March 11, 2017 (Innsbruck, Austria)

On this Saturday, we woke up to a nice semi-spring day. We glanced at our clock and realized we had overslept our alarm by 3 hours. Something we don’t normally do. And you would think on Saturday mornings, we would allow for this little luxury if it weren’t for the fact that we had set our alarms for 7:15 to get us up in time for snowboarding (Saturdays are the chosen day for this). Grant put forth the idea to go on Sunday and I just said we might as well go on Monday.

So, for the first time in a couple of weeks, we had no plans for this weekend. We quickly got dressed. The sun was shining through the window and was teasing us to go outside. We couldn’t ignore this call from nature.

We sauntered our way out the door and instinctively headed in the direction of the old town section, which has never disappointed us for want of food or drink. As we walked down the main thoroughfare of downtown, Maria-Theresien Straße, we saw what we’ve never seen before in person. A pianist had dragged his piano out onto the street and was playing classical music for all the people out in the square.

We came across an outdoor cafe we hadn’t really noticed before. This might be because it was probably only an indoor cafe during the winter months.  It was in a great location for people-watching and listening to the music so we waited for the next available table (other people must have had the same idea as there were no other tables available). Soon a small crowd had gathered around us and I realized we would have to race our way to the next empty table. Using my well-honed behavior predicting skills, I was able to zero-in on a table that was about to pay their bill. And I just asked in my basic German whether they were finished with their lunch. They were and we sat down as soon as they got up to leave.

Grant and I were in the mood for coffee. I went for my usual latte macchiato (which is just a latte in the states) and Grant ordered a beer. The air was just chilly enough to get slightly nippy when the breeze blew past; but lucky for us, the cafe had provided blankets at every table for the purpose of keeping its diners snuggled up and warm. I appreciate this touch.

I was torn between ordering something sweet or something savory. Grant immediately knew what he wanted and ordered a roast beef plate with a soft cheese/tartar sauce, sautéed mushrooms and red cabbage, and toasted baguette bread. I ordered a Belgian waffle with vanilla sauce and mixed wild berries. The waffles are only available on their weekend brunch menu.

Grant says his roast beef plate was “really good and an appropriate amount of food. The flavors went well together”. He ate it by layering everything on top of the pieces of toast, like an open-faced sandwich.

For me, the waffle was the best I’ve ever had. I really enjoy waffles so I tend to order them whenever I go out for breakfast. I found this waffle to be a cross between a waffle that is generally served in the U.S. and a slightly sweeter pastry. I think the dough is just prepared differently, although I truly enjoy both types. The vanilla sauce wasn’t too sweet and the berries added the right amount of tartness. The whipped cream is typical of what’s served in Europe and is freshly whipped and generally not sweetened beyond the sweetness that is naturally occurring in the cream.

If you’re ever in Innsbruck, I highly recommend this cafe. It’s got a nice, central location, with an enjoyable outdoor-seating area. And the food is pretty good.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2017