Sometimes there’s a real bang in Zeltweg. For example, when the Eurofighters stationed here thunder through the air again. Or when engines from the nearby Red Bull Ring suddenly roar. Not to mention the air show called AirPower that takes place every few years. In any case, they have made it their mission to celebrate the (supersonic) noise. But Zeltweg can also be quiet. And above all: very, very tasty.
Farrach Castle has been proving this for a long time, and according to the Gault Millau restaurant guide it is the best-rated restaurant in the entire Murtal. If there’s one thing that pops in this quiet refuge of good taste, it’s the corks of the wine bottles, which together make up a wonderful wine list. As far as the cuisine is concerned, the focus here is primarily on home-grown food from the in-house garden as well as organic suppliers from the region. Although – especially at this time of year – people often order the best goods from France.
Such as pigeon from the Bresse or authentic goose liver. All of this and much more is available here in the form of two menus – although you don’t have to stick to rigid menu sequences. “I like to mix everything up,” says host, sommelier and son of the house Niko Stöhr. You rarely hear enough in such good restaurants anyway, so: put in the first course and off you go.
Styria beef carpaccio with pumpkin seed oil © Lucas Palm
The Styria beef carpaccio with pumpkin seed oil, pumpkin kimchi and parmesan (14 euros) is a skillfully proportioned introduction to the colorful dance that awaits us. It’s great how chef Alexander Stöhr demonstratively slows down in this course: little fat, balanced acidity, slight green spiciness from the cress – and all of this with lean, very thinly sliced beef carpaccio as the protagonist.
The three-toque chef ignites the turbo even more spectacularly in the next course: Bresse pigeon with parsnips, chestnuts and mushrooms. The dark meat of the pigeon breast is cooked to perfection: the heavenly tender meat, which is reminiscent of game in its intensity, drips dark red into the puristically flavored jus. The confit leg, on the other hand, expresses the darker flavors of the meat. And these go perfectly with the sweet, earthy parsnip and chestnut puree. The big school. Do you need the umami-rich mushrooms? Let’s put it this way: If everything is done so well, then there is more – simply more. The same goes for dessert: a cheesecake can do well with a blood orange and saffron crèmeux with citrus fruits, figs and a scoop of ice cream. Full speed ahead is the motto here. And all without any noise. Splendid.
2024-02-24 08:04:25
#Kulinarix #Refuge #good #taste
