With awesome mountain views that take in verdant forests and snow-capped peaks; a mix of modern and traditional restaurants, and local specialities aplenty, Guy Fiorita embarks on a gourmet tour of the Austrian Alps
When planning a holiday I am always faced with the same question. Should I go to the beach or take to the mountains? With each passing year I am more inclined towards the latter. It seems the older I get the harder it is for me to get into swim-suit shape; heat affects me more and I have less patience for sand and more places for it to hide. With that in mind I decided to head to the cool of the Alps to discover the pleasures of Austrian cuisine on a three-day gourmet tour.
Most of us equate Austrian food with a hearty meal washed down with a glass of beer but the truth is it can be surprisingly delicate with a range of influences including Italian, French, German and even Hungarian. And all over the country the green revolution has taken hold, with emphasis placed on sourcing local produce often organically grown. For the diner this means the ingredients are usually fresh and weren’t flown half way across the world before landing on your plate – and you can enjoy your meal with a clean conscience.
In Austria, the sweets alone are enough to attract any gourmand. Apple strudel, Linzertorte, Sachertorte, Kaiserschmarrn and chocolates in all shapes and sizes make Austria a sweet-toothed traveller’s paradise. For cheese-lovers (like me) there are a variety of excellent local cheeses like Bergkäse, a mild cheese made from raw cow’s milk and matured for six months; Kugelkäse, spherical cheeses often flavoured with pepper or caraway seeds; and the pungent Limburgerlike Mondseer.
Liquid-wise, for those who think Austria is only about beer, think again. Austrian wine is world-class, especially the whites. Rieslings account for most of the high-end production but there are also a number of fine wines being made from the Austrian Grüner Veltliner, Neuberger and Gelber Muskateller varieties. There are even some interesting reds cropping up, made from lesser-known indigenous grapes such as Zierfandler and Rotgipfler.
With all this in mind my wife and I set out from Munich airport for our first destination deep in the Alps. Finding a hotel hidden on an Alpine slope can be difficult, especially when the nearest town does not even merit a dot on the map, at least not on the map I brought along. On this trip the car’s GPS turned out to be a godsend – once I’d figured out how to get it to quit barking orders at me in German. All I had to do was punch in the name of the hotel and we were off on a stress-free drive giving us time to enjoy the scenery. And here that meant rolling green hills, pine-covered slopes, rushing rivers, majestic rock peaks and a neverending series of charming Burgs that looked straight out of a Heidi colouring book.
Still, no matter how beautiful the drive there is nothing quite like hearing the mechanical voice say, “You have arrived at your destination”. This is especially true if your destination happens to be the Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol. Nestled among rugged mountain peaks and lush pine forests outside the city of Innsbruck, the Interalpen is a five-star, 283-room hotel that looks like an oversized Swiss chalet. The rooms are truly enormous, many measuring more than 70 sqm. Ours was exactly what one would wish for from an Alpine retreat, complete with wooden floors, heavy wood-beamed ceilings, thick down duvets and even a tiled stove.
After settling in, my wife headed straight to the spa while I enjoyed a quiet read on the terrace overlooking the pool, the hills and the peaks. Next I ventured down for a swim in the huge indoor pool that has an underwater sliding door leading outside, and I could imagine the pleasure of diving under the glass panel to emerge in the heated outdoor pool surrounded by the heavy snow of the Alpine winter or bubbling away in the outdoor Jacuzzi in the shadow of the white peaks.
Later that afternoon I dragged my wife out of the herbal sauna and we headed off on one of the trails that lead into the woods behind the hotel. Nothing builds an appetite better than a hike in the clean, crisp mountain air and soon I was feeling the pangs of hunger. Fortunately we came across one of the famed Hüttes that are sprinkled all over the Austrian Alps. These rustic dining halls offer classic Tyrolean cuisine in down-to-earth settings.
At first glance our Hütte, Ropferstub’m, didn’t look like much. If it hadn’t been for the sign on the road I would have thought we were walking up to someone’s farm. It turned out to be fantastic. My meal began with a steaming cup of Tyrolean bacon dumpling soup accompanied by thick slices of homemade bread with a hint of rosemary. This was followed by a traditional dish of Spätzle made with fresh mountain cheese from the nearby Ziller valley, served sizzling hot in a heavy cast iron pan, and washed down with a tall glass (or two) of dark local brew, Zillertal Schwarzes. My wife chose a local specialty, Tiroler Gröstel, a stirfried mix of meat, potatoes, onions and herbs that also came in a metal pan and was served with a simple white cabbage salad. After sharing a slice of apple strudel we ended our meal with a house specialty, homemade apricot Schnapps, which is guaranteed to keep you warm on the hike back to the hotel.
For those who make it back to the hotel on time, the Interalpen offers wonderful cuisine courtesy of chef Christoph Zangerl who recently received two chef’s hats from the GaultMillau gourmet guide. Dinner features a six-course menu with a selection of locally sourced meat or fish from the nearby lakes, accompanied by an extensive salad and cheese buffet. Guests also have the choice of vegetarian dishes or lighter options from the spa cuisine menu.
With more than 120 rooms, the next stop on our Alpine tour, Der Krallerhof near the charming town of Leogang, is not small but it still has a family-run feel to it. At dinner for example the owner, Josef Altenberger, took time to visit each table. Unfortunately with my feeble German and his lack of English most of our conversation was conducted in sign language but I got the message: the old gentleman truly cares about his guests. From experience I can tell you this is something a corporation just can’t hire. Later I watched as two of Altenberger’s sons scurried around the terrace frantically setting up umbrellas when we were hit by an unexpected thundershower. Thankfully it didn’t last long and we were all able to get back to the enjoyment of our meals in no time.
Krallerhof chef Maximilian Zrnjevic prides himself on using locally sourced produce whenever possible. All beef comes with the quality control of Salzburger Naturbeef; the trout is from the Leogang Ache river and the lamb is from nearby Hohen Tauern. Zrnjevic uses these ingredients to create dishes that give a subtle modern twist to classic recipes without losing their sense of tradition. My roasted noisettes of deer with glazed chestnuts, light chocolate sauce, polenta strudel and broccoli with almond butter was a perfect example.
Early the next morning, after a breakfast featuring a tempting assortment of warm homemade breads, we made our way out of the mountains towards the city of Salzburg. The 70-kilometre drive offered yet more rolling green hills, lush forests, rough mountain peaks and rushing rivers before finally flattening out as the spires of the city came into view. Set at the foot of the famous Staatsbrücke bridge overlooking the Salzach river, the recently renovated 55-room Hotel Stein was the perfect choice for exploring the city. The central location meant everything was within easy walking distance so that even though we arrived late in the afternoon we still had time to do a little goodie shopping before dinner.
My first stop was at Spirituosen Sporer where I bought a bottle of herb liquor. Founded in 1903, Sporer is a classic in Salzburg. Locals cram the tiny shop drinking shoulder to shoulder at the old wooden bar. After a few samples I chose a bottle of the house specialty, Hausmischung, a strong sweet digestif made using a secret mix of 19 different herbs. Further down the street we came across an irresistible delicatessen, Feinkost, that sells an excellent assortment of local and international gourmet items including 60 types of handcrafted chocolates. Remembering the famous scene from the film Amadeus when Antonio Salieri used a plate of suggestive looking chocolates to tempt Constanze Mozart, I finally chose a box of Venusbrüstchen (nipples of Venus).
For dinner that evening we decided on Carpe Diem Finest Fingerfood, a cutting-edge new restaurant owned by Dietrich Mateschitz, the billionaire creator of Red Bull energy drink. Mateschitz has launched Carpe Diem, a tea-based drinks line, and the restaurant is part of the marketing campaign. For now the drink can only be found in a few select markets but if Red Bull is any indication, it will be cropping up in your local corner shop soon.
The name, Finest Fingerfood, refers to the fact that nearly everything here is served in bite-sized ice-cream cones. It’s a rather strange tapas-meets-Ben & Jerry’s concept that works great with the post-theatre crowd. The menu includes such combinations as risotto with chanterelles and Parmesan cheese served in a rosemary cone, or deep-fried Camembert with cranberry foam in a curry cone. There is even a hamburger served in a rosemary cone with French fries, and, my favourite, cream of pea and mint with cucumber and crayfish in a curry cone. And yes, they even fill some of them with their own homemade ice cream.
Carpe Diem is set on two floors. Most of the cone eating goes on downstairs in a relaxed lounge bar atmosphere while the upstairs is reserved for a more formal sit-down, fork-and-knife affair. Like the new drink, there are also plans to spread this restaurant concept to other markets.
We ended the evening, and the journey, at Hotel Stein with a drink on the stunning rooftop terrace, a hot spot for its fabulous views. As the lights flickered on the river below my wife gave the city her ultimate compliment. “I could live here,” she said as she raised a glass of Reisling to toast the end of our Austrian gourmet tour.
DAY ONE
Munich airport to Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol
Distance: 175 kilometres
Hotel facts: 283 rooms and suites
Rates: €225–€1,773
(£180–£1,400), half-board
INTERALPEN-HOTEL TYROL
Dr-Hans-Liebherr-Alpenstrasse 1
A-6410 Telfs-Buchen/Seefeld
+43 (0) 508 0930
reservation@interalpen.com
www.interalpen.com
DAY TWO
Interalpen to Der Krallerhof
Distance: 95 kilometres
Hotel facts: 124 rooms and suites
Rates: €240–€510
DER KRALLERHOF
Rain 6,
5771 Leogang
+43 (0) 6583 82460
office@krallerhof.com
www.krallerhof.com
DAY THREE
Der Krallerhof to Hotel Stein, Salzburg
Distance: 70 kilometres
Hotel facts: 55 rooms
Rates: €109–€295
HOTEL STEIN
Giselakai 3-5 A
5020 Salzburg
+43 (0) 662 8743460
hotelstein@llhotels.com
www.llhotels.com/hotelstein
THE CAR | MERCEDES-BENZ A160 CDI
To zip around Austria’s tight mountain roads I chose a Mercedes-Benz A160 CDI. This is a small, economical Mercedes, a car the size of a VW Golf but whose interior and exterior design makes it feel rather more special. I was impressed with the car’s agility and general eagerness along the mountain roads, the punch of its turbo-diesel engine, as well as its frugality – the latest technology means it’s among the lowest-emitting cars on the road. On longer stretches it did get a little noisy, but overall this is an excellent car for a pretty, mountainous, green country.
