Former Commish Kerik Cries During Court Appearance
Bloomberg Speaks Out On Anti-Hugging Cabbie
UWS Protests Puppy Mill Pups at Store
Teen Pulls BB Gun On Cops, Gets Shot In The Face
Yankees, Fans Revel In Ticker Tape Parade Frenzy
Recently, Gothamist had a craving for Austrian food, as cold weather and rich goulash are perfect together. Since we'd be wondering things were like in the former space that house Le Zinc, we headed to TriBeCa and had dinner at Blaue Gans. And today, the NY Times' Frank Bruni reviews it, and gives it 1 star! We'd have to say that 1 star is fair - it's a cozy and dim restaurant that's more likely to be another neighborhood option, versus a destination restaurant. The interior of Blaue Gans is basically the same old Le Zinc furniture - it's as if Le Zinc took a trip to Austria - which is a good thing. Unlike Bruni, we did not visit Blaue Gans over and over again to try most, if not all, dishes on the menu, but we think we did pretty good
With a friend, we started with the red cabbage salad, which was really refreshing, as well as a juicy pork and beef sausage. Together, the two items could have been a meal in themselves.
For the main, we had the beef goulash and spaetzle we were dreaming about, which was rich and luscious. We would have preferred there to be something even more than the spaetzle (which was delicious) to offset the richness of the dish, but that's goulash for you. We tried our friend's chicken schnitzel had lingonberries and potato salad, and the schnitzel was a revelation - the chicken was perfectly fried and incredibly tender and succulent.
Something quirky is that the desserts are presented to diners not on a menu but on a little chalkboard, with the server explaining the various Austrian names. For dessert, we had the Sacher torte, with a side of maple ice cream, to give us a sugar rush all the way out the door- next time we want to try one of the more fanciful Austrian desserts.
Blaue Gans was crowded when we went, full of people happy to have their bellies warm and full, and it does not accept reservations. Blaue Gans is located at 139 Duane Street, (212) 571-8880. And here is New York magazine's Blaue Gans review.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
I totally agree with Jen and Bruni on this one. But remind me again what was wrong about Le Zinc? My wife and I loved that place. Our friends from out of town loved it. My two year old loved it! While I can't claim to be an Austrian cuisine hater, it seems a lot harder to find something that sounds good and that actually is good now. And why get rid of the child-friendly policy in the Fertile Crescent of Tribeca? The staff seemed to have never seen a stroller before...
That said, I'd still rather go there than a lot of other places. You gotta love those crisp Austrian white wines. And venison goulash on a cold night is hard to top.
I'm sorry, but that dish in the top left picture just looks wrong.
And if you are in Brooklyn, there is Cafe Steinhof on 7th Avenue and 14th Street. The bread dumplings are to die for.
Maybe it would be a good idea if you guys invested in either a better digital camera or a professional photographer. Some of these images make the food REAL unappetizing and may do more harm than good to these establishments.
It's my fault - my poor digital camera skills in dim areas. I'll move that picture down - I did have problems with it myself.
This place is great. I remember the old Le Zinc very well but prefer the food now so much more. I like the fact that they kept the old walls with all the great posters - it would have been such a shame to have taken them down.
And yes, the photos do not make the quality and taste any justice - anyone who has visited one of Kurt Gutenbruners other restaurants should know that they can expect outstanding food (and wine) here.
Go there.