Best of Father's Day Gifts

Panic! Don’t. You have time. In Austria Vater’s Day is on June 14 and if you’re celebrating the American one it’s June 20th. I’ll opt American to buy me some more time!

Skip the tie, the frame with a picture in it, the wallet, skip the clichés and go straight for something he’ll truly love.

I have a great batting average (I don’t have a clue as to what number that would be, but I thought guy speak would be appropriate here) with concert tickets. Try for someone new, upcoming, because they are full of wonder and giving it their all, or someone old because you know they are just doing it for the passion of it.

There are some great ones coming up in Austria –


1. Elton John – I’ve seen him and he puts on a great show
2. Leonard Cohen – The best concert I’ve ever been too
3. Abba Gold – J.O.K.I.N.G. sigh that would be my dream!
4. Eric Clapton – Mind blowing in concert 

5. Rod Stewart

6. Norah Jones
7. Jethro Tull
8. MARK KNOPFLER - from Dire Straits who sings two of my favorite songs…Love Over Gold and Why Worry. I’ll be at that one for sure!

Go to www.oeticket.com to buy them or you can buy tickets at any Bank of Austria if you have an account there.

OR…there is always Beers from Around the World.

Go to Bohle on Wollzeile for all things gourmet Austrian. It’s a deli, but they carry beers from around the world and have it packaged in a very cool tool box. You can choose the beers from the countries he loves to create a custom gift.

You could design a beer and tapas tasting evening for him. Pair the Japanese beer with sushi, the Mexican beer with nachos, the Austrian one with a wiener. Oh cancel that thought! The thought of eating a wiener after sushi just made me sick. Just give him the beer!

BÖHLE
Wollzeile 30
A-1010 Wien
http://www.boehle.at/bier.htm

OR…if your man is fancy, book the Jazz evening at Palais Coburg in their Winebar.

It’s gorgeous and Bartender Benny will mix fancy drinks and recommend a Cuban from their Humidor. Slink back, drape your leg over his and watch him smile.

This magic spell can only be cast on Saturday evenings so book now.

OR…if your man is in between Al Bundy and James Bond, then head to Palais Coburg on a Monday evening for some Garden Grilling.

They have live music, a wood grill and open air. Enjoy.

Palais Coburg Residenz
Coburgbastei 4
1010 Wien, Österreich
Telefon: +43/1/518 18-0
www.palais-coburg.com

OR…if your man is an intellectual or just likes to read on the toilet you can get him a year subscription to TIME magazine delivered to your mailbox for 49.95 Euros. Click below. 

http://www.time.com/time/europe/custserv/ti_newsstand.html

For a subscription to the International Herald Tribune write to subs@iht.com. You can also get a yearly subscription for 20,000 points through miles and more.

For a subscription to Conde Nast Traveller go to https://www.subscription.co.uk/custservice/csorder.asp?m=85&pub_id=24

Don’t forget the sentimental winners like handmade childmade cards, breakfast in bed, and handprint frames! And nothing beats letting him sleep in :-)

Best of Romance

Spring is here, the birds are chirping outside my window and the sun is shining again. Romance and pollen are in the air!


Nothing is more romantic than walking Vienna hand in hand, to Schwarzenberg Platz to admire the fountain. What is it about water gushing up, ejaculating to the sky that makes us love it so :-) Sit for a while and let the wind dust you with the tiny beads.

Walk to the ring, sit outside at Cafe Schwarzenberg and order a melange. The sun hits the outdoor seating at around noon and stays a while. Don't eat a thing there (yuck) and don't sit inside (it has an old person odor), but enjoy a melange and lazy conversation in the sun.

Walk the ring to the Opera, go into The Albertina to see just one painting - pick one to admire and walk away. I find nothing sexier than watching my husband watching art. The silence, the space, the immense creativity, the soft light, the love of beauty all make for a breathtaking experience.

Make a left to Naschmarkt and admire Klimt's Secession building from the outside. It is stunning. Don't go inside, there isn't much to see. But stop and contemplate the words written on top "to every age its art, and to art its freedom."

Then walk Naschmarkt. It is the largest farmers market in Europe and the left side is all the produce and on the right are make shift restaurants that use those fresh ingredients. It is a sensory delight. Men and women shout out offering you a taste of their wares. Enjoy.

After the first traffic light move to the right aisle and make your way to Te Wa. Sit outside if possible unless you want to smell like the bottom of an ashtray. Order anything on the menu. Order what I do - the hummus platter. Oh heaven. It's all organic and all yummy.

Bri enjoys a tall beer as we sit for hours talking and people watching. It's the best place for people watching because the walls of all the restaurants at Naschmarkt are made of glass.

If you go there on a Saturday then make sure to walk further to the flea market. Close your eyes and listen to all the languages making music with each other.

The buildings that flank the right of the flea market are done in the Art Nouveau style and just make you smile. To think of big flowers painted in the most delicate colors gracing each window..sigh. Wouldn't you love to be the face peering out?!

Just writing about this walk has made me want to read poetry. "What imagination seizes as Beauty must be truth," said Keats.  And the truth is this. Make time for romance. It is beautiful.

Kim Kocht Kicks Ass!

The most mouthwatering, exotic adventure awaits your taste buds at Kim's. There are no menus, there is a lengthy questionnaire to fill out prior to showing up and reservations are a must, but when you step in to the intimate space and are greeted by Kim herself, the trek is worth it.

Reaching the summit of culinary ecstasy is delicious. It's Asian infused seafood and Kim is an inventor of incredible proportions. Last week we were treated to tuna sashimi three ways, with three sauces ranging from bitter, to sour to sweet and were told to go left to right. Seriously the yum is in the details.

It's expensive, but really it is a two hour experience in the passionate hands of a master craftswoman. You feel cared for, tended to and the happy ending (Lemongrass creme brulee) is happier than any I have ever had.

So don't think, just do it. Pick up the phone and call Kim. And after the meal, you can write me to say THANK YOU :-)

A tip - if you don't want to wait months to get a table, ask for the early 6 - 8 pm seating. You are sure to get in within a week. And really you want to have the rest of the evening to talk about the meal in bite by bite detail.

Enjoy!
Ruchika

Kim Kocht

www.kimkocht.at

Lustkandlgasse 4
1090 Wien, Austria
+43 (01) 319 02 42

Best of Viennese Cuisine

People rave about Plachutta as having the best traditional Viennese cuisine. The chef is famous and I don't have a clue why. It doesn't hold a candle to Figlmüller.

Oh the tapfelspitz at Figlmuller is pure heaven when you get a piece of beef, pile a little potato on it and then smear it with the horseradish and applesauce - it's the perfect bite! But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me wipe the drool off :-)

Firstly there is the old, rustic and charming Figlmuller in the little alleyway near Stephansdom and that's the one to go to. The modern version around corner serves the same high caliber food, but the atmosphere is not so gumutlich (cozy). We got friendly, outstanding service and I forgot to mention, the potato salad here will haunt your taste buds for days to come.

No reservations are needed and lunch time is a fun time to go when it's loud and brimming with the locals. The dinner crowd consists of mainly tourists.

They don't serve colas, or tees, or cafes, just beer and wine. And their claim to fame is that they have the largest schnitzel in the world and which woman doesn't LOVE a LARGE schnitzel :-) Size does matter.

Guten appetite!
Smiles,
Ruchika

Figlmüller
Bäckerstraße 6
1010 Vienna
daily 12am-10pm
Tel. 01/512 17 60
http://www.figlmueller.at/index.php

Best of Cooking Courses

I don't like to cook, at home that is. An afternoon of hand held cooking, where chopping is a sport and laughter and food the post game wrap up, I can do.

In fact I have and it was awesome. The courses are generally in German but they can organize English ones as well with groups of 8. They offer so many courses in some of the best restaurants in Vienna.

I did the Lui's Wok course and we made Thai food and it was to die for! It was so much fun. My husband got it for me as a gift so it was little 'ol me and 80 year olds, I mean geriatric, Viennese folk. They were just a riot!

When you sign up you get an apron and chef's hat with your name on it and after each course you get all the recipes and where to go for the shopping list. The main office is on the first floor of Liener on Mariahilfer Strasse.

I'm going to do the sushi course with the grand master at Unkai, in the Grand Hotel, which is rated the number one sushi restaurant in the city.

Grap a bunch of girlfriends, or make a fun date afternoon with your partner and head to one of the classes.

The site is in German but it's not that challenging to figure out what's what. Oh, and go on an empty stomach and book a date with a cross trainer the next day because you will gain 5 pounds!

It also make a great birthday gift! They have gift certificates (guteschien) for 125 Euros (the cost of one course) and then can be picked up at the office.

If you have any questions, just call them. Totally sweet!

Smiles,
Ruchika

Kochen in Wien

Mariahilferstraße 12 (in Liener) 1st floor 1070 Vienna Opening Times:
Tuesday - Friday 10 – 18:00 Tel. (01) 228 99 00 http://www.kochen-in-wien.at/frameset.php

Best of Thanksgiving TAKEOUT with all the trimmings!

You heard me right! Do you really want to bust butt to brine and bake a turkey? It is also ridiculously expensive to buy a turkey here unless you are sleeping with someone at the UN commissary and for the price of turkey in this town I have considered it.

Just head over to the Marriott on Park Ring, opposite Stadt Park and for 175 Euros they pack you a full turkey for 4 (and I had left overs), salad, stuffing, potatoes, beans, a bottle of red and dessert in two bags to go! I know for sure what I'm thankful for!

Ok, they don't do pumpkin pie, but given how easy one is to make I take on that singular chore and the rest is up to the Marriott Cook Gods. And really who remembers the beginning and middle when the finish is strong and self baked!?

If you don't want to do Thanksgiving at home then call Franks and book a table and they do it full on American style at their restaurant. Just make that call early because they get full early on. Either way, you don't have to miss home so much and with kids who had time to hunt down a turkey in this town!

So as the old joke goes - what are you going to make for dinner tonight? Reservations :-)

Smiles,
Ruchika

Vienna Marriott Hotel (go to the Sales Office
Parkring 12a
Vienna, 1010 Austria
Phone: 43 1 515180

Franks
Laurenzerberg 2
1010 Vienna
01/533 78 05
E-Mail: restaurant@franks.at
http://www.indochine.at/yohm_franks/home.nsf/frame_franks?OpenPage

Best of Take Out Lunch

Hands down the best healthy, yummy lunch around! Check out Soup Kultur. They change their soups weekly (which sucks because I fall in love with one and it's gone the next week) and they have great salads. You can check out their soups of the week on the website below.

It's all to go so just pull up, jump out and grab to go.

They are only open from 11:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m. from Mon. to Friday. It's a small window and if you get there too late chances are they have sold out of a few soups.

It's well worth it and you don't even feel guilty after. If you have kids then take the soup to the Borsepark playground right there and enjoy as they run around. It's frankly the best park for kids in Vienna. Not too crowded and enclosed.

Smiles,
Ruchika

Soup Kultur
Wipplingerstrasse 32
Ecke Börseplatz
1010 Wien
http://www.soupkultur.at/Impressum.aspx