Mouse and the Christmas Markets Redux—the Prague and Vienna edition

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Nov 23rd, 2019 | 06:56 AM

#21

thursdaysd

Joined: Feb 2006

Posts: 27,709

Likes: 1

I have had good food on Amtrak, but only on the long distance overnight trains. Otherwise I board with my own food....

Nov 23rd, 2019 | 07:28 AM

#22

marvelousmouse

Original Poster

Joined: Mar 2015

Posts: 5,238

Likes: 0

The few times I’ve taken an overnight train, there’s been a series of outages or closures or other food related mishaps. I also travel with my own food, even here—the restaurant car foray this time was mostly out of curiosity and a strong need to get out of a very crowded second class car

memejs—itinerary is/was:

berlin (1)
bamberg (1)
strasbourg (3)
(on train from there right now)
vienna (5)
cesky krumlov (1)
prague (4)
zwickau
dresden
gorlitz (1)
berlin (4)

Nov 23rd, 2019 | 08:15 AM

#23

StCirq

Joined: Jan 2003

Posts: 49,560

Likes: 0

If you have time in Strasbourg, pop into Zum Strissel - the classic Weinstübe and a good place to get out of the cold.

Nov 23rd, 2019 | 08:50 AM

#24

marvelousmouse

Original Poster

Joined: Mar 2015

Posts: 5,238

Likes: 0

Shoot, should’ve asked you, StCirq! Just left Strasbourg—beautiful. Did eat at a nice place called Fink Stuebel’s though.

anyone have any good food suggestions for Vienna? I seem to remember you go for the more reasonably priced places, StCirq, and that’s what I’m looking for! Just good food.

Nov 23rd, 2019 | 09:03 AM

#25

StCirq

Joined: Jan 2003

Posts: 49,560

Likes: 0

Sorry, I haven't been to Vienna for years, MM, and wasn't very fond of it when I did visit. I do remember thinking that Sachertorte was about the most overrated dessert on the planet. I'm sure others will have suggestions.

Nov 23rd, 2019 | 09:10 AM

#26

marvelousmouse

Original Poster

Joined: Mar 2015

Posts: 5,238

Likes: 0

Yeah, I’m not even going to try the sachertorte. I don’t really get the attraction, but it could be that I’m not a cake or sweet person...

Nov 23rd, 2019 | 09:15 AM

#27

StCirq

Joined: Jan 2003

Posts: 49,560

Likes: 0

Me, neither, but my mother, who could have lived on a diet of pure sugar, thought it was awful, too.

Nov 23rd, 2019 | 10:24 AM

#28

thursdaysd

Joined: Feb 2006

Posts: 27,709

Likes: 1

Pity you missed Strissel, also La Cloche a Fromage.

Can't help much with Vienna, I mostly ate at the Cafe Mozart my last visit, but I've had a couple of interesting meals at the Palmenhaus. If you haven't been, I highly recommend Hundertwasser as something different from the general run of Vienna's museums. I rather liked the Globe Museum, too.

Nov 23rd, 2019 | 12:17 PM

#29

fourfortravel

Joined: Nov 2006

Posts: 3,084

Likes: 26

mouse, for "just good food," try Beim Hofmeister for their "Hahnchen nach Wiener Art," a lovely preparation of the Styrian classic fried chicken with a nice green salad. Or their Zwiebelrostbraten, a favorite of DH's. We ate there so frequently that the owners jokingly offered us, "Unsere Stammtisch" (our regular table) whenever we walked in. On the last visit we had before leaving Vienna the wife hugged us, telling us she will miss us and that our table will always be there when we visit again.

Other "just good food" places we found were Beim Czaak; Augustinerkeller (beneath the Albertina, though don't order the Schnitzel); the upstairs at Gerstner's across from Opera for their Tartare; Bangkok near Naschmarkt for rather decent Thai; within Naschmarkt, Fischviertel; and back in the Inner Stadt Al Caminetta for Italian, especially their Carpaccio Polpo and wood-fired thin crust pizzas.

I am not much of a sweets eater, either, but Viennese tortes are much, much less sweet than American-style cakes. An Esterhazy Torte or a Gerstner's Haus Torte I could be convinced to order (along with a Maroni Torte in season) with a Melange, but the bland and dry Sacher Torte was never for me. My DH, on the other hand, enjoyed a slice whenever he could. Go figure.

Enjoy Vienna. We are missing the holiday markets this year...

Nov 23rd, 2019 | 01:14 PM

#30

Trophywife007

Joined: Apr 2005

Posts: 5,560

Likes: 0

Signing on to follow your travels! I agree that most tortes in Europe are not as sweet but maybe because they are setting out in those lovely display cases they always seem to be so infernally dry. Give me the apple strudel with vanilla sauce any day over a Sacher or any other torte, or at least smother it in cream -- which also has less sweetening in it.