Family Business

Mostviertel is the best place one can be at the end of April. The pear trees are full of flowers, the grass is bright green, and one can almost forget that most of the time one has to walk along the roads with no sidewalks. There are some very impressive Brettjause places here, but the distances are quite long, and the public transportation is infrequent (especially on weekends), so one should make sure in advance that the Heuriger of one’s destination is open.

This is something I was quite bad at this time. By the time I realized my mistake, I was almost two hours from the railway station, so I was quite happy when I saw a sign pointing towards some Heurigenstube Seidenberg with a fir twig indicating that it was open. Half an hour later, I was standing next to the entrance of a Vierkanthof – a typical square-shaped house/farm of Mostviertel with a few wooden tables in its courtyard and no other guests around.

I did not have to wait long until the members of the family started to come out one by one to greet me and ask what I wanted. The menu of the Heuriger was very simple, the dishes limited to a thinly cut Jause, a thickly cut Jause, a cheese Jause, a half-cheese/half-meat Jause (which I eventually took) and a few breads. The Most, although not as refined as the noble sorts served at Mostbaron Heurige was nevertheless refreshing and sweet, a pleasant difference from the stinky and dry apple Most served closer to Vienna.

The Brettljause was also typically Mostviertel-ish, featuring a potato dumpling with meat stuffing, some fresh cottage cheese and bread-stuffed Schweinsbraten. Unfortunately, apart from the Speck and to some extent one type of cheese, none of the ingredients had very strong taste, the characteristic I also find common in this region. On the other hand, the Jause looked homemade and was totally worth the surprisingly little money that the owners charged for it.

Eating at Heurigenstube Seidenberg feels like being a guest at someone’s home – which is actually not far from the truth. That was slightly uncomfortable at first, but once other people started arriving (all of them locals and obviously knowing the owners very well), the atmosphere became much more relaxed, especially when helped by a few mugs of Most. At the end, the visit was a very nice way to relax after a long walk and to prepare for an equally long walk back. I am not sure I would go back to this Heuriger purposefully, but it was infinitely better than no Heuriger at all.