DINNER IN GRAZ
Graz, the capital of the Styria region, is the second largest city in Austria, stretching across both banks of the Mur River. It is famous for its universities, for the architecture and culture, as the city is hosting two classical music festivals each year. The magnificent Altstadt (Old Town) is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and reunites most of the touristic attractions, being one of the best preserved in Central Europe. But I will not talk to you about history, culture, or tourist attractions, because there are many other people able to do it. The reasons why we come here almost every year, together with my family, are the numerous golf courses in the area, which look impeccably, and the restaurants where we are used to go out to dinner. I will focus more on our dinner in Graz.
Wherever I go, I am used to look for the best restaurants, where we can enjoy local, regional and international cuisine. When I say “the best” I do not necessarily mean the best rated in virtual space, although it is the starting point for my search. I mean “the best” for me, for my family, for our taste. Maybe you wonder what I’m expecting from a good restaurant, which makes it right for me? Well, it’s very simple: it has to be very clean, to serve fresh, carefully prepared food, beautifully presented, with great attention to detail, in a peaceful atmosphere. I prefer quality to quantity and as I am very curious and always want to try as many menu items as possible, I love “fine dining” restaurants where the portions are small, but enough to surprise the essence of the plate. As for the atmosphere, I pay attention to de design, the overall aspect of the venue, attention to detail, staff, way of serving and of course, the music. My family and I are great music lovers; I couldn’t say I have a favorite type of music for a restaurant, but the volume and the selection are important and should be adapted to the type of the restaurant.
I have three favorite restaurants in Graz and I want to tell you all about them.
The first restaurant is “Cuisino”, located in the building of Graz Casino, with direct access to the latter. It is a very elegant “fine dining” restaurant, decorated in warm beige and brown tones, with ambient light and a romantic atmosphere. It also has a cozy summer terrace on the street at the entrance of restaurant. The menu is quite assorted, and if you cannot decide, or want to try as many dishes as possible, you can choose a three, five, or seven-course tasting menu that will surprise you with a selection of representative courses, chosen by the chef. The cuisine, though international, has strong Austrian influences. I was very pleasantly surprised by a light meal: “Karottenschaum” (carrot foam), actually a carrot cream soup, served with a shrimp pie, ginger and coconut, very aromatic and tasty. The beef tartar (“Royal Casino”) was also surprising; I believe it had foie gras, although it was not listed between the ingredients. Anyway, I do not have to list all the tasty dishes, you will see several in the photo gallery, but I was very pleased with each, as well as with the impeccable service of the staff.
The “Carl by Philipp Haiges” Restaurant, located in the city center, is part of a group of event venues having same owner, next to the Thalia Club of Latin Salsa and Music. I mentioned this because the two venues share a terrace, and in the summer, if you are lucky enough to be here in the days of events, you can enjoy the latin music and dances sitting at the table and enjoying the peppery food and drinks. Not as elegant as the previous, but very tastefully decorated, minimalist, in purple tones, “Carl” restaurant has a special atmosphere, and the kitchen wall has small triangular windows through which you can see how your food is prepared. If you are curious and you are very hungry, you can order a surprise tasting menu to enjoy as many as possible. I tried here a delicious tomato consome, with ravioli filled with goat cheese, a very delicious dish. The truffle cream starter was delicious, as well as the home-made ravioli and the veal with chanterelle mushrooms. I must say the basil sorbet was an explosion of flavor!
“Magnolia” is another fine dining restaurant, located in the building of the Augarten Hotel Art & Design in Graz. It was recently taken over by chef Didi Dorner, who promotes intuitive cuisine, working in the field for over 20 years. It is a small, minimalist, decorated in green tones with a small, cozy terrace and an on-site café. I have to mention, however, that it has a little inconvenience: the fact that you have no privacy on the terrace, as it’s surrounded by very tall buildings. You have the chance to order from the menu, or you can choose the tasting variant with more dishes. No matter what you choose, all the dishes are absolutely delicious, very well cooked and very beautifully presented. Although this time I have not found it in the menu, I had here, some time ago, a very innovative dessert based on foie gras, with cream cheese, melon, fruit purée, an interesting alternative to the classic cheese plate. Anyway, a very successful combination!
This is my selection of restaurants where I believe is worth having dinner in Graz. I am sure that I will discover others in my forthcoming visits and I cannot wait to tell you all about it. I would like to mention, for the golf lovers, a very beautiful trip, very close to Graz (20 minutes drive): Gut Murstätten, in Oedt, Lebring. It’s a competitive, very well-maintained, easy-to-use, and thus a bit difficult for me, golf course.