When you think of New York City, you think of a myriad of different cuisines from around the world, however Austrian food wouldn’t likely be the first one on your list. Having been to New York a million times over the years, I’ve landed in Ethiopian, Italian, Japanese, Malaysian, Chinese, French, Vietnamese, Indian and Russian, all on a fairly regular basis.
Recently, I discovered Seasonal Restaurant in Manhattan’s mid-town by accident since the Austrian Tourism Board chose this fabulous Austrian restaurant as their venue for their New York City media meet-up. I couldn’t resist an appetizer entitled Pochiertes Ei, which is a soft poached egg served with lobster, hen of the woods and pumpernickel. Yum!!
Others went for the Griessnockerlsuppe, which is a light consomme served with brown beech mushrooms and semolina dumplings.
Mid-way through, we tried the Beinfleisch, which is essentially short ribs, salsify, pumpernickel and hefeweizen sauce. They brought out a 2011 Tegernseerhof T26 Federspiel Wachau, an Austrian wine, to pair with all of the dishes except for the desserts.
After the ribs, one person opted for the Cornish hen with cabbage, egg yolk and paprika (very common in Eastern Europe btw), but the majority of us either had the Rainbow Trout served with tomato, apple cider and celery root or the more traditional Wiener Schnitzel, which is the well renowned Veal Cutlet, which they served with potato, cucumber and lingonberry.
Potatoes anyone? Don’t show up here if you’re on a diet — the food was ohhh sooo good!
Is an Austrian meal ever complete without dessert? We had Kaiserschmarrn, which are crumbled caramelized pancakes with apple compote and Apfelstrudel, which is a granny smith apple served with raisins and cinnamon. Oh so very Austrian!
A Little Background on the Chefs:
We met and spent some time with Wolfgang Ben, one of the chief chefs who presides over the restaurant. Over the years together, Wolfgang Ban together with his partner Eduard Frauneder have perfected their own modern take on Austrian cuisine – one which combines traditional techniques, contemporary innovations, and updates to some of their favorite childhood dishes.
Both chefs pride themselves on maintaining the utmost quality in their cuisine, and therefore, consistent with its name, the kitchen uses only the freshest seasonal ingredients. Also cooking the day we were there was the Chef De Cuisine Arno Mueller.
Apparently they’re behind another New York City restaurant in the East Village called Edi and the Wolf, which is on my list to check out on my next New York jaunt.
Details:
Seasonal Restaurant
132 West 58th Street
New York, NY 10019
between 6th & 7th Avenues
212.957.5550
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
