A chalkboard menu outside Gasthaus Schwaigerwirt displayed something that I thought was an early April fool joke: the restaurant served a goose! Knowing that no geese are offered in Austria between January and late September, I took that for a funny omission, the thought that was supported by the absence of geese on the menu and the “specials” card on my table. However, when I saw a guy at the table next to mine receiving a very bony roasted bird that had undoubtedly been a goose once in its career, I was more than a little upset. At myself, of course.
That goose was served with dumplings spiced with wild garlic (Bärlauch), which is Austrian specialty in early spring, until asparagus takes over. The “specials” card was full of wild garlic dishes, and I went for spare ribs, which – let’s face it – had a much higher chance of not being a joke than a goose.
The danger of “seasonal” spare ribs is that many restaurants take whatever ingredient is in fashion at that moment and add it as a topping to otherwise boring piggy ribs. That was not the case for Schwaigerwirt. The ribs were simply yet amazingly well marinated in lemon juice, creating a sour and tangy flavor that would have made them enjoyable even with no dip or topping present. They actually got better the more I ate them.
The wild garlic topping was obviously a nod towards the seasonal special, as was the wild garlic-spiced dip. Mercifully, wild garlic is nowhere as strong as the “real” garlic, so while enjoying the taste one can rest assured that one will be able to sleep the following night and will not have office colleagues eyeing one suspiciously the day after.
Even if spare ribs are not your thing, Schwaigerwirt is a very special place. It is easy to discount it because of its location in one of Vienna’s less pleasant districts and because of its lack of a garden or outdoor sitting (at least I could not find them), but when it comes to quality Austrian food at reasonable prices, Schwaigerwirt is unbeatable. Do not even think of going there without an advance reservation – I saw a queue of customers inside and outside the restaurant. I will definitely be back for a goose when the season arrives.
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