Wind and Pheasants

I am afraid that no matter what delicacies Buschenschank Humer serves me in the future, since my unfortunate accident two years ago, it will always remain in my memory as the Heuriger Where I Broke my Tooth. Even today, having a strong and reliable crown in place of my tooth, I was careful to avoid ordering a Salzstange. And when I saw that the Kornspitz I had ordered instead had huge grains of salt on it (which it should not have had), for a second I thought of a possible conspiracy involving Humer and the Austrian Association of Dentists.

Everything went fine tooth-wise today, however. I was actually more concerned with the very strong wind, which was not only cold (despite high temperatures), but also constantly threatening to blow away my napkin and the wine glass. On a more positive side, I also heard and saw a pheasant in the vineyards below the Heuriger’s terrace, which made sitting outside a little bit more exciting.

Instead of the “traditional” thinly-cut Brettljause that I had taken last time, today I went for the thickly-cut rustic “Bratl-Teller,” and generally speaking, did not regret the choice. Although seriously lacking in variety and – more importantly – in “greens” (the few slices of pickled cucumber and red peppers do not really count), this dish contained extremely enjoyable Schmalz in salty brown Bratenfett, competently prepared Schweinsbraten with occasionally strong horseradish and mustard, and something that I would have called Speck, but the menu listed as Surbraten. Sadly, the ingredient that I had been mostly looking forward to – cold smoked spare ribs – was the weakest of all, lacking salt and, to be honest, any taste.

While I find the thinly-cut Hauerjause of Humer more interesting and tasty, I must say that the Heuriger itself is quite pleasant as long as one visits it on a non-windy day. The choice of wines is impressive – and I would really like to still try a few of them – and the view from the terrace is outstanding. Besides, although there are not hot dishes on the menu, there are still a few items like the sausage salad and the cheese plate that I could take next time instead of the Brettljausen.