Wallsé

[SobaAddict70]

Note to e-gulleteers:  This is SobaAddict under another nom de guerre; I didn't want to wait until I got home to re-register so I decided to e-mail the activation info to my work e-mail.

Went to Wallse for dinner last night, and all I can say is that as far as accessibility is concerned, it beats Danube anytime, anyplace.  Not that the owners of Danube need be concerned, but I'm a convert...

Apps -- I had chestnut soup with "Viennese melange" and prunes marinated in Armangac; my companion had potato roesti with Maine lobster and mache with white truffle viniagrette.  The soup had a base of mushroom stock that lent an earthy, bass note with each spoonful.  As for the roesti -- sheer heaven, as the texture of the roesti perfectly complemented the lobster meat and composed salad on top.

Mains were halibut with sauteed wild mushrooms and diced cucumbers in a butter-dill sauce, and pureed potatoes on the side; he had pan-seared diver scallops with a red wine reduction sauce (Zweitgeit sauce?) and the same potatoes.

Desserts were palenschatken (I know I spelled that wrong, maybe someone can correct me?) with creme anglaise and mandarin oranges/raspberries; I had the Salzburger Nockerl with a raspberry center.  In retrospect, the palenshcatken was far far superior to what is essentially an egg-white souffle.  Give me two or three servings anytime!

Next stop -- Honmura An tonight, for my monthly soba craving.  Also plan on doing Next Door Nobu next week.  Anyone know if Gramercy Tavern does a plateau de fruits de mer or equivalent?

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Admin edit: merged previous threads re Wallse into main thread.

[yvonne johnson]

Thanks for the reminder about Wallse. I've been toying with idea of giving it another go, partly because I liked the look of Gutenbrunner's recent pieces in the NYT Dining section. The look was enhanced by the pretty illustrations.

The (raspberry) Salzburger Nockerl was the highlight of our meal around a year ago. I was also taken with the Austrian wine. My general impression, though, on this one night, was that the food looked (back to appearances) better than it tasted. But I do like smoked fish, and like you I had the halibut and it was of high quality. It's a restful place, too.

[Bux]

I don't recall a plateau de fruit de mer at GT. Balthazar offers one.

[jordan]

For Austrian fare Wallse is tops.  Had a sensational tasting including wood pigeon, foie gras and scallops.  Service was friendly and efficient.  The wine list although not as deep as Danube's, has some interesting selections and is fairly priced.

An other point of interest is that Kurt Gutenbrunner is operating the cafe at one of the city's Austrian cultural institutions.  I'm not sure exactly where it is but I've been told that it is very good.  Has anyone been?  If so, where is it?

[Steve Klc]

Jordan--see the stunning photo on p. 44 of the Wiener Werkstatte art glass in the current Gourmet (April 2002).  They mention the Neue Galerie's Cafe Sabarsky (212.628.6200) in an almost too-cutely-titled "Hungry for Austria" piece, suggesting that Kurt is offering "what must be the world's best apple strudel" there.  Anyone been yet?

[jeunefilleparis]

Well, it was a cold and rather dreary wednesday (last) so I decided to go over to Wallse since I hadn't been there in a while. My last meal there was so wonderful and I was very excited to eat there again. However, last weeks meal fell way below expectations.

My first course was Spätzle with braised rabbit, wild mushrooms, sweetcorn and tarragon. Basically, all I could taste was the cream sauce. It was heavy and bland. The rabbit really didnt have a lot of flavor nor did the peas or corn in the dish. I was so disappointed because I had always wanted to try the dish and it was just incredibly boring. My entree was the Wiener Schnitzel with potato-cucumber salad and lingonberries. Now I know that the dish itself is very simple, but the way it was served was a bit strange to me. Basically there was this huge portion of schnitzel and a little pools of lignonberries and the potato-cucumber salad was on the side and had no flavor either. The schnitzel itself was very nice and well, tasted like it was, fried, the lingonberries added a nice fruty flavor to it, but there was only a small portion of it. At least the dessert was great. -warm apple strudel with walnuts and rum ice cream was really stellar. flaky phyllo and nice sweet apples.

i guess i would go back again since my first visit was great, but this time it was quite disappointing. service was wonderful though and I supposed that I could have sent the spatzle back, but i guess that I just wasnt in the mood to cause any kind of problem,,,,,,,,,,

[oakapple]

In today's Crain's New York Business, Bob Lape reviews Wallse, awarding it 3 out of 4 stars:

Wallse, Kurt Gutenbrunner's splendid Austrian restaurant in the West Village, glides toward its fourth birthday with the happy harmony of outstanding food, a felicitous setting and winning service. It observes culinary tradition with schnitzel, goulash and strudel, then steps off boldly along new paths of elegant simplicity and good taste.

Fat Guy observed recently that the New York Times is far from being the only paper with a full-scale reviewing program. With the Times's performance being so erratic nowadays, it's worth giving some notice to the "other" reviewers in town.

One point that sets Lape's reviews apart: he tells you the wine markup, which for Wallse is 140%-200%.

For those who don't follow Crain's, Lape's reviews are usually of newer places, so I'm not sure why he reviewed Wallse, except perhaps to take note of the aforementioned fourth birthday. His last three were Geisha (2 1/2 stars), Riingo (2 stars), and Landmarc (2 stars)---all new places. Before Landmarc he reviewed Le Perigord, again to take note of a birthday (the 40th).

Incidentally, the link offered above takes you to Crain's restaurant page. The contents of the page change weekly, on Mondays.

[Pan]

I really appreciate this post, oakapple.

I'm curious what rating Lape gave to Le Perigord.

[oakapple]

I'm curious what rating Lape gave to Le Perigord.

I'm pretty sure it was 2 1/2 stars.

[SobaAddict70]

A preview of today's NYTimes DIGEST update. This post will be edited once the regular DIGEST is posted. --Soba

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Mr. Gutenbrunner, once seen as a pioneer among chefs, has not been fazed by contemporaries like Ferran Adrià and Thomas Keller. He continues to be a great cook without foam, without powdered kumquat. It is a pleasure to order Wiener schnitzel and know you are going to get a breaded and fried piece of veal, and that the roasted venison does not involve roasted venison essence infused into potatoes formed in the shape of a venison chop. The venison chop here is big and hearty, and is surrounded by leaves of Brussels sprouts, slack and toothsome.

Wallse (Amanda Hesser)

[Lesley C]

Good review. Nice. But I thought it read like three stars. She didn't seem to dislike anything, so why two stars? Is it too casual for three? And what about the service? Not mentioned at all. Hmm, I just don't get The Times star system. Every week I'm surprised. Does this place not have three-star potential? If so, I don't see -- according to that write-up -- how it could be better.

[oakapple]

I thought it read like three stars. She didn't seem to dislike anything, so why two stars? Is it too casual for three? And what about the service? Not mentioned at all. Hmm, I just don't get The Times star system. Every week I'm surprised.

The system is actually quite simple, although the reviewer never tells you how the calculation was done.

First she asks herself, "What kind of place is this, if everything is done well?" For Wallse, the answer was apparently "a two-star place." She then ate there several times, and concluded that everything was done well. Therefore, two stars were awarded.

To give another recent example, at Montrachet the first answer clearly was "a three-star place," since Montrachet had had three stars historically. She then ate there several times, and concluded that things were no longer up-to-snuff. Therefore, two stars were awarded.

Both reviews were two stars, but the Montrachet review read like a riot act, and the Wallse review contained nothing but praise. This is not just a Hesserism. From the dawn of time, any NYT two-star review could be a two-star concept performing well, a three-star concept not quite clicking, or a four-star concept that's a disaster.

Mind you, I am not saying that she has pegged Wallse accurately. I'm just explaining the reason why a restaurant can legitimately receive two stars even though the reviewer "didn't seem to dislike anything."

Edited May 5, 2004 by oakapple (log)

[marcus]

Good review. Nice. But I thought it read like three stars. She didn't seem to dislike anything, so why two stars? Is it too casual for three? And what about the service? Not mentioned at all. Hmm, I just don't get The Times star system. Every week I'm surprised. Does this place not have three-star potential? If so, I don't see -- according to that write-up -- how it could be better.

If one ignores the Spice Market debacle, I think that her reviews have been quite consistent and generally on target. She's what we used to call a tough grader, and I think that if she did this job over an extended period of time, you would find that she averages about a half star lower than her predecessors.

Unfortunately, I don't believe that she will do it, but for me the touchstone review would be l'Impero. Asimov, sitting in for Grimes, but with, I believe based on subsequent statements by Grimes, his tacit approval, gave this restaurant 3 stars. To me this is a quintessential NY restaurant, that for some imponderable reason, New Yorkers like better than its actual merits.

[Pan]

Good review. Nice. But I thought it read like three stars. She didn't seem to dislike anything, so why two stars? Is it too casual for three? And what about the service? Not mentioned at all. Hmm, I just don't get The Times star system. Every week I'm surprised. Does this place not have three-star potential? If so, I don't see -- according to that write-up -- how it could be better.

Lesley, I wonder whether the two-star rating has something to do with this:

For diners who have grown accustomed to a culture full of restaurants that shock and awe and then fall apart, it is a treat to find a restaurant that continues to sail along, assured and unfettered.

She praises the restaurant's sailing along, but maybe the "shock and awe" are needed for three stars (let alone four). Restaurants that cook traditional food or don't really change their menus appreciably in x-number of years (how long? I don't know) tend to be regarded as "fossils," "dinosaurs," and so forth (though I'm not claiming Amanda has used such words herself). And here is perhaps another hint:

Mr. Gutenbrunner has also remained loyal to his menu. It may be a bore for his cooks, but it was a delight to return and find kavalierspitz, a boiled beef shoulder, still among the entrees and spaetzle with braised rabbit as an appetizer.

Ms. Hesser liked the place, but do places where the menu "may be a bore for [the] cooks" get three stars? I doubt it.

(Note that I haven't made any comment about whether I would require some innovation to award three stars myself, if I were suddenly hired in place of Bruni, in some alternate universe.)

[tim olivett]

It's funny, I remember when Kurt was at Monkey Bar and got two stars and it was such a huge disappointment for him although like Wallse it read like a positve review. I bet he is probably happier with the two since three would mean stepping things up to a level that may not mesh with his concept of the dining he offers at Wallse. He's certainly capable of it, chefs I know who worked with him at Bouley who I thought were amazing talked about Kurt like he was the smartest, best chef they had ever known, I mean Bouley originally launched the idea of Danube for Chef Gutenbrunner as he was a sous at the original Bouley and then after a return to Europe became Culinary Director of Bouley Bakery so it's not like he's not capable of turning out 4 star food if that was what his ambition to do was (believe me that pursuit leaves many divorces, substance abuses and overall lunacy in its wake, however noble its intentions). BTW I know the formerly of Bouley thing is probably the most overused description of a chef in NYC, I've even seen guys who worked there 3 weeks be touted that way but Kurt was someone Chef Bouley or the "old man" as they called him, really respected.

Essentially, the ratings system is based on what the "type" of restaurant is. Granted, the type of restaurant is a pretty malleable concept and it's left to the reviewer to determine it by, hopefully, imagining who would be disappointed by the restaurant if they read the review and then went. For example, say she gave Wallse three stars and patrons who frequent other 3 stars like Danube or Atelier etc go and are let down by the room, the service, the wine list etc. Reviews are sometimes seen as report cards by us culinary obsessed types, not the recommendations for the masses they function as. Remember, even to earn a star is supposed to be a good thing in a city with so many restaurants and though rare, we've all seen the satisfactory or poor (no star ratings).

Here in Philly, Craig LaBan writing for the Inquirer, goes for a "best in show" type of thing, meaning he very much takes into account the concept of the restaurant, their prices and how they compare to other restaurants in their category (size, cuisine, formality, byo, fine or casual dining, bar food, diners etc.) We also don't have a tenth of the restaurant culture of NYC so he includes a wider range whereas the Times review of a less casual place like Wallse is a compliment to have even been reviewed.

When Wallse is on the money, it's one of my favorite tucked away spots in NY.

Edited May 6, 2004 by tim olivett (log)

[jeunefilleparis]

Well, some of you wont believe this, but as of Monday I am going Vegan for 2 months to see if any of my healthy problems can be alleviated. So, basically I have been indulging in all my favorite places til sunday.

Last night I went to Wallse. Started off w. a blood orange cosmo which i always find refreshing. On Chef Kurts recommendation, i ordered the white asparagus wiht ham and a creamy type sauce. I ll be honest, they didnt blow me away, i m not sure how different they are supposed to taste from regular green ones, but tehy were great and fresh

Next I had the Cod strudel which was so delicous. the love pastry dough so that coupled with the fresh cod was brilliant. There were also some great fresh veggies. and anotehr sauce that i dont know.

Dessert was the quark dumplings with a strawberry rhubard compote, strawberry- verbena soup and strawberry sorbet

it was so wonderful. Tonight i m going to Danube for a couple of things and tomorrow to aka cafe for their huevos rancheros that i love and sunday, INO and Chikalious,,,,,

I know its only 2 months, but it sounds like a lifetime,,,,, at least its summer with lots of fresh veggies and fun sorbet

wish me luck!

lauren

[ludja]

Thanks for the description of your meal at Wallse... sounds great. Cod strudel is a cool idea and I may just have to try and replicate that dessert. I love things made with Quark or Topfen (Farmer's Cheese).

Hope you post your experience at Danube as well.

I'd like to try both or at least one of them the next time I'm in NY.

Good luck with the diet in the next few months; while difficult in some ways it should be fun to all you can do with summer's bounty of fruits and vegetables.

[jeunefilleparis]

Thanks for the description of your meal at Wallse... sounds great. Cod strudel is a cool idea and I may just have to try and replicate that dessert. I love things made with Quark or Topfen (Farmer's Cheese).

Hope you post your experience at Danube as well.

I'd like to try both or at least one of them the next time I'm in NY.

Good luck with the diet in the next few months; while difficult in some ways it should be fun to all you can do with summer's bounty of fruits and vegetables.

I m not really that worried as I am just sad about leaving behind all my favorite cheeses. and desserts well, if any of you know me, they are a huge part of my meals! I never really ate a lot of red meat, maybe lamb at my aunts house, mmm grilled lamb,,,,,,,,,,,

if i dont see any grand difference after two months, i will go back to eating organic cheeses. but i dont plan on eating any more meat, be it chicken, cow, pig etc and i m not sure how i feel about fish right now,,,,, i never really knew that fisherman kill dolphins due to their netting and it concerns me,,,,,,,,,

anyways, i m excited and nervous at the same time, either way it will be an interesting food adventure for a girl who has often ordered 2 or 3 desserts in a meal,,,,,,,,,,

Lauren

[ludja]

Desserts were palenschatken (I know I spelled that wrong, maybe someone can correct me?) with creme anglaise and mandarin oranges/raspberries; I had the Salzburger Nockerl with a raspberry center.  In retrospect, the palenshcatken was far far superior to what is essentially an egg-white souffle.  Give me two or three servings anytime!

This is way after the fact--but for posterities sake, the spelling for the dessert is "palatschinken".

Sounds like a nice variation. Some others involve ground walnuts, rum and chocolate, apricot marmalade with or without ground nuts, plum jam or a farmer's cheese-sour cream-lemon filling.

Edited June 4, 2004 by ludja (log)

[jeunefilleparis]

Desserts were palenschatken (I know I spelled that wrong, maybe someone can correct me?) with creme anglaise and mandarin oranges/raspberries; I had the Salzburger Nockerl with a raspberry center.  In retrospect, the palenshcatken was far far superior to what is essentially an egg-white souffle.  Give me two or three servings anytime!

This is way after the fact--but for posterities sake, the spelling for the dessert is "palatschinken".

Sounds like a nice variation. Some others involve ground walnuts, rum and chocolate, apricot marmalade with or without ground nuts, plum jam or a farmer's cheese-sour cream-lemon filling.

that sounds really really good,,,,,,,,,,

[pierre45]

Six of us dined a few days ago at wallse. The restaurant consists of 2 small rooms and is decorated in black and white.Black carpet and wthitewashed walls, so its rather scandinavian looking and sleek.Tables were white clothed and set apart.

thus providing more formality and privacy.

I started with soup that consisted of lobster raviole in a brew of tomato pulp and lobster bisque seasonned with hot paprika.Very original and yummy.

MY main dish was spring lamb with asparagus.The ingredients were 1st class.

the lamb was pink as requested and very tender and had that young lamb taste.

Just wunderbar.

Dessert was strudel with pistachio ice cream, as well as another ice cream and a ginger concoction. a refreshing and sweet ending.

My companions had spaetzle with rabbit( ok,nothing special) and kavalierspitz,which was found to be pleasant.The venaison chop was declared as hearty and delicious.

we drank an outstanding heidler gruner vetliner 2002 .Vibrant with acidity and delicious fruit.excellent balance and with mineral ending rather than heavy oak.

Interesting and different white wine( $54)

The red wine was 2002 hillinger ST laurent.It exhibited very good balance between acidity and fruit.The fruit had the softness and elegance of a good pinot noir and the lushness of grenache.again no oak aftertaste..A very interesting and different red wine ($58).

The cost of 3 course meal was $42 .this is excellent value for the level of cuisine and service provided specially if you order well.

Like any restaurant anywhere,the key to eating well is the choice that one makes.

[oakapple]

A friend and I went to Wallsé Saturday night. It's a beautiful restaurant that could pass for an art museum if it weren't serving such wonderful food. On a cold fall evening, Wallsé offers the perfect getaway from the elements.

To start, I had the Spätzle (a kind of Austrian pasta) with braised rabbit, wild mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, and tarragon ($15). Our server guided me to this, and he wasn't mistaken: it was a wonderful dish. Both my friend and I were beguiled by the crispy cod strudel with a stew of carrots and ginger with black trumpet mushrooms ($27). Cod is the humblest of fishes. The highlight of the dish is the light, flakey, almost ethereal strudel crust that surrounds it.

I don't normally have dessert, but who could resist when things were going so well? We shared the Quark “cheesecake” with chilled quince consommé and elderflower sorbet. The menu puts "cheesecake" in quotes because it's made with a very light cheese, giving the cake a consistency just slightly more solid than whipped cream. The quince consommé came in a separate dish, and it almost seemed superfluous to the excellent cake. Perhaps combining the quince with the cake would produce an even more successful offering.

When Wallsé called to confirm our 6:00pm reservation, they asked if we wouldn't mind showing up a little closer to 5:45. This happened to suit our plans, but I was mildly insulted by the suggestion. Although the request was phrased politely, the intent was obvious enough: "we're trying to turn the table." My feeling was that they offered a 6:00pm reservation, and they should stand by it: serving the next customer was their problem, not mine. Indeed, I was just faintly aware that the efficient service was perhaps too efficient (the appetizers arrived just moments after we ordered them).

None of this should take away from what Wallsé achieves, which is creative Austrian cuisine, prepared to near perfection. Appetizers are priced from $11-19, entrées from $26-35. All desserts are $9. We had a tough time deciding what to order, which may mean that we have to go back!

Edited November 29, 2004 by oakapple (log)

[bluecabochon]

As Oakapple's companion at Wallse, I can only second that we had a wonderful meal. The service was attentive yet not intrusive. Even better was that the tables on either side of us remained empty until we left.

I wanted to mention that my appetizer, the potato rosti with lobster, was excellent. Previous E-Gulleters have praised this dish, which features succulently tender lobster with crusty potato rosti, which I could eat all day. I would never have imagined cod as a strudel filling, but it was flaky and moist and slid gently from the strudel at the slightest pressure. The servings are not huge, yet they're filling. A basket of lighter-than-air bread was also consumed without much fear of carb excess.

The dessert was delightful, but it was a tough choice, as there was also a pumpkin tart offered on the "special" menu that I'd like to try sometime. We wanted a light dessert, but here were heavier, richer choices available, including a dense-looking chocolate cake that a diner nearby only picked at. (!?!)

We were brought a dish of almonds covered in dark chocolate, which were then rolled in cocoa powder, to nibble on with our coffees after dessert.

I'm very interested in trying out Cafe Sabarsky at the Neue Galerie until I can return to Wallse for another meal.

[johnjohn]

If I remember correctly - someone told me that they had dinner at the bar there and really enjoyed it, but I could be mistaken. Do you remember if people were eating at the bar.

[Suzanne F]

The only food I've ever had at Cafe Sabarsky was -- what else, pastry -- and it was wonderful (a kirschtorte). The savory stuff looked very, very good, too. [sometimes I wish I had taken the job there that I might have. Sigh. I really admire Kurt Gutenbrenner.]