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.

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.

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.

A Thai chicken salad garnished with peanuts.

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.

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.

We’ve made it to the other side and the best is yet to come!

St. Ellas
Zieglergasse 52
1070 Vienna
http://www.stellas.at

Picture #2 from the Insiderei and picture #7 from Der Standard

Zweitbester

In terms of a Vienna restaurant standing apart from the crowd, departing from tradition, beating to the tune of its own drum yadda yadda yadda and the like, Zweitbester in the 4th leads the way. Along with its bar, the 4th district restaurant has become quite the hot-spot in the Freihausviertel over the last year for young creatives, bar-hoppers in search of something new, foodies fed up with pretension, and everyone in between. I wanted to see what the fuss was about.

Zweitbester means second best. A bit of an odd choice for a restaurant name, oder? Well it turns out those 4th district folks knew exactly what they were doing. See, everyone can be ‘the best’. But to be the ‘second best’? How special, how unique, how downright avant-garde. How Freihausviertel of them.

The place masters the look of industrial charm with its staunch adherence to less is more. Think cement floor and bar, lightbulb lamps, exposed brick walls, and the like. Yet where it scrimps on design, Zweitbester splurges on concept, and its quirky concept has gotten quite the press. Whether it’s the DJs spinning tracks in the turquoise, co-ed restroom (!!) on weekends, the restaurant staff’s own grandmothers who cook behind the stove once a month serving their secrets, or the fact that it has held dumpling-themed weeks brilliantly called “Austria’s Next Top Knödel,” Zweitbester is one of a kind.

I’ve been twice now. First for drinks on a Saturday night. The place was packed, the atmosphere hoppin’, the beverages superb and remarkably affordable. Having heard so much about their food, however, I was eager to get back for another visit. The chance recently came shortly before their menu changed for Spring. Whoa. These hipsters can cook.

The restaurant relies on local, seasonal, and organic ingredients whenever possible, and its main suppliers are listed on its website free for anyone to see. With bread from Gragger, produce from Adamah, and meat from Murau, and local markets, quality reigns. The main menu changes with the seasons with a daily specials menu rolling out weekly. It was a quiet weekday night when I met up with a girlfriend for dinner, but the place soon filled with guests, all of whom seemed to be quite familiar with the staff. Yay for Stammtisch dining! Good thing we reserved.

To start we split an an appetizer of bacon-wrapped goat cheese served with field lettuce atop pumpkin chutney. Oh, was this delicious. Ridiculously delicious, actually. A basket of bauernbrot to round it out.

My friend, ensuring her meal was safe from me wanting to taste it, went with the lamb. She said it was incredible.

I wasn’t in the mood for a main course, so I went with another appetizer, a salad of buffalo mozzarella, rucola pesto, tomatoes, and herbs. Wunderbar. Looking back I realize this evening was essentially a cheese sampler for me with a few vegetables thrown in for good measure. No wonder I think back very fondly!

As we were finishing up, my husband caught up with us once finishing a long day at work. He is lucky enough to get amazing meals at his job, so he usually just wants a small ‘snack’ in the evenings. I knew he’d order this once I saw it on offer. Beef Tartare. Nothing gets between that boy and raw, minced meat when he sees it on a menu. I think I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion on this blog that opposites really do attract? He said it was lecker. Snacktastic. (Okay, he didn’t say that. Can you imagine an Austrian ever saying that? I for one, cannot.)

And to finish, my friend and I shared a creme brûlée, one that seriously left us wishing we had each ordered our own. That crack of breaking through the layer of caramelized sugar when eating this dessert gets me every time. The best.

Zweitbester 
Heumühlgasse 2
1040 Wien
http://www.zweitbester.at 
*Picture #3 from restaurant’s facebook page.

Nascha’s

Taking a class at the University of Vienna over the past few months has afforded me quite a bit of time spent in the 9th district, a.k.a. student central. Getting better acquainted with this part of town has also resulted in a bunch of lovely restaurant finds. Food for thought. One of my favorite discoveries has to be Nascha’s, Vienna’s take on a diner.

The name refers to the German word for “snacking” or “nibbling” and the Russian word for “ours”. Located a quick dash away from the old AKH campus, this restaurant is a wonderful option for lunch or a quick bite to eat. It also serves breakfast and early dinners.

And catering to well, people like me, it offers its patrons many a chance to ooooh and ahhhh over its charming interior design. Truth be told, aside from the checkered floors and funky wallpaper, Nascha’s is actually more of a stylish bistro or darling deli than a diner. (Though, ahem, restaurant developers take heed, a 50s style diner here in town, complete with milkshakes and the like would be rather wunderbar, methinks.)

And its menu? A tasty mix of healthy eats and tempting treats. Very partial to organic fare. Each day, in addition to various bagels, tartelettes, quiche and an array of pastries, Nascha’s serves two types of soup de jour, a meat dish, inspired salads and more. They also have a hummus plate and do lovely pasta and grain dishes. If you are on the run, they’ve got the concept of takeaway food down like pros.

I took a seat at one of their old-school wooden tables (no literally, they looked like they had been taken from a one-room school house) and had a bowl of soup. Not just any soup, but Rote Rübe Suppe. Yup. Beetroot. This was one super suppe, my friends.

Earthy, warm, and with such a lush hue, this soup was phenomenal. Scrumptious bread on the side. Looking over the likes of their soup options in any given week (curried cauliflower, mint pea, creamy tomato, pumpkin, minestrone), I could seriously see myself going every day if it weren’t for the fact that I am only on campus once a week. About that.

And to drink, what an Auswahl! Exotic sodas, unique teas and juices, lemonades, and of course the standards. I was so happy to see they have All I Need green tea, which I snatched up with glee. This delectable drink, produced by a local company, is one of my favorites; I think I first tried it 2 years ago or so and am always so happy to find it when out and about. It’s refreshing, different, and delicious.

And a bonus before you bid the place farewell? They have a little foodshop (scattered about on various shelves and in nooks) with hard-t0-find items and handpicked little gourmet goodies. I love me a good foodshop in a restaurant. Some other places in town that I love do this too. Foodshops for the win.

Vienna continues to charm with one darling place after another. Nascha’s is a keeper.

Nascha’s
Garnisongasse 7
1090 Vienna
http://www.naschas.at

Pöhl’s

One of the loveliest places in town for me isn’t found within the confines of The Ring. Far from it, in fact. I’m talking beyond the belt. Der Kutschkermarkt. It is perhaps one of the most wonderful places I know of in Vienna for a wander. I’ve written about it before and  babbled for more than a bit about its charm and local feel. No crowds, no tourists. Just friendly vendors and their stands, teeming with the freshest produce and the brightest flowers.

I recently had the luxury of having some days off work. Do you know how positively wunderbar it is to find yourself wandering through a market on a weekday at mid-morning, not rushed and with all the time in the world? An unhurried stretch to ogle over the many shapes and sizes of pumpkins? To chat with the flower lady about what will best survive the impending colder months? To marvel at the folds found in an heirloom tomato? For someone who works standard business hours, this is downright exotic.

After strolling up and down the narrow row a few times, hunger inevitably struck. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, for it had been on my list for quite some time. Pöhl’s, known by many as the heart of the market. Its owner, a lovely lady named Irene, has been at it for over thirty years! Rain or shine, snow or sun, she and her team are there serving up their delicious fare.

On one side is the Käsestand. 150 types along with meat, bread, spreads and more.

And on the other side is the Cantine. Dishes and a soup of the day in addition to sandwiches and what appears to be a killer breakfast.

I didn’t need to look any further once I saw the Soup du Jour, an alluring one of sweet potato, ginger, and lemongrass. Something to warm up with after a good market meander. My chilled hands gladly clutched the steaming cup, a hearty yet fragrant smell escaping it in swirls.

Sweet potatoes are somewhat of an anomaly in this neck of the Wälder, which is a pity because they are one of my favorite foods. I love to mash them, or slice them and salt them and bake them as fries, or cube them and cook them and serve them atop a winter salad. I’ve used them for soups before but never with this ingredient combo, the mix of which was incredible. Dunked with a nice hunk of Bauernbrot, this was the perfect quick lunch.

The seating for both stands is perfectly situated, right in the middle of the market. On this Autumn day, blankets were on offer, oh so necessary. I was a bit early and wrapped up in one to enjoy my soup as I watched the place soon fill up.

We’ve technically got around six weeks before Autumn is over, but for me it ends with Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season. That means just a few more weeks of fiery colors, fallen chestnuts, and moments eating outside at markets.

This season. So short. So very, very sweet.

Pöhls
Kutschkermarkt 31
1180 Vienna
http://www.kaesestand.at