The Sacher Torte can kiss my . . . whatever

try this instead of the sacher torte! blueberry marscapone, i think so!

In terms of food, Vienna is known for two things: schnitzel, (think Sound of Music) and cafes. I will admit it, I did not eat schnitzel once during my 6 night stay. Why? Yes, I understand that schnitzel is the thing that one HAS to eat while in Austria. But when it comes down to it, schnitzel is still the breaded meat cutlet my mom made at least once a week growing up. It is nothing new, and when you are only in a place for a few days, there are other things to try. I decided to focus my tummy's attention in another area - tortes!

Cafes are a huge part of Viennese culture. Many have been around for decades, perhaps even a century. Freud was known to be a frequent visitor to them. Packed everyday around lunchtime and in the mid-afternoon, the cafes are places where one can get a lunch consisting of tradition Austrian fare or a simple soup, salad, or sandwich. However, the largest draw to the cafes - other than to warm up from the raw fall and winter months - is to enjoy a piece of torte and a coffee from a seemingly endless list of options (many containing a healthy shot of liquor). Many cafes are also open in the evenings, offering mostly the same menu as the afternoon, but while going for a late dessert may be popular in the US, I have found that Europeans prefer to enjoy their sugar intake in the afternoons, leaving the evenings free for the bars.

There are so many cafes to choose from, and so many tortes to try once you settle on a location. However, the torte that Vienna is most known for is the Sacher torte, made famous by the Sacher Hotel next to the Opera House. The torte is a piece of bittersweet chocolate cake with a thin layer on apricot jam, covered in a light shell of chocolate ganache. Every cafe has their own version, but the Sacher Hotel's is the "original". So of course I had to try it!

The Sacher cafe has a pleasant enough atmosphere. Cozy but trendy and more modern than most cafes with its small high top tables and chairs. To be honest, it felt more like a trendy bar in New York than a cafe in Vienna. Regardless, upon sitting my friend and I ordered a slice of the "Original Sacher Torte" from the waitress, without even bothering to open the menu. The waitress had a look in her eyes that clearly read as "here we go, some more tourists". But really, what did she expect? Less than a minute later, a slice of torte came out, accompanied by a small cloud of unsweetened whipped cream.

The whipped cream was the best part.

Never in my life have I tasted a piece of cake so dry. While a decent flavor of dark chocolate and apricot mingled in my tastebuds, the sandpaper texture of cake interrupted any good qualities that taste could have provided. Even our slight tipsyness from alcohol consumed from dinner before did not make it any better. Granted, we arrived around an hour before closing, (just after midnight), but a place that is world famous for a piece of cake should know better than to serve their customers something that tasted like it had been sitting for days.

I should have applied my schnitzel theory to the Sacher torte. It might be world famous, but really, it is just a piece of chocolate cake. And a pretty bad one, at that!

I did not give up all together on Viennese cafes. Determined to find the cafes that make Vienna so special, special enough that all Danish pastries are known as weinerbrod or "vienna bread", I sought out two landmark establishments. Cafe Central and Demel Cafe. It was at these places where I found exactly what I was looking for. These were places that took you back in time, places where a simple pleasure, such as enjoying a coffee or a piece of cake, became something special and even slightly extravagant. The dark wooden bar and the open pastry kitchen at Cafe Demel, and the vaulted, turn-of-the-century celings and live piano player at Cafe Central provided the perfect setting for the perfect, Viennese torte-eating experience. Yes, they did offer their own versions of the Sacher torte, but I did not even bother to try it.

Sometimes, like with weiner schnitzel, you have to order what sounds or looks the best, rather than what the country is known for. Unfortunately, in this case, there are other tortes to try. Your tummy and tastebuds will thank you, I promise.

chocolate hazelnut torte at cafe central. there are at least 9 different layers on this torte. now that takes love!

turn of the century styled cafe central. freud would come here!

watching the pastry chefs at cafe demel

cafe demel, different style than cafe central, but just as delicious!

Munchin' in Munchen

roasted venison, braised red cabbage with chestnuts, and spaetzel (german gnocchi), drowned in a brown sauce

Dinner at Andechser Amdom

beer and pretzel!

Our beer garden adventure!

In a past post, I discussed how surprised I was about the lack of traditional German food in Berlin. Well, after visiting Munich, I can say that every German food fantasy of mine has been fulfilled - with perhaps the exception of a beer wench outfit . . .
While Berlin is a modern city that has fully embraced globalization since the fall of the Berlin wall, Munich has remained closely attached to its Bavarian roots. While Berlin felt like New York City, Munich felt like Europe. A sunny November day allowed locals and tourists alike to see beautiful foliage while sunbathing along the river, sit at the plentiful outdoor cafes, or toast their steins at the beer gardens in Englischer Garten. I knew the moment I stepped outside my hostel that this was my kind of city. After all, I am German!
I had two missions to accomplish in two days. 1: Beer garden with pretzel. 2: Traditional German dinner. Not only did I succeed on both these endeavors, but I also managed to have my first warm sake and all-you-can-eat sushi off a conveyor belt experience! I suppose everyone eventually gets tired of bratwurst. But that's another story.
There are so many beer gardens scattered across the easily walkable city. They range from small to ridiculous - one in particular can seat 8,000 people. Whatever the number, the atmosphere is relaxed, like a huge outdoor coffeehouse. Germans just drink beer like we drink our afternoon cup of joe. While you can get pretty much the same thing at every garden, if it is a nice day I highly recommend heading over to the Englischer Garten. It is an 1000 acre park right in the city and boasts 4 different beer gardens. My friends and I decided to try the Chinesischer Turm beer garden only because it was the closest, but apparently it is also the most famous.
Like the name suggests, the place is decorated like a Chinese garden, which offers a pretty weird contrast with the hundreds of people sitting around it drinking beer out of 2 liter steins and chowing down on pretzels and sausages. Whatever, it was pretty, and I was really more focused on the smell coming from the kiosk in the corner.
The kiosk was set up like an outdoor cafeteria, where you went up with a tray and took your food, or just grabbed one of the beers the workers were constantly pouring, then you went to the exit to pay. I wondered just how many beers each worker must pour each day. All lighter beers, I took the one closest to me and went in search of my pretzel. I found them by the register, dark brown, covered in big flakes of white salt, and larger than my head. Content with both our liquid and solid bread, my friends and I payed and headed over to one of the green tables. The beer was good, the pretzel was delicious. Rock hard on the outside, we thought we had made the mistake of taking a stale one. It was only when we broke it apart that we saw it was a thin and crispy exterior encasing a light and fluffy dough. I now know what the big deal about pretzels is. The beer was nice and went down easy, it was actually more refreshing than anything else. However, Germans like to do this thing where they mix beer and Sprite together. I found it to be like the "girly-light beer". When beer is that tasty, and that easy to drink, why sugar it down with soda? Maybe kids drink it before they graduate to the real stuff? Whatever the case, I do not get it, and I did not like it! Real beer, please! Danke!
In the light of the afternoon, we could see that the trees around us were completely covered in white twinkly lights, and I could only imagine how cozy it must feel at night. Every age range surrounded us, young children running around while the parents relaxed and recouperated, middle aged ladies enjoying a liter after a day of shopping, and old men playing chess or just watching the world go by. As large and as popular as the place was, it was clearly not a place for tourists. This was a place that is just a part of life, but if tourists want to come, the more the merrier.
After all the walking about we did that day, we were fully ready for the German dinner we felt so deprived of on our Berlin trip. By the suggestion of our hostel, we decided to try a restaurant called Andechser Amdom off of Mariansplatz. While trying to find it, we felt a bit worried, because all the surrounding restaurants were completely empty. Where were they leading us? It was only when we heard the soft murmur of chatter coming from down an alley that we realized where everyone was. They were at our destination! I was so excited because clearly Andechser was a local hangout. The inside was cozy with warm colored walls and packed with diners in wooden booths. Reading through the menu over a glass of house dark beer, we knew we were in the right spot.
The food consisted of the usual suspects - 6 sausages with potato salad, schnitzel, spaetzel - but the real draw was the game meats. Rabbit with blueberry sauce, roasted venison, pork chops, all served with sides such as braised cabbage with chestnuts, roasted red wine pears, spaetzel, and brussels sprouts. What made it even better was the prices. A huge, hearty, and good quality meal was so inexpensive, due to the fact that German food is simple and inexpensive fare. Potatoes, cabbage, the tougher cuts of meat - through trial and error Germany has created dishes from relatively boring ingredients that are truly delicious. Yes, it is simple and sometimes not the prettiest thing to look at (let's face it, a dark brown sauce over brown meat is NOT pretty), but it is the simple foods that are often best, and are the most soul-satisfying - especially with a GREAT beer. Although stuffed to the gills with food, we couldn't help but order an exemplary piece of apple strudel for dessert. As the plate was almost licked clean, I enjoyed a moment of reveling in my German heritage glory. We may not make things look fancy, but we sure know how to satisfy and fulfill. Don't believe me? Go to Munich, you'll see.