Pete Wells Is Pleased as Punch After Eating at Grünauer Bistro

Although it’s not as sophisticated at the long-gone Vienna 79, Pete Wells enjoys his meals at Peter Grünauer’s new Yorkville restaurant, Grünauer Bistro. The Times critic is especially fond of one old-school waiter who calls the men "sir" and responds to a request for water by saying, "Madame, consider it done." Wells writes: "He was so perfect for Grünauer Bistro, and Grünauer Bistro was so perfect for him, that it’s impossible to imagine a time when they hadn’t been together."

The menu is full of Austrian staples like wienerschnitzel, spaetzle, and goulash. It’s a more rustic set of dishes than what Grünauer served at his four-star restaurant in the 80s, but the kitchen gets the job done. Wells writes:

Not much about the traditional cooking under Thomas Slivovsky, Grünauer Bistro’s chef, could be called nouvelle, but ghosts of Vienna 79 whisper in the kitchen. Dill-strewn bands of house-cured gravlax with whole-grain mustard sauce reappear, and are worth getting. Applesauce cut with horseradish still makes an interesting complement to the tafelspitz, beef braised to tenderness with root vegetables in a light broth.

Pete also notes that the kaiserschmarrn is "ridiculously good" here, and he likes how his meals ended with a gratis pour of pear-apple brandy for everyone at the table. One star.