Herbeck – Neue Gastwirtschaft

Review

The Semmelweis-Stüberl

Photo: Heribert Corn Almost exactly a year ago, the upper Gersthof was on the Grätzel map here in Stadtleben, and with it the Herbeck-Stuben, a dramatically beautifully situated inn in the reverse loop of the 40. This inn looked as if it had been founded in 1904 and had fallen into a kind of slumber sometime in the 70s and 80s. While false ceilings grew, houseplants and TV screens proliferated, strange decorative mutations took place and the menu remained leadenly motionless. It was kind of weird, but you had to have your own preferences to find it really great. Last May, the almost eternal slumber came to an end and Wolfgang Nemeth made his move. The man, who also owns the restaurant on nearby Bischof-Faber-Platz (which he has leased out for a few years), had had his eye on this beautiful inn for years, but now the time had come and he brought in two partners who know the place pretty well (which is important in Gersthof, as the clientele is considered to be the most difficult in the whole city): namely Barbara Bonka, who had her "Die Wirtschaft" a valley away in Pötzleinsdorf for ten years, and Michael Kantor, who, as a buffetier in Pötzleinsdorf's Schlosspark who is extremely well-versed in wine, has colorful-dog status here at the Cottage.
The renovation work, or rather the uncovering of the original substance, began in August; it should have been finished in the fall, but then it was spring. But what emerged from the wake-up kiss is truly remarkable - a beautiful, old suburban inn with large windows, a spacious bar and a huge garden. Yes, there are inns that have been renovated a little better, such as the Steman or the Wild. The people of Gersthofen, who let Günther Szigeti run riot at Feles and spurned the organic cuisine at Nells, like it anyway. The new Herbeck is full every day. The veal bruschel, which is quite chunky here and made with plenty of goulash juice, sells like hot cakes (€ 8.80), and this kind of tongue-in-cheek way of serving "fork bites" in the form of really good leg ham (from the nearby butcher) with Russian salad, a kind of deconstructed ham roll, goes down well here (€ 5.90). "Herb Egg", a cube-shaped baked egg with herb salad is nice (€ 6.90), and the fact that there is crumbled cauliflower cannot be praised highly enough (even if it is better with butter than with olive oil, € 6.90). And the roasted bull's liver was also very good, not least because Michael Kantor has some great wines to go with it. In any case, it's no longer easy to get a seat here. Summary: One of Vienna's most beautiful suburban and terminus restaurants is back in business. Visually purist, culinary authenticity with a wink. Herbeck 18th, Scheibenbergstr. 11, Tel. 01/470 37 57 Tue-Sat 11-22, Sun 11-15 www.herbeck.wien

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