I recently talked to a girl who had been to Tyrol recently. “I had Schnitzel every day for a week,” she said. It happens a lot. Schnitzel is a staple in Austria: It’s available everywhere and it’s always made to a high standard. It’s the opposite in America: No Schnitzel anywhere. On the rare occasions it happens to be on the menu, I can’t stop myself from ordering it, and I’m always disappointed. The meat is supposed to be veal, but that’s next to impossible to get in America, where it’s almost always pork instead. The cut is universally too tough and hasn’t been thinned out, the batter is soggy and oily, and too often it’s drenched in apple sauce. The side dish is typically noodles, which doesn’t go well with Schnitzel.
Austrian bakeries are also disappointing. None of them recreate the atmosphere of bakeries or cafes in Austria, nor do they attempt to recreate the bread or the pastries. Konditorei in Sacramento came close. It was run by an Austrian, and it was good. Besides myself, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a frequent customer when he used to spend time in Sacramento as the governor of California. It closed a few years ago, and with it, probably the only establishment serving authentic Austrian food in the western United States.
Nehaveigur 