Making a Mess

After four visits in the past three years, returning to Klein Steiermark for a Martinigansl was like coming back to see an old friend. The crispy, well-roasted look of the goose and its unique smoky smell were instantly recognizable. I was also happy that both red and white cabbage were again present. And then I saw a small metal pitcher with the goose jus, glanced at the wooden board the goose was served on and thought, “This is going to end in a mess.” The reason is, when your quarter of a goose is served on a plate that has an even slightly raised rim, pouring jus over the bird is relatively safe. With a completely flat board, the jus ought to spill over the edge and on the table – or on your trousers, if you are unlucky.

For me, the first attempt to drizzle the gravy over the goose did not cause a problem. Encouraged by my success, I poured more after a while and did not see any issues until later, when a glance at the tablecloth behind the board revealed a small brown lake. I tried to dry it with napkins, make my hands sticky, then touched the knife and made it greasy too, spent more napkins to clean it, and finally ended up with a small mountain of napkins covering my “crime.”

What puzzled me most was why I had not made the same mess during my previous visits. Am I becoming even sloppier than normally? It is only now, while writing this and looking at the photos in my posts from 2021, 2022 and 2023, that the reason has become clear: earlier the gravy was always provided in small deep bowls, encouraging dipping pieces of meat into it rather than pouring it over the meat. So the mess was not my fault after all, but an example of some not completely thought through UX.

(Incidentally, looking at the pictures, you can also see a positive development of user experience. 2021: the dumpling and the two types of cabbage are in the same bowl – bad idea. 2022: the dumpling has moved into a separate bowl; an improvement, but the red cabbage and the white cabbage are together. 2023: all the side dishes are separated from each other and a sharp knife is introduced.)

After such an opening, there is very little to say about the dish itself that I have not said before. It is excellent. The small complaints I had last year can be written off as an unfortunate accident, for this year the goose and the side dishes were as good if not better than before. Yes, I wish the red cabbage had more spices, but the fantastic white cabbage with bacon more than compensated for that lack. The potato dumpling would have benefitted from some spices, too, but that is too much to ask for in Austria; I presume the tradition requires a potato dumpling to be tasteless. (At least it was not sticky.) Finally, there may be people who will find the jus too salty, but I did not – I quite like salt.

When asked for recommendations where to hold a goose-eating team event, I continue to mention Klein Steiermark as the first choice, and my today’s visit has only confirmed my trust in this restaurant. It is a shame that people do not always follow my advices.