I notice many of you are suggesting soup.

I'm curious to know if soup is served year round or is it more of a winter offering?

You'll find soup in Austria year-round. Other than Knoblauchsuppe, you'll usually see Goulashsuppe and clear (really tasty) broth with various additions, such as the pancake strips(think crepe) mentioned above, and little fried balls of dough (name escapes me at the moment, something like "baked peas".)

I have a good recipe for Knoblauchsuppe, but I'm a really poor typist, so I'll have to get that later.

~Liz

Here's my scanned & fixed recipe:

Knoblauchsuppe
(Garlic Soup)

3 ½ oz bacon
10 cloves garlic
¼ C flour
1 large leek chopped
1 quart beef stock

4 oz sour cream
1 raw egg yolk
½ tsp. salt

Sauté finely chopped bacon, add crushed garlic and sauté 5 minutes until soft, but not brown. Stir in leek; cook for 5 more minutes. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Add stock; simmer gently for 20 minutes. Cool slightly, then blend until smooth.
Stir yolk into sour cream. Pour this mixture into the soup and cook gently until soup thickens.
Just before serving, I usually top this with tiny rye croutons.

~Liz

Thanks for posting the recipe. I look forward to making it so I have an idea of what to expect.

Just wondering if anyone has heard of "chicken served in a wheelbarrow"? Apparently it is served in a restaurant near the Hopburg. My brother, who has tried it on his visit to Vienna, says it is a must try. Warning: Serving is huge!
PS. Love the talk on sachertorte. Not sure I want to try it when I get to Vienna, although I love cakes!

"But quite obviously you have never been to Austria"

Yeah, I have. The difference is that you people are talking about fancy restaurant food. I'm talking about the real local food that the locals actually eat. Sure you can get just about anyrthing anywhere these days if you are willing to pay. But it won't be "Austrian food." If you want real, authentic Germanic food, it will be exactly as I described.

Actually, Metellus, you are off the mark. We have several Austrian friends in the Steiermark and spend time there often in the nontouristy villages near Seckau. The food they eat is not greasy, heavy, everything fried. Lots of fresh vegetables, lots of salads (served with healthy Styrian pumpkin oil), lots of fish and lean meat nicely prepared. Good wine, good beer. But it's true, after a week we were ready to scream. We were screaming for more!

I had pizza twice in Vienna. Both were different than pizzas I have had other places and both were very good.

Keith

>...you people are talking about fancy restaurant food. I'm talking about the real local food that the locals actually eat.<

Ah, yes. The old "if it's not good, it must be authentic" syndrome.

We have a Mexican restaurant like that.

At the hotel Konig von Ungarn (sp?), in Vienna, I ordered a 'traditional' Austrian meal because I wanted to have the experience. My entree was taffelspritz (sp?). It's an assortment of boiled beef entrees-- including tongue-- yech. I was sorry I'd experimented with that one. The rest of my family ordered beef steaks and they were marvelous. I was jealous of them!
Otherwise, I'm a big schnitzel fan and ordered it about three times that week at various places. Love it with lots of lemon.
Also agree that sachertorte is a bit of a disappointment. Kind of dry in the cafe where we had it.
My husband loved the apple strudel and sampled it everywhere. It deserves its good reputation IMHO.

Will you be in Austria during early May? The start of the asparagus crop, or "Spargelzeit", is an opportunity to eat some tasty dishes incorporating the vegetable. Nothing beats the traditional, though - lightly boiled asparagus with a slightly tart cream sauce, new potatoes and thin slices of ham.

My favorite food item in Vienna? The schlag! Schlag, or whipped cream, is used abundantly on top of coffee drinks and desserts. The color will be more ivory than white, since the butterfat content is astronomical. It tastes very different from U.S. whipped cream.

There is a significant "green" movement in Austria agriculture, reflected in the fact that a lot of restaurants agree to use, as much as possible, vegetables, meats and cheeses produced no more than 100 miles away. Not only do you get fresh local food this way, it cuts down on fuel usage to transport food. Sounds good to me.

Our trip will have us there in late June.

I love that so many people are posting to this thread. Thanks!!

yep, if something is offered mit schlag take it.

I was in Germany (haven't made it Austria yet) during the white asparagus time. Talk about a country gone mad. Amazing to see so much of the stuff in one place. After returning home, I looked in the produce section for white asparagus and saw such a skimpy selection. Take advantage of it while there.

No one has mentioned the sauerkraut! It's nothing like what you get in the US. We were served mountains of it, often with dumplings - yum! I loved Austrian food, my wife who is not a fan of red meat, wasn't as thrilled. In many restaurants, chicken isn't on the menu, just red meats, sausage, and perhaps trout.

Thanks for posting the recipe, Liz. I will try it out this weekend!

Moldyhotelsaregross - we will be in Austria in late June as well. Thank you for starting this thread! Lots of good information for my travel guide/journal.

Liz, that was WONDERFUL !!!

I am surprised no one mentions the Schweizerhaus in the Vienna Prater when food is discussed in Austria.
They are most famous for their " Stelze"- the rear knuckle of pork, but have a good and varied menu including fish.
Try the pork with horse rsdish.

They have seating for hundreds in a beautiful garden and also in several dining rooms.
Of course no meal is complete without a good beer from draught- in their case - Budvar from Czech.
The daily menu is excelent and is usually priced from 5- 9 euros.The price and good quality mean that it is always full.

If you do not like food, this place is not for you.



visit - www. schweizerhaus.at you can learn a little of their history and view the menu- yes they have it in english also.

would anyone now what the equivalent of a starbucks frap drink be...do they have them? i like cold coffee drinks...it nevers gets cold enough here for me to appreciate a hot coffee drink.

Message : re Starbucks- if you really need the drink- go to a Starbucks -we have several in Vienna.
Also McDonalds, Burger King, and TGIF

Kentucky Fried Chicken to open soon.

Nothing like gourmet dining and testing the local foods!