The New York Post says that there’s a Schnitzel Mafia in New York, and that may well be true, but although Volker Donabaum is an Austrian ex-pat (from Spitz in the Wachau) he’s definitely not a member of any kind of Mafia. However, when he prepared Wiener Schnitzel for me yesterday evening it was an offer I couldn’t refuse, so good did they taste. So the only Austrian dish I had so far in a New York restaurant which tasted similarly good was the Backhendl (fried chicken) at Blauer Gans in Tribeca. Volker, who works for importer A.I. Selections, also opened a slew of Austrian wines to go with his made-in-heaven Schnitzels. Although I liked the austere and minerally 2011 Bruck Riesling from Martin Muthenthaler in the Wachau, frankly Muthenthalers distinctly cheaper 2011 Grüner Veltliner with its combination of discrete creaminess and harmonious dryness was much better with the Schnitzels. The deep, spicy and mellow 2008 Seeberg Grüner Veltliner from Matthias Hager in the far north of the Kamptal region was even better; a near-perfect match. By the way that wine is a current release not a rare bottle from Hager or Donabaum’s private cellar you couldn’t go out and buy! Afterwards Volker, his wife Amy and I sank deep into some German Rieslings, most notably the rich yet very elegant 2011 Saar Riesling from Van Volxem. If only every peach tasted as ripe as that! And then I made the difficult decision to go home and sleep in the city which never sleeps happy in the knowledge that I’d met the Schnitzel King of New York!
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