Vienna restaurant: Plachutta - and a recipe for Tafelspitz

Plachutta really is an institution. Even by Austrian standards. In a town that has just embarked on the 5th millennium (that is: 5,000 years!) of its existence and has a long tradition of eating well (and eating lots!), the competition is understandably fierce and restaurants come and go... It may be relatively easy to gain a clientèle by venturing into new cuisines (a "new wave" of Asian eateries in the last five years being one example), but to gain considerable market share doing traditional Viennese food with thousands of pubs, inns and restaurants out there doing just the same, is quite an achievement by any standard. Especially when you consider that there are so many establishments out there some of which have had a long history of serving food to a loyal following of diners since the late 19th century (or longer) and are still going strong.
For many, Plachutta is the hallmark of Viennese cuisine. Their three restaurants, as well as a newer venture in the form of an up-market beer garden, vouch for quality and have become the benchmark for the competition ever since they took over the Hietzinger Braeu as late as 1987. They attract large crowds of people throughout the year, locals as well as the occasional passing tourists, and the walls are studded with photographs of celebrities who were well advised to make a visit to this establishment a must on their culinary itinerary.
But not only are his restaurants celebrating a phenomenal success, their founder Ewald Plachutta has also established himself as the undisputed expert in Austrian culinary heritage and his first book is almost as widespread in Austrian households as the bible in the Vatican. Whether it's recipes for traditional Austrian dishes or a crashcourse in the most basic of techniques, he deals with it all. He's my first point of reference for all questions on Austrian food, and the same for most Austrians I know... the condition of my personal copy of this "bible" of cookbooks speaks volumes! The broken back of the book, the pages full of fingerprints and splashmarks all over are living proof that I got a lot of bang for my buck here!
When you have a booking at Plachutta's, Tafelspitz is the order of the day. By far the most traditional of Viennese dishes, if you ask people in the know. A Wiener Schnitzel and Apfelstrudel can be had anywhere in the country, but Tafelspitz is something unique to these latitudes. If you are tempted to ask what's so special about a cut of beef boiled in broth for hours, you're definitely missing the point. In order to understand the Tafelspitz, you must have experienced it the real, ie the Plachutta, way!
Tafelspitz is actually a specific cut of beef, similar to a silverside and it's the most widely used. However, there are more than ten other cuts on offer and they all will be served in a rich, clear broth, brought to the table in beautiful, large copper pans. You first enjoy the soup, with vegetables and your choice of accompaniment: Fritatten (thin strips of savoury pancake), vermicelli noodles, Schoeberl (a sort of savoury sponge with ham) or dumplings, depending on the daily offering. Then, you spread some crisply toasted rye bread thinly with bone marrow before tucking into your main course. It is custom to ladle some soup over the meat, then sprinkle it with fleur de sel. You enjoy it with two types of sauces: a chive breadsauce and an apple-horseradish one, as well as straw potatoes (nests of julienned potatoes, deep-fried), spinach and other vegetables.
Now, if you're planning a trip to Vienna, make a point of booking at Plachutta's - I personally prefer the restaurant in the Wollzeile, which also lends itself for a stroll in the adjacent Stadtpark with its Johann Strauss statue and airs of Waltz accompanying you as you walk, no, waltz through the park... an unforgettable experience! And if you're smart enough to skip the dessert at Plachutta's, drop in at the Kurkonditorei Oberlaa, on the other end of the park from Plachutta's near the Hilton Hotel, where you can sample excellent Austrian pastries and cakes - they're so good you'll find yourself wishing they had a tasting menu for you to sample a little bite of it all!

Tafelspitz (boiled silverside of beef with vegetables)*
(yields 8 portions)

2.5 - 3 kg Tafelspitz (silverside) - in one piece
500 g vegetables: carrots, celeriac, parsnips
200 g onions (complete with their skin)
1 leek
1 tbsp peppercorns (black)
3 bay leaves
salt
1 kg beef bones (marrowbones cut into ca. 5 cm pieces)
4 tbsp chives

For the chive sauce:
100 g bread (sandwich or baguette, crust removed)
200 ml milk
2 egg yolks (raw)
2 eggs yolks (cooked, from hard-boiled eggs)
2 tbsp chives (finely chopped)
400 ml oil (use corn, grapeseed or groundnut oil)
salt, vinegar, white pepper
mustard
1 pinch sugar

For the apple & horseradish sauce:
600 g apples (not too sweet)
30 g fresh horseradish (finely grated)
20 g sugar
1 generous pinch of salt
6 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil
1 dash cider vinegar

Cut the onions in half. In a big stockpot, heat some oil and fry the onions, cut-side down until they are blackened. Wash the silverside and the bones thoroughly. Pour appr. 4 litres of water into the stockpot and bring to a boil. Carefully place the meat and the bones in the water, making sure that the meat is submerged. Add some more water, if necessary. Add the peppercorns and bay leaves and simmer the meat for at least 3 hours. If you have the time, let it simmer for 5 hours, to make sure the meat is so tender it almost falls apart. Keep skimming off the foam that will eventually form.
About an hour before serving, cut the vegetables into bite-sized chunks. Add the vegetables to the pot, but only add the leek 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
Prepare the sauces: Soak the bread in the milk for ca. 10 minutes, drain and squeeze out the milk as much as possible. Pulse in the multi-mix, adding the yolks and seasoning and work up a thick sauce by gradually adding the oil. Shortly before serving, fold in the chives.
For the apple & horseradish sauce, peel, core and finely grate the apples, sprinkling them with lemon juice immediately so they don't oxidise. Add the remaining ingredients, seasoning to your liking.
Take the meat out, cut into 2-3 cm slices and return to the pot. Season the soup.
First, serve the soup, with the vegetables and some noodles, if you like.
When serving the meat, put each slice on a plate, pouring over 1 tbsp of soup and sprinkling with fleur de sel (salt). Serve with the sauces, alongside some potatoes and vegetables (creamy spinach being the most traditional).

* Recipe adapted from Plachutta "Die gute Küche", p. 276

Comments

[Sascha F Zeller]

Talking about history & tradition: One of my old favorites (when I still lived in Vienna) was the Bierklinik. They have been in uninterupted business since the late 1600's. And the Beuschl there was the best I ever had (with the exception of my Grandmother's, of course). And regarding the Tafelspitz: since when has the Sacher Hotel been replaced as the number one destination for Tafelspitz?

[Pamela]

This sounds fantastic!!!

I have always wanted to visit Austria and may get the chance if we holiday at Bodensee.

Can you recommend any places around there?

[johanna]

Hi Sascha, the Bierklinik is definitely and institution - but I must say I am not that keen on beer! I've never had a Tafelspitz at the Sacher, but nobody has ever mentioned it to me either... it is always Plachutta, Plachutta, Plachutta! So, maybe I should go by your recommendation and try it there one day!

[cassandra]

that really sounds like my kind of dish: lean, but yummy. i'd love to have a recipe for it, would you share? thanks!!

[Jeanne]

OMG, a tasting menu of Austrian pastries - now there's an idea!! When my mom and I were in Vienna, I remember waking up every morning and saying "my resolution for today is to EAT MORE PASTRIES!!". Words to live by... I wish I'd known you back then so that we coudl have had some restaurant recommendations. As it turns out, we went to Naschmarkt quite a lot and usually ate lunch at whichever museum we found ourselves in at lunchtime. I remember falling particularly in love with the museum cafe at Hundertwasser's fabulous Kunsthaus Wien - but then how can you help but love everything in that building??!

[angelika]

Hi Johanna, of course I can underline every word of this post; especially as for the pastries of Oberlaaer. They definitely have the best cakes and pastries in town, at least for the time being.

Ich habe am Montag meine Befähigungsprüfung bestanden und praktisch zeitgleich meinen ersten Catering-Auftrag (war heute mittags) erhalten. Nach mehreren Wochen Skriptenstudium komme ich jetzt hoffentlich wieder zum Durchatmen und werde jetzt endlich den Pack Food-Zeitschriften an Dich senden, und natürlich die "vergessene" DVD. Liebe Grüße aus Hietzing, angelika

[johanna]

Hi Cassandra, following your request, I have now added the recipe to my post... I hope you will like it!

[Franca]

Hi
Just come back from holidays in Europe and we had the pleasure of dining at the Pluchetta and throughly enjoyed it as a real Vienesse meal!! However beware we went back the second time and was very disappointe!The same meal was served but this time with only half the portion of what we received previously! Wish I knew about the Sacher hotel.. Management was not very polite either...So now I'll try the recipee at home. Thanks I know we will enjoy it...

[Juno888]

Wow i fell hungry in this site, recipes are very good smell..

[Jim Reese]

I tried the apple horseradish sauce
what a wonderful combination
thank you

[Nicole Feldmann]

I went to Plachutta this fall and tried the Tafelspitz - it was amazing! I really fell in love with the spinach they served on the side. Do you happen to have a recipe for that??? Thanks!

[Tricks Book of Ra]

Also ich bin der Meinung das war eh nur eine Modeerscheinung

[Pam]

My daughter and I have just travelled to Austria where we asked some friends for a recommendation for a meal in Vienna. We were delighted with the Tafelspitz at Plachutta (although we had to be helped by the waiter with the correct method for eating it! He produced a printed card in English.)
I am very keen to attempt to recreate the dish at home so thanks for your article and recipe. . .