Vegas Food Finds Goes to Vienna: Best Antipasti

This is the place I've been looking for: small, cozy, owner-run, unpretentious, afforable, and close to home. The only problem is that it's in Vienna and not in Vegas.

Vinoteca Tropea is the brainchild -- and labor of love -- of IT guru and passionate foodie Joachim Egger, who runs the place and the stove in the small, but very functional kitchen. The night we were there, he'd prepared several traditional Italian dishes, including a vegetable lasagna, a meat lasagna, spaghetti a la carbonara (the real deal: with fantastic pancetta, egg, and cream) and calamari in red sauce. He was also working on a whole Mediterranean fish that we saw come out of the oven. We ordered for the large antipasti platter, which included high-end selections of southern European meats and cheeses. The platter came with plenty of olives (tiny black and green), large sun-dried tomatoes and fantastic marinated zucchini (which Egger buys locally in Italy) and a nice bread basket. The olive oil for dipping was tasty and strong. We sampled several of their house wines and they were consistently strong and went well with our food. They even have a California Zinfandel if you want to feel at home.

We were so full and content post-antipasti that we resisted the main course, even though the smells coming from the very nearby kitchen were difficult to ignore. The main thing about this place -- in addition to the as-to-be-expected solid food -- is its fantastic atmosphere. You really do feel at home, except my living room doesn't look like the inside of a cozy wine barrel, doesn't have an old, chest-high wood counter and certainly doesn't have Italian delicacies piled high on tables (for sale).

Joachim is a charming host, and he envisioned a comfortable, relaxing environment to enjoy food and great conversation. He's certainly achieved that.

Vinoteca Tropea is a fantastic place to have a tasty lunch, to get together with friends for a drink after work or to hang out on the weekends. It's on an unassuming street in the 6th district, but sometimes, the less ostentatious the exterior, the better the inside. Don't miss this adorable hole-in-the-wall.

Vinoteca Tropea (website in German only)
Hofmühlgasse 15
1060 Vienna, Sixth District
Phone: 0669/110 33 747

--By Judy Jenner