With all the Brettljause-eating experience I have, I thought I would know all the ways a restaurant can screw up. Buying industrially made and pre-cut ingredients from a supermarket is the most obvious way. Having poor service due to the lack of waiters is another common mistake. I have never imagined that having too many waiters could be a problem, too.
Heuriger Gramer is quite spacious, but the number of people serving wine and food in it by far exceeds the needs. I have counted seven or eight persons, and although all of them were friendly (and a few a bit absent-minded), I started to get increasingly annoyed when another member of the owners’ extended family would pass by my table looking for dirty cutlery to take away or to check on or chat with other customers. Which happened, like, every thirty seconds. And the customers did not sit still, either, constantly walking past my table to the toilet or the bar and back or exchanging large tables for small and vice versa. At the end, it was one of the stressiest Brettljausen I have ever had, although the problem could have easily been avoided by rearranging the tables and removing some of the personnel.
As for the Brettljause itself, it was a pretty standard Weinviertel stuff, with rubbish cheese and good, yet non-exceptional meat. The two types of ham looked slightly different but tasted the same; the pale salami was very boring, and the Liptauer was just OK. Besides, the Jause was heavy on the stuff I do not like: a liver spread with a rather strong taste (salt and horseradish helped, though), black pudding and head cheese. The latter two ingredients were well hidden under slices of ham, so discovering them was an unpleasant surprise. The extra plate of pickled cucumbers as well as a large bottle of mineral water helped me finish everything, so if your tastes are like mine, consider ordering them, too.
Alternatively, don’t go to Gramer, which is a totally workable option. Especially if you hate when mustard and butter are served in supermarket’s wrapping.
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