It was a few minutes before five thirty in the morning when I asked the concierge in my hotel, if he could find a few stale rolls in the kitchen. He assured me that fresh rolls would be coming out of the ovens in just a few minutes, but when I insisted that it was stale rolls I wanted, he made no objections and within seconds a paper bag with five thoroughly stale rolls appeared. To the great credit of the concierge, he did not look at me as if I were mad when I removed the rolls from the bag and stuffed them into the pockets of my jacket. In fact, on seeing my action, he broke into a generous smile and commented, as if he were privy to my great secret, "Ah...now I understand. You are going to the park".

Like Johann Strauss, Sigmund Freud and Ludwig von Beethoven, all of whom made Vienna their home at one time or another over the last centuries, I too had learned that one of the best ways to start the day in this lovely city is to wake very early and stroll to the small but exquisitely designed Stadtpark, there to feed breadcrumbs to the ducks who call this charming little park home. So used to human company are these ducks that they gladly eat from your hand, giving small kiss like pecks as they devour your offerings, and then wiggling their multi-colored tails in what at least some humans choose to interpret as a sign of appreciation.

Feeding ducks and talking with a policeman and a trolley driver who had stopped to feed the ducks on their way to work in a park where the pre-dawn temperature was five degrees below zero had given me quite an appetite. Thus, on leaving the park I could not resist taking part in another time-honored early morning Viennese tradition, of stopping at a kiosk, there to breakfast on a generous plate of crisply grilled bratwurst, highly seasoned sausages made from a mixture of veal and pork. Unlike Germans who drink beer with their bratwurst at any time of the day, Austrians are wise enough to have their morning sausages with the home-made apple cider that some of the better kiosks offer. Because such home made cider has a fifteen percent alcohol content, its sale at such places is illegal, but no one except the tax people pays very much attention to such silly laws, and the cider, which comes from large glass jars can be delicious. In my own case, even though the cider was icy cold, its l alcohol content warmed me and gave me the energy to start my real explorations of the day.

It was mid February during these morning hours as I explored the oldest parts of the city but frankly, I really did not mind the weather. No matter where I was, escape from the biting east wind and bone-chilling cold and into one of the city's hundreds of conditorias was only a few seconds away. As I learned years ago, there is probably no place in this entire city where you will ever be more than twenty meters away from a comfortable, well heated coffee house a steaming hot cup of coffee and a large slice of hot apple strudel or a huge portion of incredibly light whipped cream cake.

It must be understood that cakes are an ever present part of Viennese life. At the Staatsopera, the magnificently baroque National Opera House, one will find that six of the nine muses whose statues decorate the richly decorated foyer are holding a piece of cake in their hands. Even in the Mozart operas that are most popular here, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan Tuti and The Magic Flute, the characters are constantly being offered, eating or singing about cakes. Visit the square known as Neuer Market, the so-called "new market" where the newest building was completed in 1739 and note that each of the cherubs that decorate the fountain in the middle of the square is munching on a piece of cake.

Even the 17th century monastery of the Capuccine monks which houses the tombs of the Imperial family is decorated by hundreds of plaster miniatures that represent the different styles of cakes and pastries adored by Archduchess Maria Theresa and the members of her family. There is even a special monument here to one of Maria Theresa's daughters, the famous Marie Antoinette. Because she was the queen who triggered the French revolution with her comment about letting the people eat cake, she is portrayed seated at a small table on which one can note a cup of coffee and a brioche, the sweet bread adored by the French but that actually originated in Vienna.

As I sat in the comfortably formal konditoria of the Hotel Sacher, I reflected that as popular as cakes may be today, they were never more important to the Viennese soul than in the 19th century, when under the spell of the waltz music of Johann Strauss and Gemultichkeit, the special brand of Viennese warmth and friendliness, bakers in the cities along the Danube River created the richest and creamiest cakes and tortes in Europe. Whether Vienna or Budapest was the true capital of the confectioner's art is unknown, but the most famous and perhaps greatest Viennese pastry chef was Franz Sacher who made so much money in his konditorie that he constructed the luxurious Hotel Sacher. It was to this luxurious establishment that royalty and the wealthiest families of Europe made and still make pilgrimages.

Sacher, a fun-loving man who consumed enormous amounts of his own cakes, weighed well over 120 kilograms. One of the most popular sweets in the world is the cake that carries the name of this great baker, but even today the Viennese love to argue about whether Sacher or one of his competitors, Henrich Demel invented the "Sachertorte". The two became bitter enemies until a court ruled that Sacher had the right to call his cake the "original Sachertorte" and that Demer had to be satisfied by calling his version "genuine Sachertorte".

I always enjoy listening to Viennese argue about which cakes are really theirs. The renowned Dobos Torta, an eight layered vanilla cake almost certainly came from the konditorie of Marius Dobos in Budapest; the rich Linzertorte probably originated in the city of Linz, the capital of Northern Austria; and the delicious rum-flavored Sandtorte seems to have made its first appearance in neighboring Prussia. It all makes little difference to the Viennese however, for over the centuries they have convinced themselves that each of these cakes was all invented in their own city.

Equally as important as the cakes and sweets that are so much a part of Viennese life is coffee, and the coffee houses of the city remain the center of social, political and literary activities. University professors hold seminars in coffee houses; novelists and poets come to these establishments at eight in the morning and stay until late at night working on their masterpieces; and bankers, politicians and diplomats meet here to discuss anything from the rising price of groceries to the importance of trade agreeents with China.

Coffee comes in so many different forms in Vienna that some cafes still adhere to the 18th century tradition of coming to your table with a color-chart with twenty different varieties of brown from which you can choose. Personally, although I generally drink my cafe "mokka", that is to say, without milk or cream, I also occasionally enjoy my Viennese coffee served "mit schlagobers", that is to say accompanied by a generous portion of the thick Viennese whipped cream that is can be found in cake, on cake, in coffee, floating on top of hot brandy or wine or even by itself. Whatever I ordered, my coffee was always accompanied by a glass of ice cold water a custom that started during the days of the Turkish occupation but which now reflects the Viennese conviction that nothing goes better with coffee and cakes than their own tasty water.

During the three days of my visit, I wandered into and drank coffee at more than eleven cafes. If the truth be told, however, the prime purpose of my visit was to sample a wide variety of Austrian food and that, I confess, I did with gusto, dining in five restaurants during three days.

To get to "Steirereck" restaurant I decided to take one of the electric trolleys that go nearly everywhere in the city. Although some of the trolleys are as new and modern as one could want, the number 31 that I took had been built in 1946, and was beginning to show its age. The bright red and cream paint on the outside of the car was beginning to fade, and the wood seats and benches were so well worn that I had the feeling that they might simply fall into dust at any moment. The 70 plus year old conductor in charge of Tram Number 31 was not at all upset by this, and he boasted proudly to me that his was not only the oldest but also the slowest of all the trolley cars in the city. "Steirereck" on the other hand, with its dark red banquettes, antique wall paper and absolutely perfect service is as posh and luxurious as one can find anywhere and chef Eckhardt Weissgerbande prepares traditional Austrian dishes with a unique French flair that have justifiably earned him two stars in the Michelin Guide.

My lunch started with egg noodles that had been first boiled and then fried and were then treated to a rich red wine and tomato sauce that contained artichoke hearts. With fresh black truffles and excellent Beluga caviar sprinkled over, the dish was a marvel. I continued with a platter of wild boar that, after having been marinated in dry white wine and apple cider had been roasted for nearly two hours, making it so tender that the use of a knife was unnecessary. Served with two sauces, the first a brown sauce that contained raisins, juniper berries, rosemary, tarragon and pine nuts, and the second a Bechamel sauce that had been enriched with cognac and sweet cream. Fortunately, the portion was small enough that I had room left to finish off with a house specialty, a hot apple and blueberry strudel. I had decided to have only Austrian wines on this trip, and like most of the Viennese drank white wine throughout my meal. It is not that Austria does not produce red wines. It is simply that whereas the whites can be light and delicious, the reds tend to be heavy, flat and simply not worthdrinking.

I walked back to my hotel, stopping for a while to sit on a bench in the Stadtpark where I felt just a bit guilty because I forgot to pocket a few rolls with which to feed the ducks. The ducks came to my hand at any rate, giving me little "kisses" and seemed to forgive me for my oversight.

By evening I was ready to sample another meal. This time with a group of colleagues, I made my way to one of the many very popular "heurigen" that are found in the outlying districts of the city. The word "heuriger" actually has two meanings. First of all it refers to the young white wines of the season. Since 1784 winemakers have had permission to sell some of their young wines directly to the public. For this reason, many small producers founded "heurigen", country-style restaurants that serve these special wines along with huge portions of traditional dishes. Every year, on the 11th of November, the first day the young wines are ready to drink, these restaurateur/winemakers hang pine branches over their doors. So long as the pine branches are hung, potential customers know that the young wine is still available. The day the last glass of the young wine is sold the pine branches come down and a black flag is hung in their place for a week afterwards.

We arrived in the 19th district, which is one of Vienna's oldest, most charming and most expensive residential areas at about nine in the evening. In addition to all of its architectural and other aesthetic charms, this neighborhood boasts no less than twelve houses in which Ludwig von Beethoven once lived. If that sounds odd, one should reflect on the fact that in the 27 years he lived in the city, Beethoven resided in 83 different houses.

Today, even though the area is inhabited by some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the country, the neighborhood is also host to several dozen heurigers and the one we had selected for our dinner was the late 18th century "Heuriger Welser Werner". As is the habit in most of these casual and relaxed places, we took a table and white wine was automatically brought in large pitchers (if you don't want to drink white wine, don't come to a heuriger). One has the choice in such places of walking to the front room where the food is displayed and ordering what one likes, or of simply signaling the waitresses who will then bring a selection of the house specialties.

We chose the second route, and our meal started with a selection of fried, breaded leeks, broccoli, mushrooms and salsify, all of which were served with the tartar sauce the Viennese so adore. This was followed by several vegetable souffles, also served with tartar sauce. We might easily have filled up on these simple but delightful dishes but we knew that the main course was yet to come and managed to restrain ourselves somewhat. Our restraint was well rewarded, for our main course consisted of huge platters of juicy, fried, grilled and boiled meats and sausages. Among the offerings were veal and pork schnitzels, pork ribs, beef tongue, pork and lamb chops and spicy beef patties, all of which, in the best Austrian tradition had been prepared simply but well and were accompanied by generous plates of potato salad, cucumber salad, freshly grated horseradish and three kinds of mustard, one of which is mild, another hot and the third torturously hot.

There is probably no better place to sample Viennese food than at such restaurants which reflect the fact that because their city was once the capital of an empire that included Hungary, Czechoslovakia and portions of Italy, Yugoslavia, Romania, Poland and Russia, the Viennese have never developed a cooking style uniquely their own. So universal are the dining habits of the city that cooks have absorbed some of the culinary flavor from neighboring Germany as well as from the city's traditional enemy, Turkey. Also going along with tradition, Viennese and Austrian foods are basic, country style foods, on which the people dine copiously.

Of Vienesse favorites, only four or five actually originated in the city. The dish that Viennese seem to most enjoy, especiallyat lunch-time is called "tafelspitz", freshly prepared plain boiled or stewed beef served with horseradish sauce, boiled potatoes and, quite often, sauerkraut. The dish is available at all times but only tourists order it in the evening, not realizing that it has probably been warmed up from the leftovers of lunch. Almost as popular are the different kinds of schnitzels offered. A naturschnitzel is sauteed without breading; Wiener schnitzel is breaded but served without sauce; rahmschnitzels are covered with cream sauce; Jagerschnitzels are served with a sauce based on sour cream and mushrooms; and schnitzel a la Holstein is topped with fried eggs, anchovies and capers and often surrounded by a garnish of luxury foods such as smoked salmon and caviar. Two other dishes that are extremely popular in the city, even though they probably originated in Hungary, are carp in sweet black sauce and roast goose with sauerkraut.

The next day, after having gaped at the royal jewels, several royal palaces and the royal opera, we lunched at an even simpler place. "Figlmuller" may be simple but it is so well beloved an institution in the city that young and old, the very wealthy and the not at all wealthy gladly wait in the street for as much as half an hour for a table. A large variety of regional dishes are offered, but nearly everyone comes here for the house specialty, Wiener schnitzels that are so large that they overlap the edges of a 23 cm. plate. Served with either potato salad or chips, there is simply no dish more Viennese, especially when consumed with large quantities of dry white wine.

After a moderately long walk, another visit with the ducks, that by now I had come to think of as "my ducks", and a refreshing nap I was somehow ready for another meal, this one at "La Scala" with chef Werner Matt. Matt, whose dishes are fresh, light and creative, holds court like a prince in his gold and red decorated restaurant, strolling from table to table, checking to see that all is well at each table, and obviously enjoying himself as much as his guests. For reasons I never fully understood, whenever he walks around he always has a small melon in his right hand, and often enjoys tossing it high in the air and then catching it. The maitre d'hotel told me that for several years everyone on the staff was terrified that one day the melon would land on the head of some innocent diner, but smiles with relief when he told me "but thank god, that has not happened .... yet".

I had decided to dine lightly, but Matt decided otherwise, so my meal opened with a mousse of foie gras, continued with an artichoke and asparagus soup, went on to a saddle of young deer in an exquisite blueberry sauce, and then closed with a most delightful apple parfait. Once again, I confined myself entirely to white wine.

The next morning I had to leave early for the airport. I woke an hour early in order to go once again to the park where my ducks and I shared a few stale breadcrumbs.

Steirereck: Rasumofskygasse 3. Closed Saturday and Sunday. 0MÌ Fixed price lunch for 390 Shillings, and a la carte from 550 - 750 Shillings. Reservations requred. Telephone 7 13 31 68.

Heuriger Welser Werner: Heiligenstadt Probusgasse 12, in the 0kÌ 19th district. A meal such as the one on which we dined, including wine, will cost a very reasonable 250 shillings per person. Open every night except Sunday. Reservations suggested. Telephone 37 12 16.

Figlmuller: Wollzeile 5 (near St. Stephan's Cathedral. If you 0nÌ cannot find this tiny street, anybody you ask will point the way 0oÌ to this famous establishment. Open daily except Sunday. Reser- 0LÌ vations can be made. Telephone 512 6177.

La Scala: in the Vienna Plaza Hotel, Schottenring 11. Considering 0dÌ chef Werner Matt's talents, this may be the very best restaurant in town, and the al la carte meals, which cost between 400 and 700 shillings per person are very good value for money. Reservations required. Telephone 51 51 60.

The Coffee Houses

The following are the konditorias I most enjoy, as much for the ambiance as the quality of their cakes quality but for their ambiance.

Hotel Sacher, Philharmonikerstrasse 4. Order anything but the Sachertorte!!!

Konditorei Demel, Kohlmarkt 18.

Cafe Sperl, Gumpendorfstrasse 11.

Cafe Hawelka, Dorotheergasse 16: The most run-down cafe in the city perhaps, but one of the most charming.

Tirolerhof Cafe: Tegetthoffstrasse 8. I agree with Sophia Loren that this is "the most charming cafe in the world".

Museum Cafe, Freiedrichstrasse 6.

To read more about the Wines of Austria, click-here.

© Daniel Rogov