When I arrive in a previously unknown town, it often happens that on the very first day I spot a restaurant and then it becomes an idée fixe to pay it a visit. In Großarl, this was Gasthof Schützenhof, which I passed by during my very first hike and liked for some reason (which might have had something to do with the word “Brettljause” on its menu).
Today is the last day of my short holidays, and I walked into Schützenhof around 17:00, fully aware what a stupid idea it was, for my lodging included dinner. I was met with plenty of empty tables and a little girl asking how she could help me. When I inquired whether I could have a small table, she looked around frantically and then ran it the kitchen to call her mum. I blamed my accent.
As I was sipping beer and waiting for the Brettljause, it became clear to me that Schützenhof was also a hotel (somehow I missed that when I looked at its signboard) and was preparing to serve dinner to its guests. In the hour left before the dinner, however, the owner’s family – which including a large number of small kids – was enjoying a dinner of its own. Feeling like an intruder of their privacy, I spent time pretending to read and playing games on my phone.
The Brettljause was certainly urig. All the ingredients were thickly cut, three of them being different kinds of salami. None of the salamis were as tasty as the Speck – the absolute highlight of the dish – but more exciting than the cheese. I cannot say if there were two types of cheese or one (some slices seemed to have more holes than the others), but the cheese simply filled my stomach without leaving any impression.
On a positive side, the Brettljause was cheap and served with different kinds of very fresh bread and a lot of butter. I would have preferred to enjoy it sitting outdoors on top of some mountain on a sunny day. In a nearly empty, dimly lit dining room with the owners and their kids sharing a meal, the experience was less thrilling, but the Jause itself was completely satisfactory.
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