Restaurant Zur Post - Melk, Austria

After visiting the beautiful Melk Abbey in Melk, Austria we needed to eat and celebrate my brother-in-law, Stan's, birthday. We drove near the abbey down narrow streets, up and down hills, and settled on the Hotel-Restaurant Zur Post. We were shuttled into an outdoor courtyard surrounded by greenery and flowers and presciently covered by large umbrellas (during our meal a sudden thunderstorm poured down rain in torrents and we were able to witness mother nature's wrath and stay relatively dry, but somewhat chilled). 

Restaurant Zur Post in Melk.

Outdoor eating area.

Stan had taken a liking to wiener schnitzel during our trip, which is a thin, breaded and deep fried piece of veal. Schnitzel is boneless meat, thinned with meat tenderizer, coated with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs and then fried. Wien is the name of Vienna in Austria and the term wiener schnitzel is a Viennese dish made of veal and served with lemon and either potato salad or potatoes with parsley and butter. In Austria and Germany, the term wiener schnitzel cannot be used unless made of veal. If made of pork, the dish must be called wiener schnitzel vom schwein, or similar, to differentiate it from the veal original. 

Well, Stan got wiener schnitzel at Zur Post and got it with the traditional lemon and potatoes with parsley and butter and a little bit of lettuce. If my recollection serves me correctly, this was the best wiener schnitzel Stan had the entire trip. Stan's wife, Chris, Judy's sister, got veal with scallions, gravy and noodles. It is the most beautiful looking veal I've ever seen, cooked perfectly with a nice pink middle. Judy got venison with asparagus and gravy. I just love how central and eastern Europe restaurants regularly serve meats that are extremely difficult to find in the U.S. The venison too, was cooked nicely, and Judy proclaimed it the best venison she's ever eaten.

Wiener schnitzel with lemon and potatoes with parsley.

Veal.

Venison.

I was vegan at the time, and although my meal did not measure up in looks to any of the above, it was pretty good by the standards I was subject to at the time. I got a nice variety of peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and some fruit. 

Salad.