I had Wallsé, the Michelin Star restaurant of Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner on my radar for a while and we finally decided to go on a Saturday, early evening. Taking its name from Wallsee, a small village on the Danube river where the Chef grew up, Wallsé is the third project of Chef Gutenbrunner, after Cafe Sabarsky in the Neue Gallery and Upholstery Store: Food & Wine. Considering the latter, art seems to be a passion for him, Wallsé having Impressive pieces, especially the portrait of the Chef by Julian Schnabel that dominates the dining room.

Food wise, this place serves modern European cuisine with an accent on Austrian specialties like schnitzel or goulash. Know that dinner is a prix fix where you can chose to get two, three or four courses; we did three and were surely there for a treat. Here is what we had:

As a drink, Jodi got their apricot soda, House made with apricot juice, cinnamon and soda water while I opted for the whisky & cola that has nothing to do with a whisky and Coca Cola mix and was made with Reseitbauer 7 year malt whiskey, all spice dram, apple shrub and bitters. Like an apple old fashioned in a way. Quite good.

They then served us some mini baguettes that were superb, with or without butter.

For her appetizer, Jodi went for the chanterelle goulash that was one of the many vegetarian dishes. Original and comforting, especially with its semolina dumpling that gave some consistency to the dish, it was delicious, the kind of perfect dish for people who love mushrooms.

Chanterelle goulash at Wallse in NYC, NY

On my side, I wanted to try their chestnut soup as it was the first time I saw that on a menu and never had it before. I was surprised that it was not thicker and liked the subtle but present taste of the chestnut. It was for sure an upscale version of soup, perfect for this weather.

Then, for her entree, Jodi asked if it was possible to get the cheese plate that was proposed for dessert: they graciously accepted and mentioned that if she wanted more cheese, they would bring more. I thought that was fair as that there was probably a price difference between whichever entree she would have picked and the cheese plate, considering that she also ordered a dessert. The cheeses were: camembert, Bleu D’Auvergne, Austrian Gruyere, Adirondack Cheddar.

For me, there was no hesitation: I chose the roasted lamb that was served with figs and glazed carrots. The meat was amazing, perfectly cooked medium-rare and tender. There was also a nice portion of it, which is surprising, since dining in this type of restaurant usually you get small portions.

Dessert was also quite delicious: Jodi had the apple strudel while I got the Wallse Torte that is composed of pumpkin, banana, chocolate and a superb caramel ice cream (the strudel had a brandy ice cream).

For sure Wallse is elegant without being stuffy. The service there is on point and the food sublime. Definitely recommended if you are looking for a nice place to go where also the noise level is moderate, despite the 1980s music…

Enjoy (I did)!

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Wallse - 344 West 11th Street, West Village 10014

Dinner at Wallse

I Just Want To Eat!