St. Ellas

Oh, happy day. (Oh, happy day.) Sing it with me, friends. She’s back, the sun, the elusive sun. She came, we saw, and she’s conquered us all. Finally. There was a moment there where I wondered if we would make it. But lo, we have, and the city has come alive. Windows have opened, tables and chairs set up outside. Leaves hang from branches, flowers are blooming, and freckles have begun to appear atop noses. Mine, anyway. Viennese Spring, bleib wie du bist. Or rather, just bleib. Please bleib. You have to.

Delighting in the fact that the new season was upon us–endlich, I set out to find a new (to me) restaurant to match. And what a restaurant I found. It’s a bistro! It’s a bar! It’s a grill! It’s St. Ella’s in the 7th. There last week for dinner, I hope to return again soon. Coming from a girl who tries to try a new restaurant each week, this means something.

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St. Ella’s is actually an offshoot of one of Vienna’s gourmet restaurants (haube and all!), Gaumenspiel, which is loved by fancy foodies from near and far for its creativity, quality, and finesse. Not a bad starting point, eh? Staying true to its lineage but doing so in a more casual and approachable way, this restaurant strikes a balance between cozy and refined. Talent.

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The menu is klein und fein. Though not exhaustive, it is impressively varied. A little Austrian, a little international, a little bit of everything. Lovely. The night I was there featured various small plates, a steak, the much raved about burger, enticing salads, and other delicious-sounding odds and ends. I took an out-of-town friend and we each ended up ordering the very same thing.

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A Thai chicken salad garnished with peanuts.

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And vegetable samosas with curried sweet potato puree, garnished with spring onions and pomegranate.

On the side? Bread from a bread basket. Exotic in this city, let me tell you. Let me also tell you about the food. Incredible. So fresh, so flavorful, and beautifully presented with love from the gifted chefs in the open kitchen. Paired with a few spritzers (which actually did no justice to the drinks menu, for it is endless), this meal was just wunderbar.

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So just in time for a happy season, it looks like I’ve found a new happy place. It’s essentially the neighborhood restaurant I wish I had at the end of my street–my first visit and I felt like a regular thanks in large part to a friendly, welcoming, and gracious staff. As it should be. As it ever will be. Here, anyway.

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