Of the three cities we've visited this fall, we had our best overall food experiences in Vienna, eating out more than in Prague or Berlin, visiting a number of famous eating/drinking establishments, and finding some impressive food stores and markets. Several of these were addressed in previous posts...the Naschmarkt, Schweizerhaus at the Prater, Fuhrgassl-Huber heuriger...so I'll dwell on some other places and experiences here.
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| We had wiener schnitzel several times, both pork and veal, but the best probably was at Fuhrgassl-Huber, near the Wienerwald |
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| Not processing this |
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| Where the wild things are |
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| BILLA is the large Austrian supermarket chain (now owned by the German REWE); we shopped often at the BILLA around the corner from our apartment; but over by the Anchor Clock one day we happened into the BILLA Corso there, which is obviously the upscale version of BILLA; upscale not in the sense of pricing but rather in the range and variety of things sold...a gourmet's paradise; I probably took a couple dozen pix, but will post here just a few indicating the extent of the inventory; there were ample "international" food sections, more and better than any other place we've been; this is a part of the Mexican (!) section |
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| There is no mustard shortage in Vienna, part one |
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| Part two |
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| Truffles and truffly-type things |
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| Two long shelves of capers |
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| Some of the oils...not pictured: the two shelves of caviar in the refrigerated section, the wonderful bakery, butchery, produce, beer (they had Duvel!) and wine sections...and on and on; very impressive |
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| At Julius Meinl, the older, more traditional gourmet supermarket... a 22 pound cake...€219 |
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| One of the tragedies of Viennese culture is that every night, after closing, Demel throws away its unsold Sacher Tortes... |
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| Always a line to get a table |
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| We had dinner one night at Fischer Brau's bier garden; Vienna's first brew pub, so to speak; the young brew-master let me in for a look and lengthy explanation...it's a small but popular operation |
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| I can't believe I stuck my camera and head into this hot, steamy mixture |
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| Beer in pellet form...looks like rabbit pellets to me |
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| Speaking of beer, the assembly line at Schweizerhaus, in the Prater |
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| Always a line to get into the Cafe Sacher...driest chocolate cake ever... |
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| Trzesniewski's, a sandwich shop across from Hawelka's... |
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| Trzesniewski's makes these little open-faced sandwiches...25 flavors...the beer mug is tiny, perhaps 100ml; the menu is the postcard thing to the left |
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| Back side of the menu: required allergy info |
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| English menu from a "traditional" Austrian resto; some interesting concoctions [click to enlarge] |
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| Our downfall, however, was the Syrian baklava bakery down the street from our apartment building... pistachio sandwich in layers of filo, drenched in honey... |
