Monday, March 22, 2010

Austrian Dispatch: Classic Viennese Fare, with a Twist



Viennese cafe culture in action at the Cafe West End in the Mariahilf district:

Grüß Gott from Osterreiche! After three-and-a-half days of eating, drinking, taking in the beautiful architecture, gawking at the incredible Egon Shiele paintings at the Leopold Museum, strolling around the grounds of the Hofburg Palace and trying - with some  modest success, if I do say so myself  - to communicate in monosyllabic German, I have finally found some time to sit back, relax, and share a tiny slice of Vienna as I've experienced it so far. (And of course I am sipping some Austrian wine as I type this!)
No trip to Vienna would be complete without checking out the Naschmarkt, the famous food market that stretches for 1.5km. And given the fact that it's a convenient 20 minute walk from our apartment in the Mariahilf district, Poppa Trix and I made this our first order of business. I was immediately taken with the heady smell of the many spices for sale at the market:
I couldn't resist buying some zaatar, harissa, ras el hanout, and granulated tomato. I definitely plan to return for more before we leave! If it weren't for the fact that I never want to leave this incredible city, I'd really be looking forward to getting home and cooking with my fun new acquisitions. Next, we were stopped by a vendor offering us free samples of stuffed tomatoes and peppers. I know this was meant to induce us to buy something, and guess what? It worked. Behold our glorious antipasto of stuffed peppers, pepperoncini, tomatoes and artichokes:
Check out the paprika that's loaded on that green pepper. So good. To go with this cheesy feast, we split a börak, a spinach filled pastry that Poppa Trix remembered eating when he visited his grandparents in Austria as a kid:
As any guidebook will tell you, wiener schnitzel is an iconic - arguably the most iconic -  Viennese dish. As a non-meat eater, I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't get to try it and see what all the fuss is about. But that was before Poppa Trix and I turned down a random street and discovered this:
 Ah, Formosa Vegetarisches Food.  How do I love thee? Let me count the ways ... One is for your fresh & beautiful arugula salad:
Two is for this soup of broccoli & roasted garlic, with just a hint of mushroom to confer an undertone of earthiness:
Three is for your amazing selection of vegetarian meats, like the schweinfleisch mit sauce (pork with sauce):
But mostly I love you because you serve up an array of classic Austrian meat-heavy dishes, done completely meat-free. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the vegetarian schnitzel with a side of potato salad. The schnitzel was rich and satisfying - even a little gamey, in a good way - and the potato salad was the Platonic ideal of German-style  potato salad:
I hope to make time to visit Formosa again before we leave. Along with schnitzel, the Viennese love their coffee, and on this point I need to make no adjustments - we are in full agreement. The great thing about the cafe culture here is the unhurried aspect. You can sit and sip your coffee as long as you like.  Poppa Trix and I did just that at the Cafe West End, on Mariahilferstraße. (However, when you're ready to pay the bill - die Rechtung - you had better be ready. The waiter will stand and hover until you fork over your Euros.) Poppa went with an espresso with whipped cream:
I, however, went old school and chose a plain coffee with cream. Waiters place baskets of sweets and treats on the table, and you only pay for what you eat: We resisted temptation, however, as we needed to save room (not to mention calories!) for some cakes later on. That, however, is the subject of a future post. Auf wiedersehen until next time!






27 comments:

  1. You're sooo lucky!! Want to know all about it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. OMG! How incredibly fun and exciting! I feel like I am "on tour" with my rock-star-looking blog friend! (BTW, love those sunglasses, girlfriend--you look like it's been a perfect day--what a great shot!) Who knew Vienna could pack such a "veggie punch"--I am in awe of that fact alone and it reassures a poor less-traveled girl like me that there would be a food choice or two for a humble vegan like me! Such a great post! Safe eats and more safe travels to you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would say Egon Shiele would not put me in a food mood... his self portraits made me think he was a real starving artist! It sounds like you are having a blast... enjoy some gooey pastry for us all here in the US

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice! Nice! Nice!!! OMG, you are so living it up, in fashionable shades and red lipstick, no less! That place where they put all the treats in front of you, and you *only* pay for what you eat .. that is BRILLIANT! How many people have THAT much self-restraint?! Oh, you look like you are really enjoying yourselves and I am so happy for you. I did a double take when I read 1.5km! Take care and have a great time!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a fun and interesting trip! The market looks like a blast. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I can tell you're having fun! lots of great stuff in Vienna, I'm glad you were able to find vegetarian food, since I know it's not really one of their "thing". Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for sharing your experiences and meals, bery interesting and now I'm really hungry....

    ReplyDelete
  8. I zeroed in on the pic of the arugula---my absolute favorite.
    Enjoy Austria! Thanks for sharing your travel adventures with all of us!

    ReplyDelete
  9. thank you von Trix (& Poppa too) - wonderful to hear of your trip - that market sounds incredible and my weakness would be the pastries, but not too sweet....would love to try the real schnitzel but then, I'm so touristy...enjoy and can't wail for episode 2

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don't think it's fair that you get to travel to all those foreign markets and not send some of those divine spices to each and every one of us who follow you...just saying

    You look great and just too cool... Thanks for sharing the pix and the trip.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So glad you found that place and managed to experience all the traditional flavours the meat free way!!!! Sounds like you had far too much fun he he

    ReplyDelete
  12. Awesome eats here! I would love to visit Vienna some day! Keep us posted on more happenings!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh how delightful, even Julia Child would be happy to see this post (rip)...so enchanting to see these marvels of the world, love the salad, and the way they put it all together, and that espresso..oolala....everything looks like heaven here, so glad your enjoying your stay,you make me want to plan my next trip there!

    ReplyDelete
  14. No trip to the Sacher hotel yet! Its a must. So lucky, have fun eating there and visiting.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The hills ARE alive... Indeed!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Look at all those spices! Can I have some please ;)
    Looking forward to more stories.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I could tell you are enjoying your trip. Who wouldn't. You have some nice selection of vegetarian dishes. Looking forward for more.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sound like such a wonderful trip! You can learn so much about a culture from the food, grocery shops and related food rituals.
    Side note: After your Senegalese post, I have been consumed with finding seitian in Bulgaria and I did! Thanks for the new ingredient.

    ReplyDelete
  19. How much fun is that! Love that schnitzel and miss it from when we lived in Germany! There is nothing to compare it to here! Nice story!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Vegetarian schnitzel -- how amazing! Beautiful travelogue, and love the pics. Happy eating!

    ReplyDelete
  21. wow what fun and wow I want that coffee!

    ReplyDelete
  22. hi, miss you~~~ when you get a chance stop by my blog have another little mention about you :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love reading about your trip, wow all those spices are incredible! and that FOOD! amazing! Thank you for sharing about a country I haven't read much about!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Good day Trix, I love going to this kind of market place where you can easily search for the cooking ingredients you need! And of coz, for the food as well! hehe... You had a wonderful time, aren't you? Btw, what's the schweinfleisch mit sauce made of?
    Have a nice day!
    Cheers, Kristy

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think it is time to retire Tracey Starr, undercover hair reporter and create Trixie Star, uncover food reporter. Hair is soooooo 2008!

    ReplyDelete
  26. You were lucky to have found this vegan treasure in Vienna the land of sausage and schnitzels! Great trip sounds like so far, and the spices are always good to take back home.

    ReplyDelete
  27. That is the BEST GRAPHIC EVER on top. I hope you are enjoying the fare over there. Es ist wunderbar, nei ja?

    ReplyDelete