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-   -   Vienna or Amsterdam (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/vienna-or-amsterdam-1673109/)

hetismij2 Nov 2nd, 2019 11:13 AM

When did you last eat in a restaurant in the Netherlands?

DGCommittee Nov 2nd, 2019 11:24 AM

this is such a funny thread lol

BritishCaicos Nov 2nd, 2019 12:12 PM

A national dish of fried baby cow, fries and frozen peas.

god help.

Although the Schluchtenscheissers do make Mozartkugel chocolates which are addictive if taken in large quantities.

Go go to Amsterdam and have fries with frozen peas and mayo (without the fried baby cow).

StCirq Nov 2nd, 2019 04:03 PM

I do love me a good pea soup.

menachem Nov 2nd, 2019 09:26 PM


Originally Posted by hetismij2 (Post 17010387)
When did you last eat in a restaurant in the Netherlands?

50 years ago.

menachem Nov 2nd, 2019 09:28 PM


Originally Posted by hetismij2 (Post 17010387)
When did you last eat in a restaurant in the Netherlands?

Also Bohemian cooking is the base for both Viennese and Czech cuisine, but that aside.

menachem Nov 2nd, 2019 09:28 PM


Originally Posted by BritishCaicos (Post 17010410)
A national dish of fried baby cow, fries and frozen peas.

god help.

Although the Schluchtenscheissers do make Mozartkugel chocolates which are addictive if taken in large quantities.

Go go to Amsterdam and have fries with frozen peas and mayo (without the fried baby cow).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapsalon

shelemm Nov 3rd, 2019 01:15 AM

#21, When did you last eat Dutch cuisine outside of the Netherlands?. Nobody goes there for the food.

JulieVikmanis Nov 3rd, 2019 01:53 AM

Glad to see a few votes for Amsterdam, but I too weigh in on the side of Vienna. Far more beautiful (fantastic art nouveau architecture--must take a tram or bus to Kirche am Steinhof, the last commission of Otto Wagner and a fabulous place) and the food is way better. I recommend ef16, Artner, and Shiki for your dinners--especially ef16 if you want a more traditional place, and Shiki if you want modern, fine dining,with a Japanese theme.

menachem Nov 3rd, 2019 07:56 AM


Originally Posted by shelemm (Post 17010658)
#21, When did you last eat Dutch cuisine outside of the Netherlands?. Nobody goes there for the food.

There is no Dutch cuisine. We're a nation of traders.

BDKR Nov 3rd, 2019 08:30 AM

"There is no Dutch cuisine."

Please inform the editors of Wikipedia of their error: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_cuisine

You're reminding me of the Swedish politician who exclaimed "There is no Swedish culture"

"We're a nation of traders."

And farmers, and fishermen too.

shelemm Nov 3rd, 2019 08:32 AM

In Vienna, I recommend Zum Finsteren Stern,Viennese with a touch of modernity and Gasthaus Wild for traditional. Gasthaus Wild is on the way to Kunsthaus Wien, a museum designed by and for the works of Hundertwasser. At both places you will not have to eat heavy food.

You can also go to eat at a heurigen, a wine tavern run by the wineries just west of Vienna, easily accessible using Vienna public transport. They sometimes have music.


bilboburgler Nov 3rd, 2019 08:41 AM

Many years ago I would agree that Dutch food was dire, like British food. But both have come a long way and I am always pleased by what I find to eat in the Netherlands. I do however find their cheese to be poor to middling and their beer despite recent attempts to try and like it is still poor compared to Belgian.

Austrian food continues on the bland side too, too much veal and bread crumbs and bland cheese for me. Their wine has come on a lot since 1985, but since that was when they were selling anti-freeze that is not saying much. The sweet wines of the lake on which Rust sits are very very good, but their fascination with Grunner Veltliner is beyond me though I'm learning to like St Laurent.

shelemm Nov 3rd, 2019 08:52 AM


Originally Posted by menachem (Post 17010836)
There is no Dutch cuisine. We're a nation of traders.

That a region or country completely lacks culinary traditions? That is impossible and implausible, and it doesn't matter how long you've been trading for. Anyone reading this thread can Google it like crazy and find info on dishes to eat. There are many knowledgeable folks who disagree with you.

That the cuisine is not popular, even among its own people, I do believe you.

For example, when I was driving through Czechia and asked for recommendations on where to eat in various small towns, I was always directed to pizza or chinese food. The local cuisine was there, but it was not what came to mind for the folks who lived there. That was decidedly not the case in Poland, where pride in the local cuisine was first and foremost and choices to eat Polish food were numerous.

BDKR Nov 3rd, 2019 09:16 AM

Perhaps they directed you to the pizzeria and Chinese restauarant, because they thought it'll be easier for you to order there than in a Czech restaurant, because the food will be familiar for you(comfort food). I noticed that a surprisingly large share of travellers are not very adventurous when it comes to eating.

Honey, shall we have Uzená veprová krkovice or just eat a pizza?

The other thing is that food in Czechia is considered a side order to go with the beer! :-)

MmePerdu Nov 3rd, 2019 02:03 PM

Berthe Meijer, food writer in Amsterdam, was a friend with whom I stayed in her home there and in France. I can attest that she was a wonderful cook, her own meal preparation often interrupted by readers calling her at home for instructions on something they were cooking. My experience told me that good food was alive & well in the Netherlands and there was great interest, at least among her readers, for getting it right. It was my only in-depth experience of Dutch cooking but I'd say evidence that there is good food in the Netherlands.

menachem Nov 3rd, 2019 08:30 PM


Originally Posted by MmePerdu (Post 17010993)
Berthe Meijer, food writer in Amsterdam, was a friend with whom I stayed in her home there and in France. I can attest that she was a wonderful cook, her own meal preparation often interrupted by readers calling her at home for instructions on something they were cooking. My experience told me that good food was alive & well in the Netherlands and there was great interest, at least among her readers, for getting it right. It was my only in-depth experience of Dutch cooking but I'd say evidence that there is good food in the Netherlands.

WOW! You were friends with Berthe Meijer? We still cook her recipes! I knew her slightly from LJG circles. Johannes van Dam is the other huge influence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_van_Dam

Tulips Nov 3rd, 2019 09:51 PM

Sure the Netherlands has a traditional cuisine; it's what we eat at home. Kale & potatoes with sausage. Pea soup. That sort of thing.
It's not what you go to restaurants for, and it's a bit silly to disregard Amsterdam because you don't like traditional Dutch cooking.
That would be like avoiding London because you don't like steak & kidney pie.

hetismij2 Nov 4th, 2019 01:05 AM

I suggested Vienna purely because they are already in Czechia and it is daft to waste a valuable day getting to Amsterdam, although by next September the night trains may be running again I don't think they will go between Prague and Amsterdam. Even flying between the two will waste the best part of a day.
They can be in Vienna after a 4 and a half hour train ride.

Food is food, you can find good and dire restaurants anywhere, it should not be the deciding factor as to which city you visit.

Anyway the whole thing is moot since OP doesn't seem to have returned to the thread.

shelemm Nov 4th, 2019 05:56 AM


Originally Posted by BDKR (Post 17010897)
Perhaps they directed you to the pizzeria and Chinese restauarant, because they thought it'll be easier for you to order there than in a Czech restaurant, because the food will be familiar for you(comfort food). I noticed that a surprisingly large share of travellers are not very adventurous when it comes to eating.

Honey, shall we have Uzená veprová krkovice or just eat a pizza?

The other thing is that food in Czechia is considered a side order to go with the beer! :-)

It's called "You No Like Syndrome" often attributed to Chinese restaurants in the United States.* That's why they write some of their menu in Chinese on the wall or have a secret menu they give only to their Chinese customers.

However, that bit of conjecture doesn't really apply in this scenario.* There wasn't much choice for local food the first place, and secondly it was indeed pretty bad.* I'll take Polish, Austrian, or Hungarian food before Czech food any day.* There's a reason why the beer takes precedence!


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