#5: Café Vienna

The hills were most certainly alive at our latest You Pick Two event.  It was an Austrian-inspired meal in honor of one of our closest friends, Chris Handler.  His nickname is "Dr. Chris," since he holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in molecular biology.  He currently works as a Senior Vice President at a large public relations firm here in DC where he advises government clients on campaigns related to health care and wellness.  It's ok to feel like a slacker when you read his bio, I sometimes do.  Chris' family is from Austria, although that part of the country where they originate from is now technically in Slovenia.  So I had hoped to remind him of some of the foods he may have eaten or talked about while growing up in Long Island with his extended Austrian family.  Not knowing really anything about this type of cuisine, except for beer and sausages really, I went online to do some research.  I came across a book called Neue Cuisine by chef Kurt Gutenbrunner.  It was perfect.  If you have any interest in this type of food, or are curious about the region and traditions, I highly recommend adding it to your library.  The recipes and stories are beautifully written and presented, and the author adds lots of useful tips and notes about making the dishes ahead or substitutions for hard to find ingredients.  And the precision of the recipes, as you might expect, is super sharp.  I made the recipes exactly as written and had zero issues.  In fact by the end of preparing the meal, I felt suprisingly competent - which can be dangerous.  I started to think an 8-layer torte with a meringue center, several fillings, and a whipped ganache frosting seemed entirely feasible in a day. 


Edelweiss indeed.

The table setting and theme were inspired by a photograph in the book that was taken off the tables outside of Cafe Wallsé, which is one of the author's restaurants in New York.  It had white tablecloths, with hints of black and blue in the napkins and accessories.  I ran with that and had my friend Chuck of the amazing LUSH Arrangements make a fantastic centerpiece for the table.  He thought of "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music and his arrangement of thistles and wildflowers certainly reflected that inspiration.  Frankly, it was probably my favorite table setting so far for You Pick Two.

From left: Kevin, Chris Handler, Ken Rub, and Andy Scahill

So what about the mystery guests?  Chris put a lot of time into selecting some great guys to bring, and it really showed.  Andy Scahill is a friend of Chris and a professor of film and media studies at Georgetown University.  His attitude was unpretentious, which I was concerned about since my film class professor in undergrad was quite stuffy, and he could talk about any film.  I watched a beyond my years Roman Polansky film in undergrad called The Tenant.  Seriously, look it up, really bizarre (but really good).  It was nice to talk to someone who had actually seen it and could add some insight.   Chris also brought an ex-boyfriend of his named Ken Rub.  Ken's father was a Methodist minister in the South and he went into the army right out of high school to get away and see the world.  After several years in the army and after attending college, Ken went on to become a banker.  He travels the world extensively and is now a managing director at a commercial real estate firm here in DC.  Oh and in his spare time he teaches yoga classes and crossfit.  Despite all the success, he was a very approachable and independent guy that we are sure to be friends with after the dinner.



Matchstick fries.

For the menu, I pushed myself to try several things I have never made before: spatzle and strudel chief among them.  We didn't do a cocktail this time since the meal was so intricate, but I did make some matchstick fries and a mustard dipping sauce to go with our glass of bubbly.  I never really deep fry things, mostly because I am slightly intimidated by it, but I used this Ina recipe and they came out great.  The key was to thinly slice them using a mandoline; I don't think I could have done it by hand.  Here is the menu from the night, the recipes will follow soon:  

MENU

Café Vienna

April 19, 2014

 

Starters

Matchstick fries

Crispy thin-cut potatoes, horseradish-mustard dipping sauce

Landjagger sausage

 Cured German pork & beef sausage

 

First Course

Spätzle

White corn, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, tarragon

cream sauce

Main

Cabbage-wrapped Chicken Strudel

Chicken mousse, phyllo dough, parsnip-celery root puree 

 

Sweet

Sachertorte

Chocolate cake, strawberry preserves, chocolate ganache, whipped cream

 

Guests

Chris Handler

Andy Scahill

Ken Rub