Last night I was seriously considering taking a trip to Budapest (requires no explanation), Ljubjlana (Celica: Youth Hostel, Art Gallery, Former Prison!) and Trieste (port cities of faded grandeur have always been my thing) while the late winter fares to Europe are cheap but then, this evening, I decided to walk a few blocks to Danube for dinner instead.
From the moment I glimpsed the deep bronze and laquered algae-blue interior through the potted hedgerow trimmed in blue lights, I found myself drowsily enveloped in a sharp, organic vision of jugendstijl, art nouveau heaven. The triangular dining room - with elaborate paneling, Klimt-inspired decor, warmly shaded low-hanging lamps and bronze drapes - alone is worth a visit, and the divine food only enhances the positively celestial ambiance.
The menu is divided into sections devoted to a tasting menu, market eclectic and chef's market choice selections, but I made all of my choices in the Austrian vein: Carinthia "Schlutzkrapfen" High Altitude Austrian Cheese Ravioli with Harvest Corn Sauce and Smoked Wild Mushrooms followed by Wiener Schnitzel with Austrian Crescent Potatoes, Cucumber Salad, Mixed Greens and Lingonberries and a dessert of Bohemian Liwanzen with Powidl, Topfen, Plum Ragout and Prune Armagnac Ice Cream. In between each course, various amuses-bouche were elegantly proffered and the service was stunning. Highly recommended.
Shortlisted: David Bouley's East of Paris: The New Cuisines of Austria and The Danube, which I almost picked up at the Neue Galerie bookshop last week but just discovered at Powell's for only $12.98! It's the perfect chic gift for a friend with a winter birthday.
Comments