Long and the short of it is that Cafe Renaissance is a pleasant restaurant with old school charm and quirks and is good for an occasional visit, but unfortunately hasn't kept up with the times and the new white tablecloth restaurants in Vienna are better options for an evening of fine dining.
The location is a bit awkward in a strip mall and next to a barber shop. There is plenty of parking behind the building. As you walk in you're greeted by a cheerful and homey environment with fresh flowers on every table and beautiful chargers at each place setting. The paintings and murals on the walls are a bit chintzy, but regardless, you still definitely feel like you're in a fine dining environment.
The owner, Saeed, is a lively and charming man who clearly enjoys running his business and does a great job running the front of the house. I only wish the rest of the wait staff and output from kitchen matched his enthusiasm. The servers were friendly, even though they were a bit frazzled and not very attentive. We asked twice for a wine list but never received one. No one ever took the time to explain the dishes when we were served - and when we asked it was almost like it was inconveniencing them.
Food wise, my wife ordered a beet and goat cheese salad. This was a great start to the meal. The flavors were balanced and the dressing was bright. Her second dish was the scallops, and it was not as successful. The scallops themselves were rubbery and had quite a bit of grit, and the sauce was gloopy and bland - this became a trend for the sauces we had.
I ordered the chef's tasting menu. The first course was a single plate with 1 piece of shrimp, 1 small lobster ravioli, and 1 small crab cake. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and tender - but the sauce it came with was completely flavorless. I tried it by itself, adding salt, eating it with some bread - nothing brought flavor to this sauce. The ravioli presented a similar situation - it was cooked perfectly with a nice bite from the homemade pasta and a delightful filling. But the sauce was one dimensional and overly sweet. Luckily the crab cake saved the plate. The crab cake itself may have been the highlight of the night for me - perfect ratio of crab to filler. And finally the white sauce on top complimented the crab very nicely - it was velvety and rich.
My second course was a salad - which, like my wife's was perfectly dressed, well balanced and flavorful.
My third course was an almond encrusted halibut that came with a candied carrot and steamed broccoli. The halibut was cooked nicely , but lacked flavor. Again, the sauce was bland and gloopy and brought nothing to the dish. The carrot was too sweet for my taste, but if served on its own could have been quite pleasant. The part that left me utterly confused was the sauce on top of the broccoli. I swear to god it was white cheese whiz. Nothing tastes as distinctive as that - and never in 20 years of dining in fine French restaurants have I come across a sauce like this.
My next course was beef filet. I asked for medium rare and unfortunately received well done. I didn't feel like making a fuss and sending it back, so I just ate it. The filet was tender despite being over cooked, and the au poivre was actually quite nice.
We finished with a mini tart (I believe it was pear, but who knows since no one ever bothered to explain what we were eating) which was ok, and a little shot glass of chocolate mousse which was delightful.
For the food and 2 drinks (we would have had more if we were ever given a wine menu) plus tip, the total came to just a hair over $200. It wasn't a budget busting meal, and about what you'd expect for a fine dining establishment in Vienna. I would unfortunately argue though that for $200 the food I can get at Clarity or Roberto's is much better.
If Cafe Renaissance had a bit of a facelift, improved its service some, updated the presentation of its food, and worked on (I mean really worked on) it's sauces, I'd be more inclined to give 4 stars and return, because the atmosphere really is nice, and it's a place I genuinely want to like. read more