There's much to say about the food that I ate in Vienna - so I decided to dedicate a separate post to it.
Strange as it may sound, my first and last nights in Vienna we ate Asian and Vietnamese food, respectively, at the outdoor food court. I used to eat quite a bit of Asian food when I was back in NYC, and this was the first time in five weeks that I was able to have some - so at Robert's suggestion that is what we ate! I now remember how much I love Asian food and it was a nice break from all the pasta, ham & cheese sandwiches and Paprika flavored Pringles that had made up my diet during the first part of my trip.
That said, Georg was determined to show me traditional Austrian food while I was there. This was a very nice gesture, however, the first place he took Christine and I was a little too traditional. Now, unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of this place (a shame), so I'm trying to figure out the best way to describe it. I think the way that comes to mind is Cracker Barrel meets The Sound of Music meets Amish Country. And if you are currently picturing a restaurant with a crowd of an average age of 65, you would be completely correct.
Needless to say, the restaurant was quickly vetoed and we ended up at a place, while still traditional, that was much more our speed. I've had a fair share of Schnitzel in my day, but apparently it doesn't count unless you eat it in Vienna. So in addition to a traditional soup that I had to try, I also ordered the Schnitzel. They certainly don't want you to go hungry in Austria, because it was by far the largest that I had ever seen (see photo below). That said, it didn't stand a chance and I, of course, ate every last bite :) Was it the best I've ever had? Potentially.
Now, I think there are two things that come to mind when people think of real American food: Hamburgers and Hot Dogs. I, myself, think one of the best things ever is going to a football (American football, not soccer) game and eating a stadium dog - in fact, it may be one of my favorite past times. And as much as it pains me to admit that Georg was right on this point, the "hot dogs" in Vienna far surpass anything that we have back home -- although, they do have a key advantage: they're stuffed with cheese! Yum!
