Wurst Madness in Wien [On The Road: Vienna]

Blood over there, sausages over here, I'm living in a slaughter house 

Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld episode “The Blood”) 

Similar to Berlin and Copenhagen the Würstelstand (traditional Austrian sausage street food stand) are everywhere in Vienna. In every corner there is a hot dong cart. So I took the task of visiting a couple ones taking recommendations from Anthony Bourdain, Lonely Planet, and the city Tourist Information. 

The One in the Brewery 

This is not a stand but a restaurant. The place 1516 Brewing Company, a mix between a microbrewery and a pub. We ended there the first day, as I wanted to get the burger plus was extremely hungry and I was completely disoriented. Big mistake, the cheddar burger with BBQ sauce and aioli didn’t get top marks. 

1516

Come on Yankees

Marisol ordered the Currywurst, traditional Berlin style, similar to the one I got there, but the sausage was not cut into small pieces. The sausage didn’t impress either to be honest. If you go to the place do it for the beer. 

Currywurst

Planning

1516 Brewing Company

T: +43 1 961 1516

Microbrewery / Pub

Approx Damage: €17pp

Area: Innere Stadt

Vienna

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The One near the hotel 

Or second experience was in a street stand. We failed to have dinner at 9:30pm as the kitchen of the place we went was closed at that time, so we returned to the hotel and spotted the hot dog cart and proceed to investigate. 

Schnellimbis

The place Schnellimbis in Rennweg with Ungargasse. This was our first Käsekrainer or the cheese sausage. Convenient location for us, it solved our situation but far from the greatest one. 

Käsekrainer

Schnellimbis Zune Kleine
Hot Dog Stand
Approx Damage: €3pp
Area: Landstraße
Vienna

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The One in Naschmarkt 

We spotted the place Heisse und Kalte Wurstwaren while wandering around the market. The place is hiding turning from Urbanek. The owner Paul is ready to help, all kinds of sausages, we went for another Käsekrainer and the spicy Klobasse or Burenwurst. 

Wurstwaren

Sausage men

These sausages were much better, great flavour, really nice. The Burenwurst has a bit of bacon in the mix, and you know everything tastes better with bacon. 

Sausage Time

Heisse und Kalte Wurstwaren
Hot Dog Stand
Approx Damage:€4pp
Area: Mariahilf
Vienna

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The One in Albertina 

As I mentioned they are everywhere, the one in Albertinaplatz is Bitzinger, perfect location between Café Mozart, the Staatsoper, and Albertina. Therefore before having a torte in Mozart we cross the street and got the smoky sausage or Waldviertler. 

Bitzinger

Really nice, good flavour, you will easily recognise it as has a dark skin. The place is quite popular with punters going to the opera. 

Sausage

Smoky time

Bitzinger
Hot Dog Stand
Approx Damage: €4pp
Area: Innere Stadt
Vienna
Twitter: JBitzinger

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The One in the Middle of the Street 

This is the famous one, where Anthony Bourdain went at the end of his No Reservation episode. Würstelstand am Hohen Markt is on a traffic island in the middle of the Innere Stadt. 

Our Stand in the middle of the street

The place

We got the garlic one here or Debreziner, the sausage is seasoned with garlic and paprika. Really nice one, great flavour, perfect for a snack while sightseeing and wandering around the old city. 

Debreziner

Würstelstand am Hohen Markt
Hot Dog Stand
Approx Damage: €3pp
Area: Innere Stadt
Vienna

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The One in Prater 

Just at the entrance of Prater you can have a wurst while riding the Wiener Riesenrad. The place is another Bitzinger. By that time we tried most of the sausages so we went back to basics and got the Käsekrainer. 

Prater

Bitzinger

Again nice, good flavour, almost as good as the one in the market. 

Kasekrainer

Riesenrad

Bitzinger
Hot Dog Stand
Approx Damage: €4pp
Area: Leopoldstadt
Vienna
Twitter: JBitzinger

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The One in the Rathaus 

During our visit it was the Music Film Festival, so the Rathaus was taken hostage by a huge screen and plenty food and drink stalls. We visited the fair in a couple occasions, nice beer, all kind of food, and we couldn’t resist trying the würst stand Wiener Rathauskeller and some beers from Ottakringer. 

Rathaus

The stand in the Rathaus

We got again the Käsekrainer, really nice, they serve the sausage without cutting it into pieces, the employee got a bit annoyed when I asked him to cut it. But after a bit of rambling in German he proceeded to do it. The beers were really nice, good selection. Good flavour, lovely beers, and fun time in a great festival.

Final Kasekrainer

Say Cheese

Beer time

Wiener Rathauskeller
Hot Dog Stand
Approx Damage: €3pp
Area: Innere Stadt
Vienna

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Germans in Alabama since 63 [On The Road: Huntsville]

One of the oldest places to eat in Huntsville believe it or not is a German place. Ol' Heidelberg opened in 1972, family operated, the Schrader family also ran the Bavaria Delicatessen which was opened for service from 63 for 20 years. Décor pretty German, wood tables, checker red and white table clothes, greens and cream colours, staff wearing dirndl, quite authentic. 

Stube

Inside

Got to the place with a colleague, we shared a sausage platter, it came with sauerkraut and some bread, the kraut was nice, the sausages were pretty good, nice flavours, bread didn’t do too much. Then for main couldn't resist the assortment platter, a mini Wiener Schnitzel, a mini chicken cordon blue, and smoke pork loin. The Wiener was nice, a bit bland, Vienna style quite traditional, the cordon blue was great, nice flavours, stuffed with Jarsberg cheese and ham, well executed, finally the loin was quite nice as well. 

Blurry sausages

Platter

Nice German beers, good flavours, relax atmosphere, friendly service, and good comfort food nothing pretentious. 

Germans remind me the Seinfeld episode “The Stranded” 

Guy: You came all the way out from Manhattan for this? 

Jerry: Yeah, yeah I did 

Guy: So what do you do? 

Jerry: I'm a comedian 

Guy: Are you? Let me ask you something. Where do you get your material? 

Jerry: I hear a voice 

Guy: What kind of voice? 

Jerry: A man's voice, but he speaks in German so I have to get a translator 

Guy: How come you keep tapping your head 

Jerry: It's a nervous tic. I'm on L-Dopa

Ol Heidelberg

T: +1 256 922 0556

German Cuisine

Approx Damage: $40pp

Huntsville

Alabama

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Back in Caracas for more BBQ

As usual last Christmas I went back home. Yes my backlog of posts is huge… I know… anyway I went back home and as usual over that side of the new continent they received me with a BBQ. A real Venezuelan Parrilla. Meat, sausages, beers, and all the trimmings and toys. 

Chapa doing preparations

This time the cook was my friend and compadre Chapa, sorry there is no translation for compadre but I’m the godfather of his youngest kid if that helps clarify, he did an amazing job due to the absence of Luis or Cachaco (the usual cooks), we enjoyed a night of heavy drinking, a perfectly medium rare cooked meat, and lots of sausages, with a nice salad from my comadre Vero to balance the meat ingestion, although we missed her chimichurri to be honest. 

Sausages

Tasting

Final product

Destilo new beer around the block

I really miss those moments. 

Sausages remind me the Seinfeld episode “The Blood” 

Izzy: Tonight I want you to sleep on this. Toughens the vertebrae. What in holy hell? Sausages? Is this your diet? 

Jerry: No they're not mine Mr. Mandelbaum 

Izzy: Don't lie to me, butter bean. We're taking it up a notch

Caracas

Venezuela

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