What's your fondest German/Austrian/Swiss culinary memory?
 

I'm exhaustively researching my upcoming 2001 Bavaria/Austria trip and I love this site. Here's one for you: what tastes best in the above listed lands? (I'm most interested in "modest" dining.) Also, is service generally poor or good? - I don't really care because I adjust to whatever custom rules, however, I just wondered what to expect.

Annette, <BR>I was born in Austria but have been a US citizen for many years now. I have been back to Graz, my home town, many times (It's a great place to visit, by the way). My best culinary advice is as follows: You must at least once have the traditional "Wiener Schnitzel". It is a lightly breaded and fried veal cutlet, traditionally the size of your whole plate, overlapping the sides. You will preferably eat this at an outdoor restaurant, high on a hill overlooking the city. Graz has such a restaurant at the top of the clock tower (Uhrturm), which used to be a fortress. You can walk up, or take the tram. The view over the city is unbeatable. Also be sure to visit a "Conditorei" (pastry shop). The Austrians are world famous for their sweets.

Switzerland: This is what you'll typically find in a locals restuarant-Rosti (the national "hashbrown" dish, served all sorts of ways), Alpeler Magaroni (basically a very tasty mac and cheese served with some sort of apple (sauce, slices) on the side), salads (teller) are usually very good with lots of different types of vegetables. Gersten Suppe (a tasty veg soup usually with barley), Fondue, raclette, all sorts of pork schnitzels, croquettes, goulash and of course roulade (swiss roll cakes).

A great Italian restaurant in Vienna - A Tavola.

Hi, Annette, <BR>(1) Linzer Torte at the Cafe Central in Vienna. Made it last an hour. Deserve a medal. <BR>(2) A series of glasses (don't recall actual number) of young local wine, sitting on the terrace above the Danube at the Richard Lowenherz in Durnstein.

Annette, <BR>Oktoberfest in Munchen with 1L of bier! <BR>

On the service question, I find service in Austria & Germany more "formal" than in the U.S. For example, whenever I've ordered fish the waiter would bring a special fish knife and fork. I can't remember that ever happening in the U.S. <BR>As another Grazer now living in the U.S., my favorite Austrian food is the desserts and the unusual ice cream flavors. My favorite is Marille (apricot). Enjoy your trip!

This may be trite, as my fondest Austrian culinary memory, but it sure does stick in my mind: Sacher torte at the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, lo these 14 years ago.

I am getting hungry reading all of the suggestions above, especially the viener schnitzel and the Oktoberfest 1L bier. One of my favoritte meals was saurbratten mit kartofel gloesse(potato dumplings). Do try the various sausages available in those places. I miss those most of all. <BR>

<BR>Anything with gorgonzola in any of those countries! One of my fondest food memories, and certainly the most odorous, was walking with some friends to a little restaurant somewhere in Interlaken, that our hotel concierge had told us about and known for it's gorgonzola specialties. We got within a block and could really smell it! By the time we entered, we knew we couldn't sit inside, and luckily they had outdoor seating. And my husband and I really like it strong, but no way could we deal with that. <BR>

In terms of chocolate, some people say Swiss, some people say Belgian, but I say Mozart balls from Salzburg. Delicious.

Kase Spatsel (Cheese spatzel) -- available in most Baravian restaurants; not always on the menu, available as a side dish almost anywhere. Also, Gonnuci (potato dumplings) with gorgonzola sauce -- this was in Vienna. Lots of good sausages and pastries in many places.

Now I enjoy haveing the house brand of bratwurst almost everywhere I go, but my fondest memory is the "chateaubriand for 2' at the Peterskeller in Salzburg - In 1970 it was only $3.00!!! Memories of the Peterskeller were ruined in 1987 when I had the surilest waiter imaginable.

Steve, I hope this helps a tiny bit because I too am very fond of the Peterskellar in Salzuburg. I was there in October 1998 and all the wait staff was lovely. No rudeness at all. True, the prices weren't low but they weren't out of line, either, and I had been waiting DECADES to try Salzburgernockerln in Salzburg, having read about it years before in Gourmet magazine. It was a treat. At any rate, you have an excuse to go back and find a thoroughly pleasant dining experience.

Lindt chocolate; a sausage on a bun with sweet-tart mustard from an open-air stand in Salzburg; any Austrian pastry.

A box lunch from either Italy or France.