The Sacher torte - why is it famous again?

E

evan

Well-known member
I just returned from Vienna, where I took the opportunity to taste wienersnitzel (it was a great experience!!) and the Sacher torte. The latter was a huge disappointment. It was too dry and too sweet for my liking. You could hardly taste the chocolate at all.

Has anyone else tasted it? I understand that it could have been innovative at one point, with the apricot jam and everything, but it's not even close to the really great chocolate cakes I have tasted elsewhere.

As for the city itself, it was gorgeous. I'm definitely going back!

 
I agree. On my one trip to Vienna I loved everything EXCEPT the Sacher tort. The place was packed

and there was a line to buy the tortes, but I found it dry and flavorless. Maybe it used to be better.

I heard a story that the last emperor wasn't much into dining and he would retire after just a couple of light courses. That left his guests starving, and they would go the Sacher cafe across the street from the palace to get something to eat, making the torte famous. Maybe it's better if you're starving.

 
There is also a German cake called Sandkuchen, literally Sand cake, which is dry as

SAND! It's like a poundcake, but absolutely chokes you when it's going down. Maybe it's meant to be eaten like biscotti---dunked in coffee or tea, or at least washed down with each bite.

 
ok, hands raised - who wants to starve for a couple of days and see if the Sacher taste improves?

 
Vienna has always been hideously expensive. On a group tour in 1993...

the tour food budget did not allow for a full meal at the Sacher Restaurant so we were taken for a light lunch. We had a bowl of delicious chicken noodle soup and Sachertorte and coffee. The place was dripping with mirrors, gold trim and red velvet. The manager gave us a "backstage" tour of the place and told us about all the famous people who patronized the place in the past. It was a lovely experience and not affordable to our limited budgets otherwise.

 
I'm so glad to hear you say that...I was in Vienna in '96 and it was so expensive, I walked the

city streets for several hours, and then hopped on a train to Salzburg. It turned out to be a great decision because Salzburg is so utterly charming, but I remember being priced out of Vienna. Granted, that was on a backpacker budget. I'm assuming, at the time, the price differential was exacerbated. smileys/smile.gif

Several years later, I took a baking intensive class. One of the dishes we made was a Sacher Torte and I remember wondering, "This is supposed to be delicious???"

 
We were there for just a few days between Christmas and New Years' about 12 years ago....

It was incredibly cold that week. After one $60 lunch, we took to raiding the breakfast buffet in the hotel and stuffing our coat pockets with rolls and cold cuts for lunch. The only problem was that the sandwiches froze before we got to eat them.

Beautiful city, though!

 
We were supposed to spend Christmas in Vienna in 1996...

I had an entire list of all the pastry shops I was going to visit.

Then my MIL, who lived with us at the time, balked at flying overseas. To keep peace in the family, we decided to let her choose where to spend Christmas.

So instead of spending the holiday in one of the cultural and culinary centers of the world--one that utterly embraces the holiday spirit, we ended up spending the week at the Excaliber hotel in noisy, smoky, crowded Las Vegas.

I keep trying to remember what I did that year that was so bad because--obviously--I was #1 on the 1996 "You've been Naughty" list.

 
In defense of Vienna...(and a hello from New Hampshire)

Still on vacation in New England. We had a lovely visit with Judy and Rich, got to see Judy's beautiful pottery, a wonderful lunch in Lowell, Mass, and then Judy and Rich introduced us to their Mirto (myrtle berry) liqueur which was out of this world.

But on to Vienna. I was really surprised to hear people saying how expensive Vienna is. I've been there many times and I've always had wonderful experiences without breaking the budget. Granted, I don't dine at the Sacher or Imperial hotels or the Steiereck. There are so many little family restaurants where the locals go that serve amazing Austrian cuisine at very affordable prices. Take a trip out to the edge of the Vienna Woods to the Mayer Heuiger on the Pfarrplatz, go through the buffet and select all sorts of wonderful Austrian delicacies, drink the local wine under the stars in the garden, listen to the strolling Violinist playing Lehar and Strauss, and you'll have a memorable evening for about $30 for 2 people. (OK, a little more than that now with the dollar being so low).

The Esterhazy Keller, licensed under the reign of Maria Theresia, just around the corner from the Graben (head down the Graben away from St. Stephens to the end, turn right, then left onto Naglergasse, take the first left and the entrance to the Esterhazy is down the stairs on your left) offers a wonderful labrinth of cellars, a fine buffet and wine bar where you can put together a memorable meal for $5-7/person. Or a fantastic old Imperial days Sunday dinner of Tafelspitz with all the trimmings for about $16 at the "Zum Basilisken" in the Schoenlaterngasse behind St. Stephens. You'll think you went back in time when you enter this amazing old local haunt. Or go out to the Prater and dine in one of the old Biergarten (Stelzer--a crispy-crusted roasted pork joint is a favorite local specialty).

It is possible to eat wonderful food in Vienna without spending a fortune. You just have to get out of the tourist loop and eat with the locals.

And I never stay in hotels, but in the wonderful, and much cheaper, pensions and zimmers where you might just find a nice Viennese grandmother ready to make your stay memorable. My last trip to Vienna I was calling Frau Wolf, our hostess, "Oma" (southern german for grandma) by the end of my stay.

But I do agree, Sachertorte is not worth the bother. It was made famous by a vicious law suit about the naming rights, and by a lot of marketing. Go to Demel's on the Kohlmarkt and you'll taste real Viennese sweets at their finest.

Now, off to Ogunquit, Maine for dinner at Arrows!

 
Thanks Richard. I'm saving this for future reference. And Oma is northern

German too----and I myself am Oma to my 2 lovely grandchildren. DH is Opa.

 
Richard, Glad you are enjoying your vacation! How fun that you caught up with Judy! I lover her

pottery! You are so fortunate to see it "live" vs. her site. Hope you are enjoying your trip in New England!
Regards,
Barb

 
Richard, I'm glad to know Vienna is do-able costwise. My trip was a long time ago,

pre-euro, and the Austrian mark was really high.

It's such an incredible city and I've always wanted to go back. When I do, I'll check with you first.

 
And don't forget the Treszniewski buffet (sandwich shop) off Graben-dozens of open-faced sandwiches

at rock-bottom prices! I always swing by, around 11:00 am, if we're in Vienna, to pick up some of these little sandwiches.
I love Demel for the elegance and great views of the pastry kitchen, but it's usually mobbed with tourists. The Braunerhof Cafe for people-watching and coffee... (It was cranky and brilliant Viennese writer Thomas Bernhard's favorite cafe.)

 
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