During a week of business travel to Vienna, all my lunches were Austrian - schnitzels, tafelspitz - and wonderful, but...
On a cold, gray Friday night I felt like a change for dinner and wandered across town in search of a touch of Paris. Given the incredible diversity of restaurants in Vienna, French is comparatively under-represented - a couple of bistros, a few simple café-style places... and La Salzgries. What a joy!
I think you can tell a lot about a restaurant by how they treat a solo diner, and so I was pleased to have the gracious host take my coat and lead me to a very nice table at the front of the long, high-ceilinged room, far from the dreaded next-to-the-kitchen or next-to-the-loo places too often assigned a single. From start to finish, the service was exemplary, whether from the host, the cheerful waitress, or the very efficient busboy - these are people who enjoy their work and clearly like the food and drink they serve.
I started with a plate of foie gras, served in two generous slices set off by a cheerful knot of salad greens. The accompanying toast came piping hot on a gleaming old-fashioned toast rack. The main course was a perfectly cooked sole; the fish flaked off the spine, lightly browned in a delicious buttery, lemon sauce. For sides I choose haricots verts, which had a pleasant crunch, and a splendid and very rich ramekin of potato gratin. Accompanied by a crsip Sancerre from the varied by-the-glass wine list, this was exactly the dinner I'd hoped for. I finished with an old favorite, iles flottantes, and lingered for a while over a glass of very good pink Champagne to celebrate the end of my week in Austria.
It seemed a pity to go back into the chilly night; the warmth and light of Le Salzgries made me want to start all over again (perhaps with a half-dozen oysters I envied my neighbors for having chosen, or the lobster bisque that looked so good passing by). The place had filled up, and the others diners all seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as I had done. While such pleasure comes at a price (one that teetered on the edge of three figures, with tip), I've had many worse meals for as much or more, and once in a while it's worth it to see how well things can be done when all the stars align. read more