Cynthia wrote:Demel is fabulous -- very elegant, very old world.

"Mozart Bomb" - like a cross between tiramisu and black forest cake, delicious:

Cynthia wrote:The Naschmarkt is a Viennese institution. It’s in a great location for sightseeing, but the market, which dates back to the 16th century, is a destination in its own right. It is a great place to shop for goodies, from candies to fresh fruits and veggies, and to have lunch at one of the many stalls, coffee shops and restaurants.

Goulash and Buttered Potato Dumplings:

The best of the wurst:



Unable to get a satisfactory translation,
I wasn't brave enough to try "Schlagobers",
sight-unseen :

SCUBAchef wrote:Unable to get a satisfactory translation,
I wasn't brave enough to try "Schlagobers",
sight-unseen :

Well, Schlag is whipped cream. My guess would be globs of whipped cream.

leek wrote:

SCUBAchef wrote:Unable to get a satisfactory translation,
I wasn't brave enough to try "Schlagobers",
sight-unseen :

Well, Schlag is whipped cream. My guess would be globs of whipped cream.

Also a ballet - http://www.classical.net/music/recs/rev ... 73414a.php

Dave148 wrote:

leek wrote:
Well, Schlag is whipped cream. My guess would be globs of whipped cream.

Also a ballet - http://www.classical.net/music/recs/rev ... 73414a.php

And maybe a floor wax!

(just kidding)

I'm in the very early stages of planning for 7 days in and around Vienna this summer and wanted to bump this in case someone had some more recent suggestions? Thanks in advance.

I add very little original information to this site, so I hope someone heading to Vienna can check this place out. Language barriers aside, limited english of "happy pigs" and some ridiculously marbled ham delivered...I asked for what was good and was given a plate of sliced room temp ham, roll, mustard and fresh grated horseradish. This ham was really unlike anything I've eaten before...simply seasoned, exceptionally moist and a wonderful pork flavor.

The proprietor was very welcoming and offered me some tastes of tongue and snout which had the same great soft fatty goodness. I'll upload some pics later but this was a gem.

http://www.porcus.at/
Wipplingerstraße 25, 1010 Wien, Tel.: 01/533 80 39

So, AlekH...how was your trip? We leave in three weeks and any current-ish info would be most welcome. I haven't been back since 1990 so I suspect most of my info is more than a trifle out-of-date. And if anyone besides AlekH has info, don't be shy! Thanks.

Seek out Tichy for ice cream.

My wife thanks you.

The Lovely Dairy Connoisseur?

I see you've met!

If you do the heuriger thing and you should given the time of year, heuriger wieninger is in a league of its own and worth the trek off the beaten path from the grinzing scene.

http://www.heuriger-wieninger.at/index.php?id=2&L=1

As far as beisl food, our two favorite were Amerling Beisl and Glacis Beisl. Well executed classics and both had beautiful courtyards to linger in. The Spittleburg area in general is worth exploring...it's not nearly as touristy and was our favorite part of the city.

http://www.amerlingbeisl.at
http://www.glacisbeisl.at

For higher end recs, Kutschker44 and Restaurant Walter Bauer were both outstanding and pretty good values in a city loaded with expensive places. Walter Bauer is pretty well known but Kutschker is very much worth seeking out...the place was totally dedicated to elevated Viennese food.

http://www.kutschker44.at

No website for restaurant walter bauer but you can find plenty of info online.

And again, really try to hit Porcus, tiny place and welcoming people doing one thing really well.

http://www.porcus.at

I am several months remiss in posting on a series of places we visited while in Vienna a couple months ago. (I reported on our high-end splurge meal at Steirereck here.) Might as well start off with the top of the pack:

RUDI’S BEISL


Rudi’s interior

A very interesting evening. We had a 8 pm reservation and walked in about 7:50 pm to find the place jammed. It seemed like a neighborhood place, par excellence. Everyone seemed to know everyone and the tiny staff as well. The place is very small and very crowded but has a very gemütlich feel. In any event, the woman behind the counter—who seemed at that point to be the most harried person on the face of the earth—asked what we wanted. I said we had reservations for 8. “It’s not 8 yet!” she snapped and went about her business. A lovely first impression. Shortly after 8, as if on cue, there was a massive turnover and about half of the people who had been eating got up and left. We were seated and, sure enough, within the next five minutes, the place filled up again. If there were other tourists, they fooled me. It seemed almost exclusively populated by regulars who knew the brusque maitre d’/server/busboy or Rudi himself. From time to time, Rudi emerged from a kitchen the size of a small closet and visited with someone he knew before returning to the kitchen.
Though our first impression was far from pleasant, we decided to make the best of it and be as kind as possible to our sour server. And it paid off. While she never become sweet—she seemed absolutely determined to be as upset as possible by everything that happened—she did become much more pleasant to deal with.

The food? Glad you asked.


Ravioli
We started with a ravioli; sadly, having waited this long, and despite the picture, we can’t recall what was inside. But we both recall the dish very fondly. We loved it and, had our main courses been less filling, we might have wished for more. A wonderful app and a wonderful way to whet our appetites.


Martinsgans with red cabbage and sauerkraut
I chose the goose “special” for St. Martin’s Day. Indeed, probably three-fourths of the plates emerging from the kitchen featured the goose. With the added semmelknödel (a “crackling” dumpling) and boiled potato, the plate must have easily weighed several pounds. Goose, dumpling, potato, red cabbage, sauerkraut. (The picture is misleading in that regard because my first thought on seeing it was “Omigod, that portion is HUGE!) Perfect. Well, okay, truth be told, I’ve had better sauerkraut. Can’t imagine the prepared any better and by the time we left, I was pretty much reduced to waddling out.


Beinfleisch with horseradish cream and stewed apples
The Lovely Dining Companion opted for Beinfleisch mit rösti, a braised leg of beef (if I understood correctly) with what amounts to a potato pancake. In a word: superb, both the beef and the pancake. The beef was accompanied by a small cup of horseradish cream sauce and another of stewed apples. LDC is not particularly a big meat eater, though not a vegetarian. But she was unstinting in her praises. If I hadn’t had all I could handle (and more), I would have tasted hers, but….


Zwetschkenkuchen
Dessert. Curiously, the online menu doesn’t include desserts; my memory is that we were handed a separate card after the meal. I’m not 100% certain but based on the photograph, am fairly sure that this is/was a zwetschkenkuchen, meaning that plums were hiding under what appears to the eye. Regardless, our memories coincide: superb. Our only regret was that our appetites were limited by our stomachs’ capacity. Likely our best meal in Vienna. Just wonderful all the way around. After walking out into the very cool night air—a pleasure after the smoke, warmth, and coziness of the room—Rudi himself came out for a smoke. Though we were very limited by my poor German and his poor English, we managed to convey (I surely hope), our enormous pleasure with the meal and he graciously offered that he would be pleased to welcome us again on our next visit to Vienna.

GASTHAUS PÖSCHL
About 1 pm, we happened to be passing by and, having not had lunch yet, dropped in. A very unpretentious, un-gemütlich place. The kind of place where busy people drop in for lunch and then go on about their day. Again, like Rudi’s, it seemed largely populated by regulars, or at least locals with few tourists. Though we walked in without a reservation, the kind server took pity on us and decided she could squeeze us into a booth in the back. We are so grateful she did. I have no bill so we are reduced to guessing based on my pictures.


Rindsuppe mit frittaten
We each began with soup, but although I have no photo of LDC’s. She ordered Griessnockerlsuppe[/], or a beef broth with semolina dumplings and mine was a [i]Rindsuppe mit frittaten (beef soup with what is variously described as shredded pancakes or shredded crepes). Lovely.


Fledermaus
Then, inasmuch as we were in Vienna, how could I not have one of their renowned dishes, no, not Wiener Schnitzel, but Fledermaus? (Although the word mean ‘bat’—as in the flying creature—it’s given that name because the meat—pork—is cut in such a way as to resemble a bat. It’s then deep-fried, much like Wiener Schnitzel and served with lemon.) Given the “authenticity” of the place, it seemed like a good bet here. And it was. It was also served with a side of something I’d never seen before (but which I would have again, as mentioned below): fresh watercress piled atop warm potato salad. As it happens, I enjoy watercress and the sharpness of the greens complemented the warm sweetness of the potato salad and the perfectly fried cutlet. A winner.

REINTHALER’S BEISL


One corner of Reinthaler’s interior

Smoky. But absolutely lovely. Very busy, packed, constant foot traffic between a warren of smaller rooms, cramped, but it still smacked (to us, anyway) of “old Vienna,” atmospheric, a lovely menu and packed. Tourists, locals, young people, old people—truly a place filled with everyone. Thank God we had a reservation! Not the kind of place we would have expected where a reservation might be needed but it was clearly absolutely essential.


Two pork entrees
We ordered basically the same dish, mine was smoked and the LDC’s wasn’t. Since the two entrees were essentially the same, I merely loaded her piece of meat onto my plate for this picture; the sides were identical: semmelknödel (bread dumpling—easily the size of my fist in this case) and sauerkraut…. There really isn’t a whole lot to report except that, crowded as it was, hectic as it was, it was a wonderful, wonderful meal. We enjoyed it quite a bit—sort of like having your Vienne grandma cook for you—and would happily return.

ZUM LEUPOLD


Käsespätzle
A large, relatively spacious place that bustled with activity on a weeknight. While it was comfortable and completely unpretentious, we didn’t get the same cozy, welcoming vibe that we got at the other places listed here. Our server was fine but much more business-like as well; helpful, but didn’t go out of his way to offer any assistance. The food was, once again, very good. We began by splitting an order of cheese spätzle which, as the picture illustrates, looks for all the world, like mac and cheese with other things. Which, on reflection, I suppose it is. Regardless of the name, though, it was savory (in both sense of the word) and we quite enjoyed it.


Kürbisstrudel
For dinner, the LDC chose a pumpkin strudel and I went with an old Viennese classic, Zwiebelrostbraten (zwiebel being the word for onion). Although we knew that apricots are very big in Austria, we hadn’t realized how big pumpkin is—from its use as a vegetable to its ubiquitous use as pumpkinseed oil. Learn something new every day. In the event, the LDC pronounced herself quite happy with this savory version. I didn’t taste it (I was a little concerned about the amount of food appearing on my platter) and so can only report her happiness.


Zwiebelrostbraten
Although not as famous as Wiener Schnitzel, zwiebelrostbraten is a Viennese classic just as well-known and just as beloved. And with good reason. It may be cut from a rib roast, it may be sirloin—“authorities” differ. (A literal translation would be “onion[-topped] roast beef.”) What they do agree on, though, is that it is always topped with fried onions. Sides vary but the classic is bratkartoffeln or pan-fried potatoes; spätzle and bread dumplings are also popular; as the picture shows, I got roasted potatoes and gherkins. If you like meat and potatoes, this is as basic and as classic as it comes and Zum Leupold’s version was a fine exemplar. We chose to skip dessert in order to have it on the way back to our hotel—and so my report on Zum Leupold ends on this upbeat note.

HUTH GASTWIRTSCHAFT
I’ll concede right up front that we were warned. This is one of a series of places owned by the same family, ranging from the more “downmarket” to this, the most “upmarket” of their places. For a number of reasons—most of which we had no control over—we ended up here, cautions notwithstanding. (I should note that the cautions were not to avoid the place because the food or service were lousy. Just that there was nothing particularly special about it.) The interior is lovely: modern, a bit…um…spartan, but quite lovely in its way. No complaints about quality or service. It just never quite seemed to all come together.


Grammelknödel
I began with grammelknödel, a potato dumpling filled with bits of bacon and garlic. As we were leaving the next day and I’d somehow not managed to have it yet, I decided to go with the Wiener Schnitzel; the LDC had saibling, a variety of trout. (Technically, forelle is trout; saibling is usually translated as “salmon trout.”)


Cress and potato salad
The schnitzel was fine (the picture wasn’t). Very nice piece of veal, perfectly fried. Accompanied by the second appearance of this salad. Huth does specifically note on their menu that their schnitzel is made from veal since pork is a common substitute. The sole “accompaniment” is a hunk of lemon and the salad.


Saibling
As you can see, the presentation was lovely, pan-fried and served over a risotto that included pumpkin and pumpkinseeds. I can only report that the LDC must have enjoyed it quite a bit as, size of the portion notwithstanding, it all managed to disappear!


Eisknodel
Dessert: eisknodel, an ice-cream dumpling filled with an intensely fruity apricot jam.
Oooh. What’s not to like here. My description above tells you all you really need to know except, should you harbor any residual doubt, I will tell you that the dish was executed perfectly. I was a little concerned that we only had two “pieces,” but it was precisely the right amount. The ice cream was very good, but it really took a back seat to the apricot filling. Austrians are very proud—and rightly so—of their native apricots. They appear on menus everywhere and in all ways. They’re popular as a basis for schnapps and other liquors as well. And the filling here was luscious, intense, and just about perfect. Wonderful way to end the meal.

VARIOUS AND MISCELLANEOUS
Tried to get into breakfast without a reservation at Haas & Haas; despite some two-thirds of the tables being unoccupied, we were turned away. It still seems unlikely to me that all the empty (presumably reserved) tables would be filled within 30 minutes, but nothing could sway them. Instead, we ended up at the buffet brunch in the Hotel am Stephansplatz. I had read somewhere that it was quite good. My memory was wrong. It has a nice view across St. Stephan’s across the way. But the food was unexceptional in every way (except price). Nothing bad, just no particular reason to go.


A few other notes. Demel is a classic; Demel is a tourist trap. Demel is overrated. Demel is expensive. I will say only this: it’s famous for a reason. We put up with a moderate wait (less than 30 minutes) and snagged a table upstairs. Wow. Sadly, I decided that we were there to play tourist, to enjoy, and nothing else. Not even to document. And so there aren’t any pictures from Demel. Damn! Guess you’ll just have to trust me that the food was terrific. (It’s the one receipt I can’t find and although I loved my dish, the LDC says that she was disappointed.) Other cafes: we both liked Café Museum; we both agreed we could do without Café Central. Too glitzy, touristy, fancy-shmancy. We made it to a number of coffeehouses. My favorite turned out to be the one I loved on my last visit, some twenty-plus years ago: Tirolerhof. I don’t think a single thing moved or changed in any way. Old-fashioned to a fault, but lovely. A special note on the desserts we had at Café Prückel, right across the street from the MAK (applied art museum) and on the Dr. Karl Lueger Platz for any students of history out there. (Sorry for the phone pics; the “real” cameras were back the hotel.) Rather than describe our dishes in my words, I’ll note that I had #787 and the LDC chose #677.


the menu


Waldviertler Erdäpfelnudeln


Griess-schmarrn

I truly had no idea what to expect with mine. If you really concentrated very hard and focused to the exclusion of enjoying the food, you might have guessed that it was not a pasta dish. I’d never heard of it, though the server assured me it was very well-known and very popular. It was stellar. Very filling but absolutely stellar. The LDC’s was likewise a hit, even if it weighed in at a pound or two. (FWIW, schmarrn doesn’t really mean “trash.” A somewhat more accurate translation would be a trifle, something easily tossed off; other versions of schmarrn exist, the best known of which is Kaiserschmarrn. And while we’re at it, griess generally refers to a specific size of milled flour…think semolina.)

And of course, I’m leaving a bunch out that fell in the middle somewhere.

I saw many recommendations before we left for a little würstl stand near the Albertina—the Bitzinger Würstlstand. The only visit we were able to squeeze in, very sadly, made clear why. It’s really a large food cart and we never, ever passed it—regardless of time of day—without seeing a line. If you’re in Vienna, go. That’s all I need say.



Rudi’s Beisl
Wiedner Hauptstraße 88
A-1050 Wien
01/5445102
http://www.rudisbeisl.at

Gasthaus Pöschl
Weihburggasse 17
A-1010 Wien
5135288
[no website]

Reinthaler’s Beisl
Dorotheergasse 4
A-1010 Wien
5131249
[the website has only twelve photographs and no other information]

huth Gastwirtschaft
Schellinggasse 5/3
A-1010 Wien
5135644
http://www.zum-huth.at/huth/index.php

Zum Leupold
Schottengasse 7
A-1010 Wien
533938112
http://www.leupold.at

Demel
Kohlmarkt 14
A-1010 Wien
53517170
http://www.demel.at

Café Tirolerhof
Führichgasse 8
A-1010 Wien
5127833
[no website]

Café Prückel
Stubenring 24
A-1010 Wien ‎
5126115
http://www.prueckel.at

Bitzinger Würstlstand
1 Augustinerstrasse
A-1010 Wien
5331026
http://www.bitzinger.at/wuerstelstand/
(Even if you don’t speak German, check out the top video)


Note to AlekH: I tried. I really, really did. There just aren't enough hours in the day

As usual, a most excellent report. Thank you