Villa Schratt

Steinbrüch 43 Cuisines: European

About

During the heyday of Bad Ischl, when the aristocracy of the Hapsburg Empire descended on the town every summer with Emperor Franz Josef, one of the town's brightest inhabitants was the actress Katharina Schratt. Famous throughout the German-speaking world, she rose to a discreet kind of stardom as the mistress of the emperor, a relationship that lasted many years with the tacit approval of Franz Josef's estranged wife, the Empress Elisabeth ("Sissi"). Today the villa that Katharina occupied is a touristy but rather upscale restaurant. Set about 4km (2 1/2 miles) west of town, beside the highway leading to Salzburg, the house was originally built in 1610 and was acquired by Ms. Schratt in 1889. She occupied it every summer until the death of Franz Josef in 1916. In the restaurant's dining rooms, where all the references to Ms. Schratt seem vague and ever-so-polite, you can order such menu items as a terrine of duck en gelée, carpaccio of salmon-trout with salad, neck of lamb with garlic sauce, filet of venison with elderberry sauce, and, for dessert, cheese dumplings with cinnamon and fruit sauce. The extensive wine list contains selections from Austrian, Italian, and French vineyards.