Steirereck**

The first amuse bouches of pomelo in citrus sugar and long, thin crisps provided a light and refreshing start to our dinner.  They were accompanied by a locally produced sekt from Bründlmayer, which was surprisingly complex in flavor. We later found out that it is made from blauer burgunder, chardonnay, grauburgunder, weissburgunder and grüner veltliner - very interesting.

Second round of amuses were placed atop a carpet of cress, including marinated radish, a cornet of dried Jerusalem artichoke filled with a fresh cream cheese and finally a cornet of turnip filled with a nettle foam of sorts.

Butter! Lime butter rolled around pear marmalade and topped with pistachios, set atop meticulously drawn lines of plain salted butter.

Bread selection - here including varieties with black pudding (so good!), sun-dried tomato and olive, rosemary, and bacon. 

B's (more grown-up) selection of sourdough varieties.

Last amuse of baked qual egg enrobed in a sort of kataifi dough along side jerusalem artichoke purée and shaved, black truffle. The black truffle was underwhelming in flavor and could easily had been omitted but still a very enjoyable amuse.

Salsify cooked in cardamom-infused goat's milk with grilled, sour Nashi pear, goat's cheese, beef bone marrow and toasted chia seeds. A very comprehensive dish as you can tell but also one of the best dishes of the evening. I loved the combination of cream goat's milk and the nuttiness from the chia seeds. Wine pairing was a blend of grüner veltliner, chardonnay, and riesling. Certainly one of the evening's highlights.

Red cabbage (leaf, stalk and juice) with Jonagold apple, thinly sliced foie gras, blackcurrants preserved in beebalm syrup and shiso leaves. Loved the play on red cabbage in the dish but unfortunately the foie gras component provided little flavour to the final taste expression. The accompanying 2011 pinot gris "Seeberg" from Weingut Prieler did a good job providing a crisp, not too sweet backdrop to the dish.

Puntarella with carp milt, chervil root and anis seed aromas. In the glass, 2011 morillon (aka chardonnay) "Steinbach" from Lackner-Tinnacher in Gamlitz. Great textures in the dish but tastewise it was forgettable.

Endive infused with beef consommé and garlic oil accompanied by boiled and deep-fried wood sorrel root, raw king trumpet mushrooms (very few, as you can tell from the picture), and caramelized Persian lime marmelade. The wine pairing of 2011 Lindenblättriger, a tablewine from Umathum, was an interesting addition to the dish, while the dish generally failed to make a lasting impression on B.

Mountain trout with white aubergine, turnips, black trumpet mushroom and purslane. Thereto a Rudi Pichler number, a grüner veltliner Smaragd "Hochrain" from 2008 with which we were both so pleased, that we picked up a 2011 variety from Wein&Co before we left Vienna. The fish was very delicate and pleasing to the palate.

Pan-fried grayling with sesame, baby artichokes, and rosemallow. In the glass, a pristine glass of riesling from Prager, a 2009 Smaragd "Klaus". B loved with so much that I (good girlfriend as I am) had him enjoy the last sips. The fish was perfectly cooked and I enjoyed the sesame addition very much.

For the 4th course, we had chosen the same dish, which turned out to be one of the evening's highlights for me, both in terms of the dish and the wine pairing. The course consisted of breast of Schneebergland duck rolled in fermented rice and black bean granules, set atop sprouts, shoots and cress of different sorts in a date, peanut, and ginger paste, finished off with cardamom and salted plum stock. The wine (the name has unfortunately slipped my mind) was a natural wine, completely unoaked and highly oxidized, which went surprisingly well with the dish. Excellent sommelier work here.

Best end (what does that even mean?) lamb from Pogush with capers, raisins and purple salsify. Further there was caramelized sweet potato and lamb's lettuce with a purple salsify and lamb sauce with Limon Canaliculata and preserved almonds. B was extremely excited about the lamb, which was certainly cooked to perfection. In the glass a 2010 zweigelt "Haide" from Schloss Gobelsburg.

Grilled calf's liver with nasturtium root, smoked elderberry chutney, and pumpernickel and potato rösti. In the glass, the second non-Austrian wine option of the evening, 2010 Kappa Rosso from Fattoria Kappa, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Petit Verdot. A powerful and rich mix that fit the gamey liver brilliantly.

Another highlight - cheeses. Steirereck boasts an amazing selection of 50+ cheeses. B decided to go with a blue and hard selection including the Kracher Grand Cru cheese, a blue washed in the sweet wine. It also featured a truffled pecorino and despite his somewhat guarded relation to cheese, he ate every single bit.

I had the cheese sommelier, Herbert Schmid, do a mix of things for me as I am really not a picky cheese eater. It included everything from Mont d'Or to hefty Roquefort. Great selection, only enhanced by the wine pairing of Alto Aldige gewürztraminer by Damian Kornell from 2011(so good, I am not ashamed to say that I asked for a refill). The garnishes of pumpkin seed and grapes however puzzled me and seemed sort of banal.

Finally, dessert! Preserved calamansi, an Indonesian citrus fruit also known under the name of golden lime (also served as amuse) along with silky smooth walnut ice cream, on a bed of cream cheese and ginger bread crumbs. In the glass, 1988 pinot gris beerenauslese from Stephan Schneider. Heaven!

Phantom of the avec cart.

A lonely melange.

Petit fours - chocolate and dried citrus fruits.

Steirereck
Am Heumarkt 2A, im Stadtpark
Wien, Österreich

Notes:
When B had invited me to Vienna we quickly decided that we would have to visit Steirereck, currently at 21st place on World's 50 Best List. Overall, it turned out to be a great experience. Some of Steirereck's strongpoints certainly include its inherently local focus as reflected in both the food and wines - and I love that they have a cart for everything, including apéritifs (noting Campari/OJ as an option at a Michelin restaurant is a first for me!), bread, cheese, herbal tea, digestifs, petit fours...). Around the blogosphere other bloggers have been complaining as to the English skills of the staff, something I cannot recognize at all. All evening we were served by waiters speaking fluent English, a special mention to our sommelier who was not only extremely knowing and talkative but also incredibly endearing, delivering little anecdotes about the wines and their producers. Throughout the evening we did however have a few dishes which, yes, were tasty, but also forgettable. Highlight included the salsify, pear and goat's milk cheese, the duck and the cheeses. I can only imagine how gorgeous the setting must be during spring, summer and fall, and in terms of gourmet restaurants I cannot imagine better options to be found in Vienna. Recommended.