Austrian-New York Empire
One thing in life brings equal joy to exercising, is the experience of eating. Since I was a little girl, I have always sought to try new foods. However, communist Poland - my native country- offered a very limited choice of foreign cuisines. My father spent most of his time living and working in Budapest, and we used to visit him on regular basis. Budapest was my second home, and until today, the thought and memories of this magical city make me feel nostalgic. I feel a longing and find it frustrating not to be able to be there as often as I wish, enjoying the vibe of the city, its rich culture, architecture and the warmth of its people. On a weekend trip from Budapest to Vienna I developed an appreciation for Austrian music - especially Strauss's Blue Danube - and traditional Austrian cuisine. This fascination has continued until today, primarily pursued through Austrian food.
Living in New York, I discovered an Austrian - New York empire. The dual power for both empires - Austrian food and culture with New York's vibe and energy. There is
Neue Galerie on Fifth Avenue and 86th Street, offering spectacular collection of early twentieth century Austrian and German art. When you visit the museum, you should not miss Cafe Sabarsky, a must for after gallery lunch or tea/coffee with traditional Austrian pastries.
At Wallse, owner and chef Kurt Gutenbrunner, transforms traditional Austrian dishes with a modern twist. He introduces freshness and lightness in cuisine that we expect to be heavy and hearty. All the dishes can be complemented by an outstanding selection of Austrian wines.
I particularly love his preparation of spaetzle, gulasch and a must have - the smoked trout Palatsschinken. Every dish on the menu stands out and offers plenty of flavour and a mix of seasonal market vegetables carefully blended with traditional Austrian flavours. The atmosphere is also very relaxed and you can spot many well known faces who enjoy the food. You cannot complete the meal without two outstanding desserts. Traditional Apfelstrudel with walnuts and Salzburger Nockerl with huckleberries. Both delicious and refreshing.
Opening of the newly renovated Plaza Hotel brought back the tourists to the main lobby, and introduced luxury mall underground. There is a newcomer, a very traditional Austrian style cafe -
Demel. Demel has over 200 years tradition in making cakes, scones, and chocolates...all unique and hand made from the freshest ingredients. Demel is a mecca of traditional Austrian cakes and pastries, hot chocolate, fruit teas and Austrian coffee. Its stylish Viennese decor offers a great escape from Fifth Avenue chaos, where you can sit back and relax, enjoying the conversation and of course the sweets.
I tasted few cakes and chose to introduce you to Feachertorte - a poppy seeds torte layered with apples and marzipan/or nutty paste. Simply delicious combination of flavours and texture in crispy crust. The other cakes worth the guilt were Annatorte - a chocolate nougat cake - rich and smooth, Himbeer - Joghurt Torte - Rassberry -Yoghurt Cake - light and refreshing and Esterhazytorte - Almond Buttercream cake, creamy, rich and buttery cream filling layered between delicate phyllo pastry. All the cakes but if you want to stick to the traditional Apfelstrudel your cjoice is Cafe Sabarsky or Walsse.
The Austrians surely deserve their popularity on the international cuisine scene.
Guten Appetit!!!
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