary garnish to show us before he plated it. It looked and smelled divine.

This is the delicious little devil:

What you see is Rehkitzrücken mit zweierlei Pastinaken und Maronenkartoffeln, or young venison tenderloin with parsnips prepared in two different ways with chestnut potatoes. The parsnips were 1.) pureed and served in a ring around the edge of the plate and 2.) the crispy chips on the top. Both delicious. There were pieces of potatoes next to cooked chestnuts nestled under the slices of venison. The dish was topped with an edible flower, which we also ate!

The combination of everything was simply amazing, and this was such a wonderful treat for Martin's birthday dinner. What I didn't realize until later was that the evening's special was leg of Kitz. The Chef cooked the tenderloin just for us!

I wondered what the English translation of "Kitz" is, but there isn't one. We don't eat fawn in America. It's not even legal to kill them. I told the Chef that after the meal, and he said, "Na, der Jäger hat ihn erlegt, und ich hab' ihn genommen." ("Well, the hunter got him, so I decided to take him.") I don't even feel guilty saying we're glad he did! I don't think it's common here to shoot fawns, but perhaps official hunters have special permission when the deer population gets too numerous.

I found this through a google search:
"There is no [English] term for fawn meat. This is likely because people do not generally eat it: In most countries, the US included, it is illegal to hunt dear under a certain age... From a culinary standpoint, deer meat is rather mild, given its lack of fat, so there isn't a strong reason to seek out baby deer."
~Robert Love, Software Engineer at Google

Well, Robert, not so much. I would admit that the guilt factor would dissuade me from seeking out baby deer meat, but Kitz prepared like this was darn delicious.  This young Chef is a Zauberer - a magician - in the kitchen and we are so fortunate that he grew up here and returned to establish his Stüble after his training and apprenticeships under top chefs in other fine restaurants. We feel a wee bit spoiled having a place like this within walking distance of our home!

We truly appreciate having a restaurant in our town where the talented Chef knows us, knows what we love to eat, and conjures wonderful meals from every piece of meat he brings into his kitchen. He does vegetarian dishes, too! On Sundays they offer a buffet lunch with seasonal salads and starters, a choice of one of three main dishes (a vegetarian dish is always one of the choices), and a dessert buffet with delicacies served in small portions so that one can try several without feeling overfull.

Sunday salad and starter buffet

A sample of the dessert offerings

The Krone has an open concept, meaning that the main parts of the dishes are cooked in an open kitchen that the guests can see while they dine. The messy, loud, and background work is done in the back kitchen. Since the Chef is right there in his cooking space when people walk in, he always greets everyone personally. He usually comes over to each table to wish diners a Guten Appetit!" and thanks guests and bids them a good evening as they leave. Since he cooks on a Präsentierteller (on display), he has somehow learned to never look frazzled even when the restaurant is full - I can't even manage to appear calm when I'm cooking for just the two of us!

This is a casual family restaurant which serves fancy and delicious dishes, and I highly recommend it in the unlikely event that you find yourself in our tiny village. Is it worth a drive from, for instance, Stuttgart? Absolutely! I'd call for a reservation, though, just to be safe. The menu, which changes seasonally and yearly though the specialties always remain, is on their website.

We have brought almost all of our visitors here, we dine here together at least once a month, and we have never once had a bite of anything we didn't like. I try a spoon-size portion of almost everything on the Sunday starter buffet and have therefore tried dishes I wouldn't have ordered otherwise. They come up with such interesting combinations, foods I'd never heard of (Quitten, for instance, which are quinces - I'd never heard of them in either language), and delicious recipes for the popular seasonal foods like weißer Spargel (white asparagus) and Pfifferlinge (chanterelles).

If you have special dietary needs, that's no problem, of course. A guest at a neighboring table one Sunday said she really wanted a certain dish but was lactose intolerant so the sauce wouldn't work. The Chef prepared a different sauce for her. Their decor is simple, elegant, and personal, and the paintings on the walls were created by a local artist. Well-behaved dogs - even large ones - are welcome. We once had a Weimaraner lying under the table next to us.

I have no connection to the restaurant, they didn't ask me to advertise for them, and they don't even know yet that I'm writing this post. I'm just telling you about a restaurant we love and hope will stay forever in our little village!

Wien / Vienna 2: Hotel and Restaurants

My mother-in-law and I flew from Stuttgart to Wien on Thursday and arrived in the pouring rain. It continued to rain throughout the rest of the day and night. We were not surprised by this because the forecast actually said constant rain for the whole weekend, and we actually got lucky and had only occasional rain from Friday to Sunday.

Instead of writing a post for each day of our time in Vienna, I'm going to try writing posts by theme, starting with meals and accommodations. When I'm visiting a city or town for the first time (or for the first time in many years, as was the case for me with Vienna), I always appreciate personal recommendations for places to stay and eat. I read reviews on booking.com and so on, but I'm more interested in what friends of mine and other travel bloggers recommend.

We stayed at the Hotel Kaiserin Elisabeth on Weihburgstraße, and it was perfect for us. It was a 1-minute walk to the U-Bahn at Stephansplatz and a 2-minute walk to the Stephansdom. We walked all over the central part of town within the Ring, mainly, and only needed the U-Bahn to get to my parents' riverboat to meet them and to and from the airport. This is a great central location and we thought the price was reasonable (€147 / $190 per night for a single room).

Our rooms faced the inner courtyard and we couldn't believe how quiet it was in the middle of this big city. I didn't even hear other guests, though apparently the hotel was full all weekend. My room was perfectly fine, the bathroom updated, the bed comfortable and the Federbett (comforter) and pillows cuddly. There was a TV that I never turned on because I prefer reading, a minibar that I'm too frugal to even peek at, and a safe I didn't need because I don't travel with valuables that would need locking up. For those who need those kinds of things, though, they are available, as is a clock radio with alarm and a hair dryer.

The staff at the front desk provides maps of Vienna, brochures for various attractions, and information about concerts and performances, are ready to give advice about what to see and do, and will arrange for tickets, transportation, and reservations if you need them. There is a computer in the lobby for guests to use and a printer which is convenient for printing boarding passes when it's time to leave again.

Not shown: a wardrobe with hangers and shelves

 

The staff still needed time to finish preparing our rooms, so we had a cappuccino in the lounge shown below. That's a portrait of the famous and much-loved Sisi (Empress Elisabeth of Austria) above the mantle, and the larger one is of her husband Kaiser Franz Josef.

Unfortunately I can never make proper use of the breakfast buffet, but I thought it was more than sufficient. If I were able to eat a decent breakfast in the morning, I would not have lacked options: rolls and bread with jam or honey, a wide variety of cheeses and meats, yogurt and fresh fruit, cereal, soft-boiled eggs, and hot food - Kaiserschmarrn (like a sweet chopped up pancake), cooked vegetables with a sauce or cheese, and sausage or bacon. Coffee, tea, water, milk, and freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juice are also available, of course, and by the third morning we didn't even have to ask for coffee because our server knew what we wanted.


For dinner on Thursday night I had made a reservation at the well-known restaurant Figlmüller, which is famous for its Schnitzel. It was a fun place to eat - quite crowded, so it was good we reserved a table, and a friendly waiter. To be honest, though, I was not impressed with the Schnitzel. It is huge and doesn't fit on the plate, which is their trademark. It was made from pork instead of veal (that's not a complaint), and very thin (as it should be). My husband, though, has taught me what the breading of a real Schnitzel is supposed to look like: unevenly browned and puckered or "bubbly." The breading on this Schnitzel looked pressed and was evenly colored - like the breading on a chicken sandwich at McDonald's (ok, definitely better than that, just a similar color).

According to the Figlmüller website, their Schnitzel is cooked in pans rather than a deep-fryer - three different pans are used for each Schnitzel, in fact. And they use the best cut of the pork - the tenderloin - and fresh oil. Martin just told me that if the oil is deep enough so the Schnitzel basically swims in it, the breading will be more evenly colored like it is here, and this is not uncommon. One feeds two people, so don't be silly and order a whole one for yourself like we did. I couldn't even finish half, though I got close. They'll happily provide a Sackerl (doggie bag), so we put the leftovers into the mini fridge and brought them with us on our walking tour the next day - saving the cost of another meal. No need to reheat it - it's good cold, too!

It was definitely good, and if you aren't the Schnitzel Snob that I've become, it's fine. Stay tuned, though, because if you are interested in a real Wiener Schnitzel, I've got a recommendation coming up later in this post.

On Friday our self-guided walking tour brought us to the Naschmarkt around lunch time. The Naschmarkt is like an open-air Markthalle with little shops, venders selling food - fruits and vegetables, cheese, herbs, meats - and small restaurants. We walked the aisles to check things out and then just picked a restaurant and sat down at an outside table. We only had a light snack and glass of wine (for me) and cappuccino (for my MiL) because we had our Schnitzel leftovers.. It was more important for us to just sit for a bit, since we'd walked all morning and were going to keep going all afternoon!


I didn't write down the name of the place, but that doesn't matter. Whatever cuisine you're hungry for, you should be able to find it at the Naschmarkt - Chinese, Turkish, Austrian/German, Arabic, Italian, and even fish and chips! I guess you won't find a Mexican or American (i.e. burger or steak) place, but there is a wide variety from which to choose. If you don't need a break to sit down, choose some fresh fruit and be on your way again.


Dinner on Friday was a real treat! My MiL had found the Viereck online because it was close to the Kursalon where we were meeting my parents for a concert later on. I only have a picture of the outside from earlier in the day because I didn't bring my camera in the evening (for which I have kicked myself repeatedly).

Again we made our reservation online the week before our trip - I'm loving this concept of reserving without having to make a phone call! At the Viereck you are given a tablet (of the Samsung Galaxy variety, German readers, NOT a Tablett, or tray!) as you are seated, and the Kellner explains how to use it if this is your first time at the restaurant. The menu is on the tablet with pictures, and you just click on what you'd like to order. The pictures are accurate - what you see is what you get! Elegant presentation, perfectly seasoned, fancy touches. Our Kellner told us to order our drinks and starters first and then later our main course, otherwise everything will come at once.

We selected our drinks and touched "bestellen" (order), and while we were looking at the starters, our drinks appeared. We both selected Schafskäse im Speckmantel auf frischem Rucolasalat und Balsamicoglace and touched "bestellen" again, and a very short time later our starters were brought to our table. It was insanely delicious and I was tempted to order it again for my main course!

Service was so fast (we were dining early and the restaurant wasn't busy yet) that we had to slow things down or we'd still have an hour to kill before the concert. I ordered another glass of Grüner Veltliner - a dry white wine - and we chatted about the next day's plan. Here's the most brilliant thing about this tablet-ordering business (called Smartmenu): although our Kellner was very friendly, attentive, and willing to chat when we had questions or comments, he never had to come to our table to ask if we wanted anything, how things tasted, if we needed another drink, if we were ready to order... It drives me absolutely NUTS in the U.S. when I am constantly interrupted by the waiter/waitress. Stop asking me questions! I will politely get your attention and tell you if I need anything. On the Smartmenu tablet there is a button that says "Kellner rufen" (call waiter). I pressed that, and he showed up almost immediately. There's another button for you to check out your total bill at any point, so you can actually figure out what you'll pay including tip even before touching "bezahlen" (pay). We each had our own bill on our tablet, but I was also able to touch "Rechnung abrufen" (fetch bill) to pull my MiL's bill onto mine so we could pay together. When you touch "bezahlen," the Kellner pops over and knows exactly why, and you pay him.

Granted, if you like the American-style interruptions and frequent personal contact with your Kellner, maybe this isn't for you. But you don't get that constant attention in Germany or Austria anyway. You have to try to catch eye contact with him, possibly wave subtly to get his attention, etc. when you need something. That's fine with me, too, but I found this Smartmenu thing just brilliant.

Oh, we both had Scampi e Spinaci (jumbo shrimp on noodles with baby spinach) which was again delicious. Choosing something without garlic might have been smarter as we were headed next to a concert, but oh well. I'd happily order it again. The Viereck is very close to the Stadtpark, and I absolutely and enthusiastically recommend it! It might be a 10-minute walk from the Stephansdom, and it's worth every step.


On Saturday for lunch we ate at Cafe Landtmann near the Burgtheater and Rathaus with my parents and my aunt who was also on the European river cruise. They were told by their cruise director - who lives in Vienna - that the most expensive coffee in Vienna is at this restaurant. We didn't have any because we couldn't get our waiter's attention when some of us wanted coffee (the Smartmenu would have been good here!) so I can't speak about the quality, but one cappuccino costs €5,50 ($7.12). A normal coffee is €3,50 ($4.53), and there are no free refills. I'll agree that's pretty expensive, but I found the menu prices for the food reasonable. There is outdoor seating, but the weather was sketchy, so we ate inside (online reservation, of course). The restaurant has a very classy atmosphere.

Photo credit: J. Keckonen

This room was set for dinner. The main room where we ate was quite full.
Photo credit: J. Keckonen

This is where I tasted what might have been the best Schnitzel I have ever had. My dad ordered it, but I tried a bite. First of all it was real Wiener Schnitzel, made with veal. The breading look exactly like what my husband has described (and like the Schnitzel he makes at home!) - unevenly browned (which, among other things shows that it was prepared in a pan rather than in a deep-fryer) and puckered and "bubbly". The meat was so tender that you wouldn't even need teeth to chew it, and so delicious it almost brought tears to my eyes.

This is what I mean by "puckered" breading and uneven coloring.
Photo credit: J. Keckonen

I am sure many restaurants in Vienna do an amazing Schnitzel - it's a specialty of Vienna, after all! But based on my brief experience, if you want to be sure to have a Schnitzel to remember, order it at Cafe Landtmann. It's not cheap because it's made with veal (€23,00 / $29.75), but it's large enough, filling, and comes with parsley potatoes and a salad.

Here's a Schnitzel tip: If it's called Wiener Schnitzel on the menu, it's made with veal. If it's just called "Schnitzel" or "Schnitzel Wiener Art" (Vienna-style Schnitzel) then it's made with pork. The pork version is very good also and cheaper, but it's not the real thing. This is the case no matter where (in Germany or Austria) you are eating because there are strict rules here about naming dishes and foods. The Schnitzel I mentioned earlier is called "Figlmüller Schnitzel" because it is not Wiener Schnitzel. Schnitzel simply means "cutlet," and there are many other kinds. Putenschnitzel is a turkey cutlet, for example, and Jägerschnitzel is a pork cutlet without breading served with a dark mushroom sauce.

The last restaurant I'll write about was right near our hotel and on Kärntnerstraße, one of the main Fußgängerzonen (pedestrian zones) in Vienna. It is the Restaurant Venezia, which is clearly Italian. We sat outside, which we both prefer when the weather is ok. My MiL had lasagna and I had spaghetti pomodori:

Basically it was spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce, and once again delicious. I had a glass of the Grüner Veltliner again, and sparkling water, of course. I swear, I do not describe everything I eat as "delicious." It just happened that there was nothing I ate in Vienna that I didn't like!

We had quite a variety of dining experiences for such a short time in Vienna. Each place was very unique, and everything I ate was something I would order again. My favorite restaurant was the Viereck with the Smartmenu, the better (but more expensive) Schnitzel was at the Landtmann, and the most conveniently located place from our hotel was the Venezia.

My next posts will be more about sight-seeing.
 Things to see for free
 Museums and Tombs