A Jause in the Sun

I had suspected it, but as I was approaching Gustoplatzl (for some reason, that name is often written in all caps, but I am not going to follow that style), it became very clear that it was not one’s typical Buschenschank. Located on a small hill, surrounded by vineyards, facing a golf course and featuring a panoramic terrace, Gustoplatz looked noble. From a distance, I could see a lot of people having a banquet on the terrace, and seriously questioned my ability to find a free seat.

I had luck, at the expense of having to share a table with a couple and sitting in the sun. The heat was annoying from the beginning and cursed my stay till the very end. You can imagine the problem – cheese that is starting to melt, white wine whose temperature goes above the recommended in a couple of minutes, etc. It was only once I almost finished the dish (with a few slices left for the lack of my desire to continue) that a waiter got the brilliant idea of pushing some secret button, which extended a roof over my head. I even ordered another Achterl in celebration.

Thus, in the following description I try to imagine my appreciation of Gustoplatzl’s Brettljause had I been sitting in the shade all the way through. The impression it left was quite positive anyway. Different meat and spread types provided sufficient variety, and the amount of vegetables, though somewhat scarce, was sufficient not to make the meal feel like a pig-slaughtering fest. The meat spread (the brownish ball you see in the middle of the photo) was excellent – smoother and somehow less fat than the usual Verhackertes. Most of the meat cuts, apart from the tongue (yuck, who had the stupid idea of including tongue in a Brettljause?) were tasty, but the Schweinsbraten suffered from the presence of some cartilage, while the Mostbratl had a very annoying skin that demanded cutting off. The cheese and the creamy herb spread did not impress though. Headcheese does not have a lot of taste in general (which is probably for the better), but usually goes very well with strong horseradish. Unfortunately, the horseradish of Gustoplatz was not strong at all.

A few deficiencies aside, it was a rather solid Brettljause, and I liked the modern look of the Heuriger. This part of Styria is known for its Traminer wine, and though some people find that wine’s flavor too intense, I rather enjoyed it, possibly because every new glass was cold and provided at least some relief from the heat.