In need of a break from the rush of city life, but don’t want to miss out on great restaurants and culinary variety? How about a weekend trip to neighboring Austria – with lots of nature, fresh air and of course good food? At Haus Der Unterwirt in Tirol, for example, which is now run as a family business by three sisters and is a true refuge of tranquility. It’s like a journey to another time. And no wonder, since the house dates back to 1490. The dishes have also stood the test of time for generations: Marillenknödel (apricot dumplings), braised roast beef or rabbit with polenta, accompanied by fresh herbs from the garden and a view of the Kaiser Mountains – could you possibly ask for anything more than that? Or for a change of scenery: at the Naturidyll Hotel Landhofmühle in Burgenland, it’s the 100-year-old chestnut tree that sets the scene for the regional cuisine from the hotel’s own farm garden – accompanied by a glass of wine, birdsong and perhaps a good book. Minimalism as the new hedonism, so to speak. Seehotel Das Traunsee in Upper Austria is the pinnacle of this. What’s special: here, chef Lukas Nagl, who was just named Chef of the Year, even does without a menu. Instead, the award-winning chef presents his guests with a changing, organic regional selection of ingredients, from which the kitchen team conjures up individual dishes. And while the mountainous landscape is reflected in the water, your thoughts wander far away from everyday life and the question: What is really going on in Berlin right now? We could go on forever here, because of course Styria, Carinthia, Vienna or Lower Austria also have promising locations to offer.
Text: Stephanie Johne / Photos: C.u.F. Fartek OG, June, Johannes Kernmayer
Der Unterwirt, Wildbichler Str.38, 6341 Austria–Ebbs; map
Naturidyll Hotel Landhofmühle, Windisch-Minihof 48, 8384 Austria–Windisch-Minihof; map
Das Traunsee, Klosterpl.4, 4801 Austria–Traunkirchen; map
You can find more culinary tips in Austria here.
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