I’ve long been a fan of Wallse, an Austrian restaurant in Manhattan, but had never actually made it to dinner there (lots of Sunday brunches).  I was lucky enough to have my parents in town last weekend, and they took me (and EE) out to dinner – I chose Wallse.  

Why I love this Austrian restaurant SO much is a little mystifying to me.  Maybe it is because I once had a blissful weekend skiing in Austria?

Maybe it’s because I love EE in Wolfords?

Austrian hosiery rules. (EE agrees.)

Actually, I think I like the elegant, simple style and high functionality.  These things come through in the food and drink – they’ve got you covered, but nothing overwhelms. 

Anyway, we started with cocktails while waiting…

I had a Fig Manhattan, which was a really good idea.  They infused bourbon with fig, made a Manhattan with it, and then garnished with half a fig.  I wouldn’t have thought to put fig in a Manhattan, but the sweet earthiness worked perfectly.

WOW! Teaches me not to be ashamed of taking pictures in restaurants!  It’s hard to find an attractive picture of a fig… 

They do look better in Manhattans, I promise.

The ladies had Aperol Sours, which were simple (and apparently very much enjoyed) combinations of Aperol, lemon juice, and sugar.

What impressed me most about the Wallse cocktail menu is that it was relatively short, at about eight drinks, but represented a wide range of flavor profiles.  From their Peppar Tomato (like the essence of a Bloody Mary – lovely if you want to kick your brunch up a notch), to Fig Manhattans, to Aperol Sours…  I consider this a nice change from the many restaurants with lots of drinks relying on the same or similar ingredients, and having a similar taste.  Additionally, all of the drinks were pretty simple in terms of ingredients, which allows patrons to anticipate what’s coming and receive their drinks quickly.

Finally, we had wine with the meal.  I don’t normally write about wine because plenty of others do, but this was notable.  Wallse’s wine list is all (or close enough to all) Austrian wine.  We chose the cheapest Pinot Noir-equivalent because the waiter recommended this section of the list.  It was spectacularly tasty – a perfect combination of fruit, bite, earthiness, etc.  Lange leben österreichischen Wein!  Specifically this stuff:

Weingut Brundlmayer
St. Laurent. (Type of grape)
Ried Ladner 2003

Prost!