Cafe Sabarsky is housed inside the Neue Galerie, a jewel of a museum dedicated to early Twentieth Century Austrian and German art. It is a world-class collection, containing works of: Klimpt, Schiele, Kokoschka, Kirchner, Beckman, Hoffmann, Loos to name a few. The Neue Galerie was conceived by the friendship of two men; art dealer and museum exhibition organizer Serge Sabarsky and art businessman, philanthropist, and art collector Ronald Lauder.

Cafe Sabarsky is named after the museum's co-founder Serge Sabarsky.  The restaurant/cafe is highly atmospheric transporting one back to the great cafes of Vienna that served as a vital meeting place for intellectual and artistic life at the turn of the the century. The restaurant specializes in Austrian cuisine, and provides a healthy sampling of the the country's finest dishes. Cafe Sabarsky has huge windows that offer bright sunshine and impressive views of Fifth Avenue.

Cafe Sabarsky is decorated with period objects, including the magnificent light structure designed by Joseph Hoffman. Long, beveled, ornate, and dazzling. It's style looking straight out of the Vienna Seccession movement of the 1890's.

The restaurant includes other museum-quality piece of this era, such as the chairs designed by Adolph Loos, and banquettes upholstered with a 1912 fabric from Otto Wagner.

At Cafe Sabarsky, I am headlining with desserts first, as Austria is justly famous for their legendary desserts.  And, at Cafe Sabarsky they do desserts VERY WELL.  The dessert on the left is an Apple Tart.  On the right is the Sachertorte, the most famous of all Austrian desserts; it is a dark intensely rich Viennese chocolate cake with apricot confiture.  The dessert is so worshiped in Austria that it is celebrated with a National Holiday every year on December 5th.

The entrees though perhaps not receiving quite the recognition of the desserts are full of flavor and authentic. The dish on the right is Beef Goulash Soup, an Austrian classic. On the left is Chilled Smoke Trout Crepes with Horseradish, a dish I enjoyed very much.

Back to talking about the desserts . . . this glorious raised marble counter (a museum-worthy piece itself) displays the seven to eight desserts. What a view it is, almost as each dessert is trying to compete for the most "oohs and aahs."  Looking closely at the photo and you will see a piano, this is an impressive Besendofer Grand, which is played when Cafe Sabarsky stages it's classical music programs.  These programs are devoted to Austrian and German music between 1890 - 1930. Check with the restaurant for dates of performances.

Being an enthusiast of espresso, I felt I had achieved espresso Nirvana in having this. On the menu it reads "Einspanner." Translation, Double Espresso with Whipped Cream. Please note that one does not have to purchase a ticket to the museum to dine at Cafe Sabarsky.

Austria (German) Language lesson - "Hello" (Guten Tag)  "Thank you"  (Danke)  "Delicious"  (Kostlic)

Interesting fact - Austrian composer Franz Schubert, was nicknamed "Schwammerl" (Little Mushroom) by his friends because he was just five feet tall, and contemporary pictures show him as being dimpled and pudgy with a snub note and sensitive eyes, peering from behind thick glasses.

Address - 1048 Fifth Avenue (at 86th Street)   (212) 628 - 6200