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!