It was an amazing evening of spätzle, strudel and no shortage of Gemütlichkeit. In other words, it was a true Austrian dinner party, starting with Grüner Veltliner Sekt poured into Riedel glassware to accompany foie-gras cones and Wiener Schnitzel canapés and ending with Zweigelt Eiswein and Sacher Torte, the legendary chocolate cake from Hotel Sacher in Vienna. We sat around a table adorned with sunflowers, made witty conversation, listen to the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra and watched the sun set over the Hudson River.

The view from the loft in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where we experienced an amazing Austrian dinner party.

Wait a minute, don’t I mean that I listened to the Vienna Royal Orchestra and admired the Danube? Well, the dinner took place in a cool loft in Red Hook, Brooklyn, with food prepared by celebrity chef Kurt Gutenbrunner, an Austrian chef who now lives in New York and owns the highly regarded Wallse in the West Village. The dinner was hosted by my friends at the Austria Tourist Office — remember when I donned a dirndl for Dirndl Temptation, their 2012 campaign to promote Austrian culture in NYC? Not only did Austria Tourist Office go above and beyond to create an authentic dinner party experience for a group of writers and bloggers, they are planning to do it again for one lucky winner and their 10 friends! You have until October 31, 2014, to enter to win this four-course meal with wine, linens, decor and more: http://budurl.com/MyAustrianEvening

Clockwise from top left: foie-gras cones, spatzle, smoked trout crepes, venison, strudel; All prepared by Kurt Gutenbrunner himself! #MyAustrianEvening

They even made a video, and you can feel the Gemütlichkeit, an Austrian term that mean congeniality, hospitality, coziness among other adjectives that you would want to describe your dinner party. Just don’t force me to pronounce it — that would be lacking in Gemütlichkeit. See if you can spot me reveling in the Gemütlichkeit. By the way, this is a group of diners who all love social media as much as I do so if you see people looking down at their phones, don’t worry, it was totally OK.

So what exactly does one serve at the ultimate Austrian dinner party? In case you’re wondering, here was our menu with wine pairings:

Canapés: Wiener Schnitzel, Mini Bratwurst with Riesling Sauerkraut,
Liptauer with Radishes
Grüner Veltliner Sekt, NV, Szigeti
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Smoked Trout Crepe with Salmon Caviar, Green Apples and Dill Oil
Spätrot Klassik, 2012, Gebetshuber
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Spätzle with Corn, Chanterelle, Braised Rabbit, Tarragon
Sauvignon Blanc, 2012, Umathum
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Roasted Venison, Braised Red Cabbage, Semolina Dumplings
Blaufränkisch, 2011, Schiefer
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Plum Strudel with Buttermilk Sorbet
Zweigelt Eiswein, 2010, Hager Matthias
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Original Sacher-Torte

Prost! Don’t forget to enter the contest: http://budurl.com/MyAustrianEvening