Café Katja Scores on Orchard Street

If you’re looking for a quiet, low key night out of Chelsea, or maybe a place to meet friends for drinks, look no farther than Café Katja, in a small storefront on a quiet block of Orchard Street on the Lower East Side (79 Orchard St.).  We went there early on a recent Saturday and were able to score a window table with no reservations, though the place was filling up by the time we left, both with diners and groups of drinkers.

            The menu, though rather meat-heavy as you might expect from an Austrian restaurant, nevertheless contained plenty of lighter fare such as salads and sandwiches.  Even the meat was rather snack-like and fresh and not over sauced.

For starters, we had the landjaeger with homemade pickles and the pretzel with spreads.  The landjaeger, a hard sausage, was spicy and delicious, and the pretzel was soft and warm.  The chief attraction was the duo of spreads, a tangy orange-colored cheese that went well with both the sausage and the pretzel, and a thick, creamy, white spread that we couldn’t get enough of.

            Next, we had the smoked trout and cucumber salad and greenmarket tomato salad.  The trout was tender and the tiny slices of cucumber had a light glaze of lemon-sour cream and herbs.  The tomatoes were a big hit: both red and yellow varieties apparently straight off the vine from grandma’s garden, with a drizzle of olive oil to bring them to their flavorful best.

For the main course we had the toasted emmentaler with smoked ham sandwich and the home-made bratwurst and sauerkraut. The yellow cheese was a perfect compliment for the soft ham beneath, while the piping-hot brat had a crisp, browned skin and light pink flesh within, and was delicious.  The sauerkraut, also apparently home-made, warmed the heart and filled the stomach.
      To drink we had a perfectly balanced sour cosmos concocted by the master sommelier who may have been a bit overqualified for the job—so drop in and make his acquaintance before he finds a job at a 4-star restaurant somewhere.  The restaurant boasts a good selection of reasonably priced Austrian and German wines and bottled and draft beers.  You can also order coffee, tea or espresso and the wait person will run next door to the coffee shop where they make a mean cup of your favorite brew.  -- Ed Hamilton

Comments

[Ari Paparo]

Totally agree. My wife and I had a Bratwurst and the goat cheese salad and both were delicious. With a beer and a pretzel the tab was only $26.

[Giorghos Hadjistylianou]

Hey Ed,

It's Giorghos from Cafe Katja, I need to set things correctly, which I'm sure it is not a fault on your behalf.

I'm a Sommelier but not a Master Sommelier.

Also I would like to thank you for your complements and nice comments.

Best regards, looking forward seen you again for more cocktails......

gh