YYZ to NYC

When downtown, Blaue Gans is the obvious choice for an Oktoberfest celebration.

Kurt Gutenbrunner, the executive chef and owner, brings his Austrian heritage and German experience to the city with several excellent, authentic restaurants.  Blaue Gans is his casual take on a British pub and chef de cuisine Thomas Slivovsky makes sure that everything on the menu is true to its ancestry of traditional Austrian/German fare. The food is unpretentious and delicious.

The atmosphere is that of a neighbourhood gathering place and the pub-like feel is enhanced by the long zinc bar and large communal table.  The room is open, yet warm and eclectically decorated with vintage movie, concert and theatre posters.  It doesn’t matter where you are seated; there is always an interesting view.  The convivial ambience puts everyone in a festive mood.  Or is that because of the beer?

Blaue Gans has a short, but varied list of Austrian and German beers on tap and each beer is served in its own distinctive glass.

Whether you order a Bitburger, a Köstritzer or a Weinhenstephaner you will be treated to (I assume), an authentic experience.  It’s fun to watch the huge 1 litre steins and tall, tall pilsner glasses move about the room.

The Blue Geese - only a small part of the collection.

One of the other entertaining things about dining at Blaue Gans is ordering.  The menu uses the correct name for each item without anglicization - perhaps something is lost in the translation.  We always try to challenge our server by getting them to pronounce the names. Would you know how to say Schweinesulz, Wurstknödel, or my favourite, Fleischpflanzerl?  I wonder if the servers dread the introduction of a new dish.

One pronunciation I have mastered is for this dessert, Salzburger Nockerl.  It is served warm and is beyond delectable. 

Oktoberfest is officially over but Blaue Gans is offering its special menu for the entire month.  After that, it’s back to the usual, wonderful fare - and beer.

Photos - KG-NY website