Vegas Food Finds Goes to Vienna: Naschmarkt

A true foodies' paradise, the legendary Vienna Naschmarkt is one of the most frequented gourmet markets in the city. If you can't buy it here, it probably doesn't exist. The Naschmarkt is open every day, and in addition to permanent stands, there are dozens of small, hip restaurants, which are open at night as well -- the Naschmarkt is moving towards becoming a hotspot for evening. Saturday is the most important day of the week for the market, as hundreds of non-permanent stands cover the area, selling everything from highly exotic organic produce to homemade jams by local farmers to Turkish spices to specialty teas, portioned off according to preferences. One of my favorite buys was a very high-end olive dipping oil from the famous Gegenbauer family, which has long been known to sell some of the best oils and vinegars in the country. This isn't your typical EVOO, and it's too expensive for cooking, but it's certainly worth it. I also bought a bottle of pumpkin seed oil, a specialty Austrian oil, for my friend and fellow blogger Nikki.

The additonal bonus on Saturday is the adjoining flea market, which is quite a feast for the senses. Only caveat: watch your purse.

The story of the Naschmarkt ist best told in pictures -- enjoy!

Vegas Food Finds Goes to Vienna: Best Neighborhood Restaurant

I am constantly searching for the perfect hole-in-the-wall family restaurant with fantastic food, friendly service, reasonable prices, a delightful ambiance and a laid-back vibe. This is more challenging than it sounds, but I have now stumbled upon one in Vienna.

Goldmarie in the 12th district (Meidling, for the uninitiated) is the one restaurant in the last six months that I've completely fallen for. From the outside, Goldmarie looks just dilapidated enough to be tragically hip and bohemian. As soon as I opened the old wooden door, I knew I had arrived.

Ambience is usually challenging to describe, so I will let the images do it justice. Suffice it to say that I felt immediately transported to a place at the turn of the century where the traditional Gasthaus (traditional, basic restaurant) was the center of the neighborhood, where people congregated in the evenings to have a beeer or two (or three, or four). The place has what appear to be original wood floors, charming antique furniture stock-full of gorgeous trinkets, a mid-sized sun-filled dining room, a high dark-wood counter straight out of 1920, and -- white tablecloths. I'm a sucker for white tablecloths (high-end restaurants: please take notice).

The prices are very crisis-friendly, with daily menus (which include soup or salad) at 5.90 Euro.My twin sister, Dagmar, and I both ate Eiernockerln (roughly: pasta dumplings with eggs) with a green salad, and they were as good as at any restaurant at double the price. Whenever I eat out in Austria, I like to order organic, naturally "cloudy" apple or pear juice mixed with water. Goldmarie featured an especially delightful liquid -- it was fantastic: refreshing and light., very appropiate for a spring-like day. The lunch menu was solidly dominated by reliable Austrian staples (including Schnitzel, baked mushrooms, Gulasch, etc.) and judging by the happy (multilingual) voices at the other tables, everyone else was as happy as we were.

As we dug in, we marveled at the fact that not more places like this exist. They should, and they deserve our business and our praise. We promised our friendly server (owner?) that we'd tell our friends about it, and how couldn't we? So, when you are in Vienna, take the U-6 metro (direction Siebenhirten) and get out at Philadelphiabruecke. From there, it's a 5-minute walk to one of the best neighborhood restaurants I've eaten at lately. Sure, it's not the first district, but you won't find a restaurant like this in a touristy area anyway.

As opposed to most restaurants in Austria, Goldmarie is open all day on Sunday.

Gasthaus Goldmarie (website in German only)
Hoffmeistergasse 7
1120 Vienna, 12th district (Meidling)
Phone: 01/817-0158


--By Judy Jenner

Vegas Food Finds Goes to Vienna: Café Hawelka

While we usually don't review coffee shops, we had to make an exception for the venerable and time-worn Café Hawelka, a true cultural institution in the heart of Vienna's posh first district.

Even though I am originally from Austria, I am still very drawn to coffee shops. I haven't lived here in more than a decade, so I cheerfully flock to any coffee shop I can get to, just so I can have a real cup of coffee on a tiny silver tray with a small glass of tap water. This is how coffee should be served, in my humble opinion. It's not Starbucks, and that's a good thing.

Even though most of these places are still for smokers (in spite of a recently introduced, complicated non-smoking-area law), I am still, for some reason, totally delighted. It must be my nostalgia for all things Austrian. While my twin isn't amused by smoky rooms, rude waiters and furniture that's long past its prime, I still enjoy it. It's just so different from Vegas.

Café Hawelka tops the list of gently run-down coffee shops and certainly wouldn't last very long in the U.S. However, it's not hard to picture past cultural greats sitting at nearby tables, as they have done in the café's long history. Sure, there was a draft coming from the windows, which were, well, old. Legend has it that the place hasn't been renovated since the 60s, and it shows. The waiter, however, wasn't rude, and the coffee was top-notch. We stayed an extra hour just to get our hands on the famous Buchteln (an Austrian pastry filled with jam) that the place is known for -- they were delicious; straight out of the oven.

You'd think that because the place has seen better days, that the coffee would be cheap. It's not, but it's a historical place, and it's worth it. It's located a stone's throw from St. Stephen's cathedral (which, by the way, needs a good cleaning), and should be on any visitors' list:tourists, locals, and everyone in between.

Cafe Hawelka (forgive the horrendous translations!)
Dorotheergasse 6
1010 Vienna, First District
Phone: (01) 512 82 30

--By Judy Jenner

Vegas Food Finds Goes to Vienna: Zum roten Elefanten

Without doubt, one of my best meals in Vienna was at Zum roten Elefanten in the sixth district. Recommended by both the paper of record, close friends and my twin sister, we had to go and have a family dinner there.

Turns out our six o'clock reservation was not necessary, as the place was virtually empty, only to fill up very fast as the evening progressed. The restaurant is minimalist, small by American standards, with clean, clear lines and a nice bar. It certainky had all the characteristics of a great French restaurant, including tables that are very close together, which my father despises. Still, he was very pleased; and the food won him over. I'll tell you why.

In French style, Zum roten Elefanten (The red elephant) offers a prix fixe menu with a twist. You can order a full three-course menu with either soup or appetizer, entree and desert or order any item a la carte at reasonable prices. We all chose the three-course combo, and my mille feuille with eggplant was light, crisp, and to-die for. My brother-in-law had the very traditional -- and downright excellent -- canard à l'orange, while my Dad chose the wish of the day. For desert, I chose the traditional crème brûlée, which certainly did it justice. My mom had the cheese platter, which consisted of a fantastic, small selection of artisan cheeses. The other desert option was a fantastic homemade gelato. The three-course menus run between 18 and 22 Euro.

We accompanied our lavish meal with two bottles of excellent red Austrian Zweigelt. Service was efficient and uncomplicated, and the dining room was run by one affable waiter, as is customary in Europe. However, he did a good job at keeping our glasses filled and our food moving at an appropiate speed. The only thing missing from the place are white tablecloths. What can I say: I am a sucker for white tablecloths: it just adds an extra ounce of sophistication to everything.

Zum roten Elefanten is a fantastic choice for a traditional French meal in Vienna. They are also open for lunch.

Zum roten Elefanten (website in German only)
Gumpendorferstrasse 3
1060 Vienna, Sixth District
Phone: (01) 966 8008

--By Judy Jenner