Last night, in the blistering cold, I actually went outside. Freakin’ nuts, yeah! The only thing that could get me outside in this weather is the promise of good food, and my friend Angie tends to have a special talent for picking out good places, so I was enticed to meet her and Winnie at Cafe Katja Cafe Katja. It’s an inviting little place with the sweetest waitress. The menu is unique (well, there isn’t much Austrian food in NY) but the plates come out prettier than you’d expect of sausage dishes. (I only brought my point-and-shoot camera though so I apologize for not-so-great photos.)

We started with the Aufschnitt Teller, German for Charcuterie Plate. It’s a great sharing plate that I highly recommend for groups. The Liptauer is a spread but has the flavor of Sour Cream and Onion Chips. The Liverwurst is good, and even better with the fresh horseradish. The range of blood sausage to pork belly goes well with pickled onions, carrots, mushrooms, and more, so have fun making lots of different combinations. With plenty of toast to transport, this was probably my favorite plate.

Aufschnitt teller

We were sharing all of our entrees, so we enjoyed the Buckwheat Speatzle, which I liken to an earthier and healthier (has squash, nuts, and brussels sprouts) mac & cheese. It’s a big portion though and would be too redundant as your one main course.

buckwheat spaetzle

We also shared an Emmentaler Sausage, served nice and hot, lightly crisped skin, with cheese inside (as the name suggests). I’m just not a fan of Eastern European dumplings because they’re just soft blobs of dough, but Angie ad Winnie really enjoyed the cabbage. It goes nicely with the sausage but the caraway was a bit strong for me.

emmentaler sausage

Ther Bernerwurstel is a frankfuter, sliced in half lengthwise, with a piece of cheese tucked between, and held back together with bacon. It’s served with a potato salad and a frisee salad. It was good but forgettable for me.

bernerwurstel

We ended with a warmed Apple Strudel, about average. We were quite full though. This stuff is definitely winter time food.

apple strudel

While some dishes were better than others, all the dishes had a real freshness about them, and the price is right at around $25 per person (with tax and tip). I’d say it was worth braving the cold.

posted by jessica at 08:24 AM Filed under German, Restaurants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.