Once upon a time…

… Smiling? Joking? Pleasant and accommodating? What happened to our Swiss waitress? Oh no wait!!

For a minute I forgot we crossed the border and we were now sitting in an Austrian restaurant…

You do wonder how 30 kms can change so much in service. Why do Austrian waiters and waitresses are so patient and nice when back home, you are sighed at when you dare to bother the ‘not so busy lady who is supposed to wait our table’…

Yes I love Switzerland, yet the way customers are treated is not acceptable and this escapade in Austria was bowl of fresh air.

With so much courtesy and willingness to please you, you would almost be indulgent and understanding if the food was blend or not eatable – how to understand that a cook cannot cook remains a mystery to me… But at that point of friendliness I was ready to forgive anything!

I almost shed a tear (of happiness and hope, life goes on outside Switzerland!) before starting my menu investigation…

And what I discovered was beyond my expectations…

A choice of meat served rare – medium rare (my heart got conquered right there), I always enjoy having connoisseur chefs that would not grill my meat until it is hard enough to be used as a sole, shall you have an emergency and need a replacement shoe sole (yes indeed you never know…)

It is very important that a chef shows the way and is not afraid to refuse to serve a well done steak or filet… Long life to those chefs!

But back to my biggest dilemma of the week: filet, entrecôte, steak, flank? Beef, pork, ostrich, deer? What to pick in this carnivore paradise (sorry for any vegetarian or vegan)?!

And then my eyes stopped on THE piece of meat I was meant to order: a 500 gram flank steak (aka Flanke in German and bavette in French) served without all those usual unnecessary veggies that make you feel better (I’m eating half of a cow but with broccoli, so it makes me a better person, right? Right? Let me think… Still thinking… Rethinking… Ääää no! Good try though!)

My mouth became watery and became impatient but some Sekt with melon syrup kept my buds busy while our grill master organized our order.

As a starter, we joyfully ate a salad ‘a la lyonnaise’ (a happy mix of green salad, bacon, eggs and croutons) and some wild deer racks together with some delicious garlic bread… Perfect way to keep this evening going!

But the best part was yet to come…

Our waitress arrived with our main dish…

The view of such a beautiful piece of meat was impressive (almost a piece of art) and the taste was even more impressive…

Was I dead?! Was I in heaven?

It was perfectly cooked, rare, seasoned modestly with salt and I sat there, unable to talk, just enjoying bites after bites…

What an evening: perfect waitress, ‘fabulicious’ food and original place.

Food blew my mind up and I almost forgot to mention how unexpected the place itself was: looking around, you have the impression to have been sent back to the Middle-age!

Decoration is elegant and elaborated , theme is knights and kings and the place has been decorated from the door to your table.

It was very busy (glad we booked a table) but we didn’t wait at all for our orders to be taken… And dishes were served smoothly, the right amount of time between the starter and our main to allow us some rest.

Simply perfect! I definitely recommend this place for a romantic date and with a group of friends….

http://www.palast.at in Hohenems

Happy trails and remember: Carpe Diem!