Gasthaus Lebenstraum

Review

The crocodile

Photo: Heribert Corn There are some stories that I particularly enjoy experiencing: I discovered the Beisl two years ago in the course of a neighbourhood report, was amazed by the sentimental beauty of this forgotten place, spoke to the landlord, Mr. Artner, who told me that he used to sell 120 meals a day, now hardly any and will probably close soon. He didn't tell me what the stuffed crocodile on the partition wall between the bar and the extra room was all about. Julia Höllerschmid also walked past the restaurant at some point, she noticed it because her maiden name is Artner, and her mother, a former landlady from the Waldviertel, felt the same way. So they decided to take a look inside, "and it smelled like it only did in old inns." They quickly agreed that the trained graphic designer from the Wirt family and her husband Ernst, an electrician from Regau who had switched to TCM, were suddenly landlords. Julia's mother spent a week cleaning the massive bar with cotton buds, Julia herself attended an intensive seminar with her mother-in-law, "the schnitzel queen of Regau", and Ernst obtained special permits to operate the restaurant despite the archaic ventilation system.
They opened in June and the clientele changed quickly, the two tell us. After a few vernissages, readings and music evenings, they were soon branded as left-wing left-wing dross by the previous regulars, embittered minimum pensioners. But now the younger people were coming. It's a beautiful place. With a wooden floor, solid wooden benches, meticulously polished over the decades by Erich Artner, that creak like church pews; with formica tables that make your heart beat faster; with a cannon stove and a Lambris that has probably been doing its job there since the 1930s.
Ernst Höllerschmid brings the small goulash: onion and sweet paprika conglomerated into a red mass, which is absorbed by the pieces of crumbly wadschunk, great goulash (€ 4.60). The beef soup is tender, mild, refreshing and delicious, with choux pastry doughnuts floating in it. When was the last time I had soup with choux pastry doughnuts (€ 2.50)? The schnitzel is great, fried in the pan, the chips are home-cut. Okay, the cranberries are a provocation, but Regau is in Upper Austria, that's where it belongs (€ 5.90/8.70). The Seidel Traunsteiner Helles costs 2.60, absurdly little. Incidentally, the stuffed crocodile was brought to safety by a regular guest before the Höllerschmids took over, you never know. He brought it back two weeks later and it is now back on the partition wall. Summary: An ancient Viennese inn full of details and traditions. Rescued by young people, renovated with love and cooked with heart. Am at Artner 20, Dammstr. 13 Tel. 0680/240 19 59 Mon-Fri 3pm-2pm

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