braised rabbit with spatzle & wild mushrooms $15 – needs more rabbit meat.
this starter at chef-owner kurt guttenbruner’s austrian restaurant wallse in the west village had some nice chanterelle mushrooms mixed in with the spatzle and green peas. a creamy and delicious dish.
gazpacho soup $14
very clean pure flavor, great soup for a balmy night dining al fresco on west 11th and washington street.
wiener schnitzel with lingonberries $32
I had a craving for wiener schnitzel, and wallse makes a great wiener schnitzel. a giant slab of thinly pounded veal, breaded and lightly fried to a velvet crisp, balanced with sweet lingonberries.
tender is the schnitzel - moist succulent veal inside a delicate fried crumb coating. in austria, the term wiener schnitzel is protected by law and can only be made with veal.
potato cucumber salad is the traditional accompaniment ……..
……… along with lemon and parsley.
familie bauer sylvaner 2005 auslese – one of my favorite wines. i have a great love for aromatic wines , and this sylvaner auslese had a floral fragrance and a balance of sweetness and acidity that was perfect with the food. i could drink this by the case. intoxicating to my auslese tooth.
chocolate almonds and pate a fruit.
dining on washington street in the soft darkness. several tables are set out in front of the restaurant. nice and quiet, no cars and no people.
wallse is one of those quality yet casual neighborhood restaurants that make the west village great. my only gripe is that there is no schwarzwalder kirschtorte (black forest cake with cream and cherries) on the dessert menu even though it’s available at his other restaurant cafe sabarsky.
the rapture – seriously, a meal of fried tender wiener schnitzel, coupled with a highly aromatic sweet wine, finished off with an intense slice of opulent dark schwarzwalder kirschtorte, and a cup of coffee mit schlag, and i like it with a huge mountain of whipped cream ……. i think i could then die happily with a tyrolean smile on my face, my soul born aloft clouds of snowy schlag up to the giant field of edelweiss in the sky, where i can eat this meal for eternity, while seraphic cherubs gently play the blue danube on golden harps.
the upholstery store is a wine bar opened by chef kurt guttenbruner right around the corner from wallse. a cozy tiny sliver of a wine bar, good place to have a drink before walking a few steps for that wiener schnitzel. they use those stemless riedel wineglasses here.
wallse has been around for years, and for good austrian food, this is a reliable restaurant to get a great wiener schnitzel should you ever get such a craving. and heavenly cravings need to be satisfied.
copyright 2010 Jo Jo Kwong. all rights reserved.
