[Aaron T]

Klee, the new Austrian bistro near 23rd & 9th, is near Trestle on Tenth, making this neighborhood a destination for Austrian & German cuisine. The following is from the NYT:

Quote

KLEE BRASSERIE Daniel Angerer, who had been the chef at Fresh, owns this restaurant with his fiancée, Lori Mason. They have captured the informal feel of a brasserie, with a wood-burning oven and a menu that touches down all over Europe but keeps an American accent. Several dishes suggest Mr. Angerer’s native Austria: Viennese fried chicken, Wiener schnitzel, veal meatloaf with creamed spinach, and apple strudel. Klee means clover in German, Mr. Angerer said: 200 Ninth Avenue (22nd Street), (212) 633-8033.

It sounds right up Omni's alley.

[omnivorette]

What pray tell is "Viennese fried chicken?"

[Rose]

Probably fried chicken mit schlag.

[Ron Johnson]

Austrian: the new comfort food.

[Wilfrid1]

I am thinking of opening a Swiss restaurant called Klimt.

[Rose]

Wilfrid, on Nov 22 2006, 10:10 AM, said:

I am thinking of opening a Swiss restaurant called Klimt.

Or perhaps, Cuckoo?

[scamhi]

Rose, on Nov 22 2006, 10:21 AM, said:

Wilfrid, on Nov 22 2006, 10:10 AM, said:

I am thinking of opening a Swiss restaurant called Klimt.

Or perhaps, Cuckoo?

how about Gru?
(yere)

[nuxvomica]

dinner last weekend, 4th or 5th night they were open. shaky at times but promsing.

the room is still being finished but it's pretty, simple and comfortable with exposed brick, lots of wood and mirrors, long, inviting bar (have to fix the front of the counter or glasses will get broken), open kitchen, wood burning oven. very comfortable chairs and plenty of banquette seating. the restaurant bills itself "modern brasserie" with a mittel european flavor

warm baguette served with an herbed butter (i detected only dill), the butter was rather cold

porcini mushroom chowder with frizzled leeks was excellent (and full of mushrooms) - favorite of the evening

Alsatian tarte flambe - delicious (bit skimpy on topping but i'm nitpicking), wonderful crust

kurobuta pork tonnato with caper berries - the tonnato sauce didn't taste of tuna at all. pork was served as prosciutto might be in little bundles, the mayo based sauce dotting the plate here and there (not enough tuna flavor and not enough of the sauce, either) the pork itself bland, caper berries gave it the right salty kick). the dish has a potential, adjust the seasoning and it could be great.

LI duckling over quinoa had most flavor and nicely crispy skin - color-wise, the plate was not really stuning but it was the best enteree of the ones we had (although a touch too cooked than i would have liked)

chicken with hen of the woods mushrooms & eggplant caviar - the chicken was good and so were the mushrooms but the eggplant, a very smooth puree, was too heavy on spices. not adding anyhting to the dish and not really edible.

the wagyu hanger steak wasn't as flavorful as expected and the presentation not particularly appealing (like the duck, it came over the starch, in this case roasted potatoes)

lamb shank over green beans, chestnuts, onions and brussels sprouts - the meat was just not good, mainly question of seasoning but the texture was not appealing eitehr. everyone at the table thought it was the weakest dish and no one wanted to eat it, except for the vegetables (chestnuts were dry, brussels sprouts too crunchy but good beans and rest)

a side of "cauliflower baked with gruyere" disappointed - the cauliflower was not baked with the cheese (no gooey goodness we expected). instead, it seemed to have been briefly stuck under a salamander with a few (unmelted) wispy threads of cheese grated on a microplane. the cauliflower was warm on top but cold at the bottom. ridiculously small portion for $6 (otherwise the portions were just fine to generous)

we had little tastes of sacher tort and apple strudel, both of which were good, as well as some choc chip cookies, profiteroles and shortbread (didn't taste those) -this was announced by the waitress as gift of the house.

service is still getting its legs. our table of 4 had 3 apps to share (we said we'd be sharing) - no sharing plates but at least we each did get a soup spoon. the runner was unable to desribe the dishes beyond the main ingredient. the lamb shank was pretty much untouched (except for the vegetables) but the waitress not only did not ask about it, she dumped it as soon as she entered the kitchen and the chef never saw it. maybe she was afraid (she highly recommended the the dish over the pork chop); maybe that's why we got some little tastes of desserts on the house.

ambitiously varied global wine list (we had chablis & ribera del duero), with wider than average half-bottle selection and many by-the-glass choices. there are cocktails too. margarita with edel foower looked good but the edelflower hadn't arrived yet. good campari-prosecco drink (there was another ingredient i forgot)

the chef is trying to play a bit, too, with a pumpkin soup served with an eye dropper filled with balsamic to use to taste according to a diner i knew and bumped into. we wanted to try the "mason jar of vegetables" but since it comes with a couple of droppers and powders for you to season the vegetables, it wasn't right for sharing.

i will be back for the porcini soup and Alsatian tart and to explore the rest of the menu, esp. the pork chop with red cabbage, apples and calvados. also, they have two daily specials - a pasta and entree. i want to try most of them! egg noodles with chanterelles; wiener schnitzel; penne with 24-hr tomato sauce & fennel sausage; roman-style baby lamb with caramelized onions; short rib ravioli; beef-pork sausage with smoked sauerkraut, rigatoni bolognese; veal meatloaf - they all sound great.

i think the place has a great potential and once they work out the kinks it should run smoothly. great addition to the neighborhood.

btw, has anyone tried goatfish? (it's one of the specials too, with linguini, tomatoes and olives)

[Daisy]

I have been walking past this place daily and am very curious about it.

Thanks for the report--it is going on my list. I wish them well--that is a cursed spot where restaurants open and close with regularity and rapidity

[Daisy]

I was in there a few nights ago for a drink.

It looks a little unfinished as nux mentioned was the case.

Friendly, concerned service at the bar, and an excellent if stiffly priced martini--$12.50 for a small-to-medium-sized one. Nice fresh potato chips (stilll warm when we were served) sprinkled with garlic-infused oil.

They need to do something about the entrance. It was very cold that night and we were constantly hit with freezing blasts as the door opened. The heavy curtain hung in front of the doorway is not cutting it.

[ludja]

omnivorette, on Nov 21 2006, 08:10 PM, said:

What pray tell is "Viennese fried chicken?"

This is absolutely a very traditional dish in many parts of Austria including at least Vienna, Burgenland and Styria. The Austrian name for the dish in German is "Wienerbackhendl" or "Viennese Baked Chicken" or simply "Backhendl" but despite the charming "misnomer" in German it is fried chicken pieces breaded and pan or deep fried in oil.

Some of my best food memories are the fresh Backhendl my relatives in Burgenland prepared and prepare for us using a chicken killed just that day.

From reading I've done, the dish became widely popular in the early 1800's in the newly (and relatively) affluent Biedermeier period. One of my cookbooks mentions that an early detailed written description of the dish has been found in a 1718 edition of Conrad Hagger's Neuer Saltzburgisches Koch-Buch. (So I guess it is ia dish from at least also Salzburg, as well!). Optimally, it's a festive and special dish made with a young chicken and served with a cucumber salad or a 'Gemischtesalat" or 'mixed salad' of cucumber and greens and a nice white Austrian wine. As with Wiener Schnitzel it's often served sprinkled with fresh parsley and served with wedges of fresh lemon.

Here is a recipe from Wolfgang Puck: click

[ludja]

Thanks for the detailed report, nuxvomica! The menu looks interesting while a bit less Austrian across the board than Blaue Gans.

Do try the drinks with Elderberryflower or "Hoellunderblumen" syrup when you return. If you've not taste elderberryflour syrup before, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. The porcini or "Steinpilze" soup sounds great; I love going to Austria during the autumn for all the wonderful Steinpilze and "Eierschwammerl" or chanterelle dishes. Various noodle (pasta) dishes are also traditional in many parts of Austria including some filled dumplings that are similar to Italian ravioli-type dishes.

[nuxvomica]

thanks ludja, i LOVE edelflower and am a sucker for edelflower drinks and desserts... an austrian bartender bar chef friend makes his own edelflower jelly - he's kept me stocked for years
equally lovely is the edelflower cordial i picked up at Ballymaloe last summer (whatever is left of it ) - loved it with champagne or sparkling water

by the way, went to Klee last week and while the tarte flambe was even better, the porcini soup tasted of dried mushrooms and commerical stock - ghost of the soup i loved before.

the special of penne with sausage and 24-hr tomato was eh... too bad really, i was hoping for more. the chef seems to spend a lot of time in the dining room, which, while i understand that he needs to meet the neighbors/new customers and visit with those who followed him from fresh, etc., is surprising considering how wildly inconsistent the food can be. they are busy and will probably remain so, regardless of how good/consistent the food is - the neighborhood can use a place like this. for me to go back, the food needs to be more solid, on three visits it was all over the map.

the potatoes Daisy mentions needed salt but the smoked almonds were much better (if still not smoky) than in the past (when they were old-tasting and pretty awful). the almonds should come with a warning - they can be very, very hot and burn your fingertips

they serve oysters now - monstrous oversized martini glasses filled with ice. can't decide whether they are fun or cheesy (bring back memories of girls drinking too-sweet cosmos out of those group-drink suckers while watching Sex & the City at a place i used to work at many years ago...)

[omnivorette]

I wish they'd just call it Wienerbackhendl. That I understand.

[ludja]

omnivorette, on Dec 12 2006, 09:41 AM, said:

I wish they'd just call it Wienerbackhendl. That I understand.

True, it and many other dishes just don't translate well. It would be nice if Klee and Blaue Gans, etc at least included the German name of the appropriate dishes on the menu as well. I wouldn't want to order "Viennese Fried Chicken"! (I figured you knew the dish but posted to explain for anyone else interested in the mystery of the Viennese Fried Chicken.)

It surprised me on the Blaue Gans thread that many people would mention that there was some "spicy cream cheese spread" that was offered before the meal. The restaurant should call it Lipatauer Cheese and then provide a description in English!

I guess there is a reticence to scare people with German as opposed to French or Italian named dishes but I think it would be a better service to name the dishes when possible in both languages.