SteirereckRestaurant, located in Stadtparkin Vienna Austria has been named the #9restaurant in the world for 2013, and holds 2 Michelin Stars.
Conveniently
located across the street from the Intercontinental Hotel, and minutes away
from the Ritz Carlton Vienna stands this culinary landmark, which has been in
the Top 100 for the last several years.
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| Ceiling |
The ceiling
of the restaurant looks like a more elegant version of the Bellagio lobby doneby Dale Chihuly.
Like
most fine dining establishments, dinner is theater and the experience will
likely last several hours.
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| Hot Towel |
Service
begins with a hot towel.
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| Bread Sticks |
Next
comes some paper thin breadsticks.
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| Amuse Bouche |
An amuse
bouche of figs with candied lemon peel and basil started off the night. This dish was surprisingly not too sweet,
being offset by the basil.
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| Amuse Bouche |
A
second amuse bouche was served, however I forgot to write down what it
was. I don’t recall this dish being
spectacular in any way.
Next,
the bread cart arrived with nearly 20 different types of bread to choose
from. With the vast variety there is something
for everyone.
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| Mountain Trout |
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| Mountain Trout |
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| Venison |
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| Venison |
The
Marinated Venison with Funnel Chanterelles, Wild Brokkoli and Black Walnuts is an
absolute winner. The venison has just a
hint of gaminess which is accentuated by the earthiness of the mushrooms and
brown butter.
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| Barbecued Sturgeon |
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| Barbecued Sturgeon |
The
Barbecued Sturgeon with Kohlrabi, Quinoa and Elderberry was just an okay
dish. The sturgeon was firm and meaty,
but the sauce was a little too sweet for my taste. The dish just didn’t seem to come together
for my palate.
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| Veal Sweetbreads |
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| Veal Sweetbreads |
The
Cauliflower with Salted Plums, Romaine Lettuce and Veal Sweetbreads was another
dish wasn’t coherent. The sweetbreads
were somewhat firm on the outside but tender in the middle. The cauliflower and lettuce added some earthy
tones, while the plums added some acidity.
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| Mallard |
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| Mallard |
The
Mallard with Salsify, Red Cabbage and Chestnuts was another outstanding
dish. Although wild, the mallard did not
have a strong taste. The dish was a
little overpowered in sweetness by the Isabella grape jus.
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| Apple Dessert |
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| Apple Dessert |
The
Apple with Amaranth, Pine Needle and Mushroom Herb was a very surprising
dish. The apple was perfectly poached,
tender yet still firm. The amaranth,
which had the appearance of a piece of bark, was ice cold and refreshing. The contrast in temperature along with
texture due to the apple tuile and amaranth crumble made this a light way to
end the meal.
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| Urinal |
No
trip to Steirereck is complete without a trip to the bathroom to check-out
their futuristic bathroom. The urinal
looks like a space pod that begins to flush as soon as you step onto the floor
mat.
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| Communal Sink |
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| Men's Bathroom |
The
sink, soap dispenser and trash can looks like a drum set from the future. The soap dispenser is in the upper left. Upon sticking your hand into the opening
liquid soap will be dispensed. Placing
your hands within the interior of the yellow sink sends jets of water from all
directions to rinse your hands. The
orange bongo drum is there for you to dispense your used towels.
I am
glad to have eaten at Steirereck, but not sure if I would come back. Service was superb at times, very lackluster
at others. At one point, the employee
working the bead cart was acting as busboy and server to some tables.
There
is a service charge to eat here which is not disclosed. Although it is only €6 per person, this is
not disclosed anywhere and seems very out of place in a fine dining
establishment.
Food
for the most part was very good to great, but some dishes really seemed to miss
the mark. Many people have complained
about the cost of the restaurant. At
dinner, the 6 course tasting menu is €125, while the 7 course menu is €135
without the wine pairing, which I feel is very reasonable considering the cost
of Vienna as a whole and that this is a 2 star Michelin restaurant.
I do
like the fact that they present you with descriptions of each dish before
presenting them so you know what you are eating, or can reflect back at a later
time.
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