Drink It In; Central Europe

Central Europe may not be first on everyone's list with regard to cocktails but I had some great drinks in some very comfortable settings when we visited in December of 2013.

Strangely Bratislava has quite a number of places to get a finely mixed drink, we only stopped in at one but arguably it is one of the best.  Budapest, while a much larger city, is known more for its Ruin Bars but I found lovely cocktails elsewhere.

Many places were closed for the holidays when we visited Vienna so we only got out to one proper cocktail bar. Bar Halbestadt is a bit out of the way but the drinks are good and the owners are incredibly friendly. It's a funny little space with tiny tables, glowing soft red light, and glass walls looking out to the busy thoroughfare.

The owners also run a speakeasy which is just across the street. As there was a slight language barrier, I can't tell you its name or when it is open, I guess that is what a speakeasy is all about though now isn't it?

In Prague we had three great cocktail adventures. The first, Bar & Books, is an intimate lounge, dimly lit and just off the main square. We were happy to snag a small table with a window bench and stools.

Bar & Books started in New York and has a few locations around the world. The cocktails were quite good, I especially enjoyed my DYI Side Car, but the bar is known as a cigar bar so those affected by smoke be forwarned.

Just off to the side of Old Town Square is Black Angel's, an extremely cool place that unfortunately does not allow photos. After descending to the basement, we were seated in a small alcove space, lit mainly by the glow of the huge tropical fish tank along the wall. The drink menu was extensive and we all happily had a couple of rounds. The presentation on my Manhattan was especially creative, with the drink being kept cold in an antique mini milk bottle, chilled in a little ice bin with the glass and garnishes on a silver platter, ready for me to help myself.

Of course I stole a photo or two!

Prague's Hemingway Bar was another great find. We sat upstairs where there were big booths, perfect for our group of 6, but the 2-story lounge has bars on both levels. Obviously rum is the spirit of choice here but even gin based drinks got high marks.

We also stopped in at the Absintherie, part bar part Absinthe museum. Although they offered many cocktails (absinthe mule anyone?) made with the green fairy, we chose two very high end products off their list of over 50 and simply had them louched.

The bar is full of old advertisements, paraphernalia, and of course shelves of product, some very very good and some just gross - absinthe with a scorpion in the bottle!

More than cocktails, Central Europeans love their beer and you'll find beer houses all over the cities. In Vienna we had a few rounds, paired with some snacks, in the
old town at Gösser Bierklinik. The pub felt subterranean and medieval, lots of folks toasting with the house ales and enjoying rollicking conversations. It was also pretty smoky in a few designated areas since smoking is still allowed in this part of Europe.

Prague is no stranger to beer halls of course, and we went to one of the best known ones for dinner one evening. Golden Tiger has been around forever and attracts locals and tourists alike.

We crowded into a shared picnic style table and immediately beers appeared in front of us. We learned quickly that if you didn't cover your glass with a coaster beer would be delivered each time you got near the bottom of your current pint. There were no menus, the beer served was Tiger, and the waiter just kept adding tally marks to our check similar to how they do it at a dim sum restaurant.

Dinner was basic pub fare, hearty enough to help soak up all that beer. The only people not having a great time were the tourists who showed up 5 minutes after the kitchen had closed.

Kedves egeszsegere! Na zdravie! Prosit! Na zdraví! Cheers!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Prague, Czech It Out

Prague has always been high on my list of places to visit. It has always sounded romantic, beautiful, a bit mysterious, and until recently very inexpensive.

When we left for Prague, our last stop on our 5 city Central Europe trip in January 2013, I was absolutely thrilled to be heading to the Czech Republic. But by the time we left, my rose colored glasses had been removed. The city is beautiful for sure, but even in cold, drizzly winter it was teeming with more tourists than I had experienced even in the high season in Paris.

We arrived at night, after a 5 hour train ride from Vienna, and were picked up by the company we had rented our apartment from. Our flat was perfectly located just a few steps from the Old Town Square, great for sightseeing, not so great for dealing with the crowds of tourists.

After the six of us laid claim to bedrooms we headed out in search of a cocktail and a bite to eat. Passing through the square we were all struck by how absolutely lovely it was. The Christmas market was still in full swing and a massive Christmas tree kept watch over all the vendors. The famed clock tower looked straight out of "Harry Potter".

Each morning we would grab these delicious cinnamon style rolls from one of the stalls at the Christmas market and a coffee from the Starbucks also located there. East meets west.

On our first full day we strolled around the winding medieval streets, bombarded by t-shirt shops and money exchange outlets. We settled on a traditional looking restaurant for lunch and were started off with shots of Becherovka said to encourage the appetite. Czech beer, fried cheese, and goulash followed. Diet food this is not.

We then gathered in front of the Astronomical Clock in time to watch it perform on the hour, along with about 1000 others. This was where we were meeting up with a free walking tour, which we thought would be the best way for us to see the most in our 2 short days in town.

Our guide ended up being more interested in telling everyone the pitfalls of exchanging money on the streets with strangers (wtf??) than explaining much about the buildings and history of Prague. As it was cold and rainy and we were all a bit bored with his lectures, we ditched the tour half way through and walked ourselves around a bit before returning to the Old Square where the crowds had gathered again, and the clock was doing it's thing.

The next morning Dayne, Caitlin and I set out to the Jewish Quarter, a small area consisting of the remaining Jewish buildings and archives that the Jews were allowed to keep here, the other Jewish neighborhoods were razed during WWII. Our first stop was the Old New  Synagogue where all men were asked to don a yarmulke before entering.

We walked to the Ceremonial Hall from here, a 2-story building with many displays of Jewish relics and peek-a-boo views of the neighboring cemetery.

The Jewish Cemetery is the small, fenced off burial grounds of thousands. Confined to such a small plot of land, the graves are overlapping and stacked on top of each other. Markers sit haphazardly, decaying, many of their engravings barely legible. It's a maze, a sea of the deceased. It's astonishing.

Next was the 2-story Klaus  Synagogue. Here there were more exhibits including some showing common life rituals.

Our last stop was the Spanish Synagogue named for its style, also housing hundreds of displays of artifacts and a treasure trove of photographs from the time during the Nazi occupation. 

We met up with Forest and Thibault for lunch at one of the restaurants our airport driver had recommended to us, Restaurant Mlejnice. Dayne and Thibault both ordered the pork shank which was possibly the largest thing I have ever witnessed someone eat.

The six of us regrouped after lunch and walked over the beautiful bridge and then up to the storybook castle on the hill. Again, even with the rain, gloom, and cold the bridge was person to person tourists. Unfortunately by the time we arrived at the castle both it and the cathedral were closing for the day but we did encounter the dapper guard detail as they marched around the castle square and even harassed a poor lone guard in charge of the Christmas tree.

After admiring the views from the hill we made our way down and back across the now dark bridge. Failing to get into the other recommended restaurant of our choice we all grabbed hot grilled sausages and fresh fried chips from the vendors in the Christmas market and made the short walk back to our apartment to have dinner.

The Christmas market would be our final meal the next day as Dayne and I cobbled together the last of our Czech crowns and bought as many grams of roasted 'Prague Ham' as we could. Elbowing our way past the square of tourists, we walked to our apartment and devoured the hot and delicious plate of pork and bread.

Prague photos here.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Schnitzel & Such in Vienna

Within an hour of arriving in Vienna last December, we had all piled into the Cafe Gloria, just a few doors down from our apartment, and were enjoying the first of many schnitzel meals. Perfectly fried, bigger then the plate, and served with just a simple squeeze of lemon. This wouldn't be our only meal here as it was good, comfortable and filled with locals.


Schnitzel isn't the only typical fare however. Another very traditional meal in Austria, is a huge dinner of boiled meats called Tafelspitz. This might not sound very interesting but you would be wrong. We went to a well-known local chain called Plachutta.

The restaurant is built for serving groups, as you need a lot of people preferably to eat all the food that they will bring to the table. We didn't quite understand how large the portions were going to be so we completely over-ordered. This is just one of 3 pots we had!

Hot pots of boiled meats and marrow arrived, tender and falling apart, swimming in a rich fragrant broth. We were starving, so immediately started to dish up, only to have the waiter return to our table, ready to prepare our plates. Seeing what we had done, he shook his head in disappointment as he scraped off the mistakes we had made and went about serving the dinner in the proper way.


Having already shamed ourselves by not knowing the correct procedure for eating boiled meats, I felt it couldn't hurt my cred anymore by asking for the copious amounts of leftovers to be packed up for us to take home. I thought he might pass out upon this request, but after I assured him that I realized the broth could not be transported in their little boxes, he dutifully boxed up everything for take-away.

On New Years Day I turned that into two huge skillets of hash with eggs nestled amongst all the leftover goodness. Mimosas and coffee were the perfect compliments.

Vienna is also well known for their pastries and sweets, but perhaps the most famous is the Sacher Torte, made popular by the Café Sacher.

There is the main café which is popular and elegant and also has a line for days to get in! We chose to eat next door at the simpler gift/coffee shop. We still had to queue up but it moved quickly, even for 6 of us. Having a slice of Sacher Torte with fresh whipped cream added on the side right before coming to your table, may be the thing to do in Vienna, but we all agreed the dessert was dry and not as good as we had hoped. The more you know...


Around town, and at the Christmas Market, there were lots of stands offering street food and hot mulled wine. Vienna sausages on rolls, langos (fried bread with or without cheese), spiral kartoffel (curly french fries), pretzels, etc. Things to fill you up and keep you cozy in the chill.


But of everything I ate, the stand out meal in Vienna was had on our last afternoon, before we headed to catch a train for Prague. Steirereck im Staadpark is a Michelin starred restaurant and #16 on the World's 50 Best, set in the middle of a beautiful city park. Unlike some starred restaurants, this one had an unstated elegance combined with artsy quirkiness that made the whole experience both fun and special.

Instead of the traditional chefs menu that the entire table must take, Steirereck offers you the option of creating your own multi-coursed meals. So while I took 3 courses, Dayne opted for 5 (big surprise right?).

From the beginning of the bread service served with butter plates made of butter, and the funny amuse that arrived looking similar to a trapeze act, we knew we were in for a great (LONG) lunch.

Everything had a bit of a twist, like this dish of trout which was "cooked" in beeswax at our table.

And each dish arrived with it's own calling card.

Presentations were also beautiful but not too stuffy.

But the end-all-be-all was the cheese trolley, holy hell what a site!

And of course there were desserts, a unique digestif trolly, inventive coffee and tea service, and these stunning dried citrus fruits and wafers that also arrived via trolly and we were invited to choose our own collection.

If you are looking for a decadent and wonderful afternoon, I highly recommend Steirereck im Stadtpark, especially if you are lucky enough to share it with a group of good friends!

Delicious and pretty pictures here.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Analyzing Vienna

Last year, an hour train ride from Bratislava delivered us to Vienna, Austria, where we would spend the next 4 December nights and ring in 2013. We took a cab from the train station to our apartment in the Mariahilf neighborhood and shortly after arriving were met by the rest of our travel partners, there would be 6 of us in all. The apartment we had rented was perfect for us and a great location for walking around the city.

The city was completely decked out with Christmas lights, every neighborhood having a differently themed displayed hung over their streets. Some were sweet and simple, others grand! We spent the next few days exploring and were completely enchanted by all the various displays.

The city doesn't just have gorgeous light displays, the entire city is pretty spectacular.

There is a lot to see and do in the capitol. We started our stay with a morning visit to the Leopold Museum, well-know for it's collection of Gustav Klimt. And although we all joked about the "buttoned up-ness" of the Austrians, the joke was on us when we visited their special exhibit "Nude Men". The photo you see in the link was the poster that was hung all over the city to promote it. Just another spectacular sight in Vienna. And yes, I said hung.

It's an easy walk from the museum area, past the Hofburg Palace and into the well-preserved old town, you actually walk thru the old palace stables on your way. The buildings around town are all so grand, with lots of architectural details, that we didn't even mind gawking and revealing ourselves for the peeping tourists that we were.

 

Another morning we wandered through the Naschmarkt, filled with all sorts of produce, candy, seafood, and condiment stands. The market sits right along the Wein river and is a bustling place to shop, have a beer, have lunch, or just people watch.It's been going since the 16th century and doesn't show any intention of slowing down! Even on this cold December day, people were eating and drinking outside, toasting and dreaming of warmer days to come.

No trip to Vienna is complete without a palace tour so we decided on Schloss Belvedere. The grounds here are unbelievably beautiful. Keep in mind it was basically the dead of winter and it still was stunning, I can't even imagine how amazing it would be in the summer.

There is also a museum inside that you aren't allowed to take any photos in, but trust me when I say the collection is really wonderful. The palace is an absolute do not miss in my book, even considering the house envy we all were afflicted with.

The city was happy to show us a few stunners that we didn't know anything about but were happy to glimpse each reveal.

 

Of course we couldn't resist walking by the famed Opera House, we didn't go inside but we arrived just as the New Year's Day concert was letting out it's audience, including these ladies showing their fur coats off with pride.

We were lucky that the last days of the Christmas Market were still going on at the site of the amazing Rathaus. The market was full of festival food and craft stalls, and also a big screen were they were broadcasting the symphony. And of course there was the Christmas tree which looked to be reaching for the sky. It was almost as excess of beauty. 

 

My official diagnosis of Vienna is stunningly beautiful with a slight case of pomp and circumstance. Deeper analysis is needed.

More acute prettiness here.