The corner cafe: Franz Blauensteiner

The corner cafe: Franz Blauensteiner

I passed this coffee house/cafe near my hotel at least twice a day. I was able to stop in once, after dinner and a full day of meetings. It
was a nice night out, so we sat down, just in time for the last call.

I had a nice little espresso and my colleague a glass of wine.

I meant to stop in again ... but it never happened.

Meal: Coffee
Date Visited: 26 May 2010
Rating: N/A
Address: Lenaugasse 1, 1080 Wien
Website: http://wwww.gastwirtschaft-blauensteiner.at

Haus des Schweins or Schweizerhaus?

Haus des Schweins or Schweizerhaus? Karl Kolarik's Schweizerhaus.

The Schweizerhaus is located in the Prater amusement park. I mention this because I wouldn't want the unwary to be confused having to walk through a collection of curiously Viennese amuseument park rides and arcade games to get to the Schweizerhaus Beer Garden.

I didn't quite know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. It had been raining earlier, so the grounds (the beer garden is all outdoors under awnings) were wet and muddy. I was a bit late, so it took my a while to locate my party in the vast restaurant.

I took my seat on the bench and soon had a beer in front of me. But what to choose from the menu? Well, it wasn't hard. It had to be one of the house specialities, the Hintere Schweinsstelze. A chunk of pork (upper thigh?) spit roasted with the fat done to crispy goodness and a side of pommes frites.

When the Hintere Schweinsstelze arrived, the waiter sliced it for us and turned it over to my colleague and I. There were all kinds of  tasty bits, grilled, fatty, just done white meat. Served with two kinds of mustard and freshly ground horseradish, it was something you don't find back home (and maybe not something you'd want everyday)!

Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 26 May 2010
Rating: ***
Address: Prater 116, 1020 Wien
Website: http://www.tripwolf.com

A wilted Palm: Palmenhaus

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Palmenhaus

Well, first off I'll say that having to serve a group of twenty or so
people is tricky. Second, I'll say that the Palmenhaus, located in a
the Burgarten in a botanical garden with a garden on one side and a butterfly house on the other is a lovely location.

But, well, we had some server problems this night. Just ordering took forever and the food took even longer to actually arrive (so long in fact that some of our party had to leave). And of course, the check took a long time too ...

When I looked at the drink options, I saw they had caiperanha. Hadn't had one in a restaurant since Brazil, so I had one. It was ok; not sure if it just wastn't hot enough or if it was the limes, but not a rave drink.

And the food? Well, it was asperagus season in Vienna, so I needed some asperagus, and thus chose the salad with asperagus, melon and prawns as my starter (not usually a crustacean eater, but once in a while it's a nice change). Asperagus were plump and quite tasty. Leading into the main course, saltimbocco with nettle-spinache and polenta gratinee. The saltimbocco was ok (a veal cutlett), but the nettle-spinach and polenta were both quite good.

Final thoughts? Well, might deserve a return visit, in a smaller group and when you're not in any hurry.

Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 25 May 2010
Rating: **
Address: Burggarten 1, Vienna, 01 5331033
Website: http://www.palmenhaus.at

Stationary at Das Möbel Cafe

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Das Möbel Cafe

I had a morning business meeting and one of my colleagues suggested Das Möbel Cafe. It had free wifi as well as nice big tables (we were a group of six), so we popped in and grabbed a nice big table. During some of our stay, the woman at the table next to us was doing some interesting watercolors.

An interesting combination of cafe and furniture store, Das Möbel Cafe not only offers a full days selection of food and drink (breakfast to cocktails) but also the option to browse their furniture catalog and use examples of the different chairs and tables while enjoying your food or drink.

I went for the one hot, one cold drink, and two breads option. That  would be, in my case, orange juice, a cafe americano, and two really good rolls with jams on the side.

Meeting went on and then it rained, so we decided to just stay on for lunch (two and a half hours later!).

For lunch, I went with the spinach and blue cheese quiche (with side salad) that was fabulous. A nice crispy crust and a filling of just the right consistency.

For dessert, we got a nice apple streudal that was good, but not as good as my mother's.

A bit tricky getting the attention of the serving staff, but they were pleasant and helpful. A very good choice Matthew!

Meal: Breakfast and Lunch
Date Visited: 27 May 2010
Rating: ****
Address: 18 Bewertungen, Burggasse 10, 1070 Wien
Website: http://www.dasmoebel.at

Café Bendl in Vienna

Café Bendl

I found a list of "classic" Viennese cafes and the one nearest my hotel happened to be Café Bendl. Looking for a lunch spot on my first day, I dropped in.

First off, whoops, forgot, smoking is common in restaurants outside of Arlington, VA. Not very crowded, it was a late lunch, there was only one other customer (and a dog) at the Café Bendl. I took a seat in a backroom (with all kinds of old movie posters on the walls) and ordered a beer and a baguette pepperoni pizza.

The beer was good, the pizza just ok.

Probably not a good time to visit Café Bendl, I had the feeling it was much better later a night, with more smoke, and more liquor!

Meal: Lunch
Date Visited: 26 May 2010
Rating: **
Address: Landesgerichtsstraße 6 1010, Vienna, 01 4083087
Website: http://cafe-bendl.at/

Austrian Air: IAD to VIE

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Austrian Air: IAD to VIE

Thanks to the world of codeshare, the flight that I booked on United was actually flown by Austrian Air. I was curious as to what the food selection was and it turned out farily good.

The first meal served was dinner. There was a choice of chicken or pasta. I went with the chicken. Served with a nice cheesy potato and a very tasty spinach, the chicken was a bit over-sauced and greasy.

For the breakfast, served somewhere over Belgium, there was a nice entry to Europe type bread, meat cheese, along with a muffin and yogurt.

As an added bonus, during the dinner service, wine (red, white, rose) were free flowing. I also give kudos to Austrian Air for the wonderful triangular shape of the plates.

Meal: Dinner and Lunch
Date Visited: 24/25 May 2010
Rating: N/A
Address: In the air
Website: http://www.austrianair.com

United 860: GRU to IAD

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

UA 860: GRU to IAD: Business Class

I think that offering to share my pen with the check-in agent at GRU in São Paulo scored me some good travel Karma. I'd already been delayed for four days due to snow storms on the East Coast, so, I was pleasantly surprised with a complimentary upgrade to Business Class for the return trip from GRU to IAD.

Business class meant the white table cloth, free-flowing wine, a bowl of warm nuts, a cheese and cracker platter, and a selection of tasty entrees. For the breakfast, there was an interesting omlette.

This flight also offered "express service" where you could pre-order all your choices and have them delivered at once so that you could then go to sleep.



Meal: Dinner/Breakfast
Date Visited: 15 February 2010
Rating: N/A
Address: In the air
Website: N/A

Something fishy in Rochester, MN

Pescara

I was invited to join the official dinner of the meeting I was speaking at, but my host found the room to chilly and suggested we go elsewhere. We'd seen Pescara across the street from Michael's, so off we went.

Located in the trendiest Doubletree I'd ever seen (I would have guessed it was a W Hotel), we had a wait a bit for a seating for our group of five, but were soon at a table.

As you might guess from the name, fish is the speciality. There was a great selection of market fresh fish (though I hesitate to get fish in the Midwest!). I decided to start off with an apple salad (though the oyster option looked good). For a main course, I went with one of the recommendations, paella. And a good choice it was. Not an overwhelming serving, there were just enough treats (mussels, shrimp) and a tasty, though not too spicy sauce.

I wish I could catalog the four other meals my colleagues had, but there was only one: Mushroom risotto! Yes, our table had one paella and four risotto (to be honest, it was my second choice). The risotto received good reviews as did the other sides and appetizers at the table (grilled asparagus, ahi tuna).

The decor was very 21st century, glass, chrome, basic greenery, ambient lighting. Quiet a change from Michael's. So, I'm sure in thirty years, if Pescara is still there and I were to return, and if it doesn't change, it will be that, oh so 2010 kinda place!

Meal: Dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 28 April 2010
Address: 150 S. Broadway Ave., Rochester, MN 55904
Website: http://www.pescarafresh.com/

Gibson @ Martini's

Martini's at the The Kahler Grand Hotel

With a name like that, didn't I just have to stop in? The Kahler Grand Hotel is a classic old hotel in Rochester, clearly the grande dame of the city. Martini's, the bar, had lovely seating outside onto a little plaza, but it was a bit chilly to sit outside, so I strolled in. I was expecting a dark, quiet, old fashioned place. But instead, Martini's sort of flowed into a more "family-style" restaurant and little market  in the hotel. Hmmm.

The bar was by the window and well lit. I sat at the bar and took a look at the extensive martini (and other cocktail) offerings (mostly out of curiosity) and ordered up a Gibson (sometimes you feel like three little onions). The bartender mixed a good martini (shaken not stirred) and made just the right amount of conversation.

Not what I was expecting, but nice.

Meal: Drink
Rating: ***
Date: 28 April 2010
Address: 20 SW Second Avenue Rochester, MN 55902
Website: http://www.thekahlerhotel.com/martinis/