Abe Fisher Turns to Austria for the First in a New Dinner Series

At this point in Philly’s culinary renaissance diners can find everything from Indonesian oseng tempeh to Hawaiian-style spam musubi to dishes from every inch of Italy. Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook have got the Israeli angle covered with Zahav and Dizengoff, and their Abe Fisher, headed by chef Yehuda Sichel, is enhancing the deli scene with modern takes on Jewish diaspora classics. But you don’t see a lot of Austrian-Jewish plates being put out, so the first in Abe Fisher’s upcoming dinner series will introduce some unusual combinations to the average Philly palate.

The Austria dinner, taking place November 8, kicks off Chef Sichel’s series exploring Ashkenazi cuisines in different countries (oversimplifying: Ashkenazi Jews are from Eastern Europe, Germany, and France; Sephardic Jews are from the Middle East, Spain, Portugal, and northern Africa). Think smoked beef tongue, cabbage stuffed with barley and mushrooms, wienerschnitzel made of chicken and veal. To go with the Austrian-Jewish food, Abe Fisher’s GM, Brian Kane, enlisted musicians from Astral — a local non-profit that supports future stars in the classical music scene — to perform at the dinner. Katie Hyun, on violin, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, on viola, and Gabriel Cabezas, on the cello, will be playing Mozart (the composer was Austrian).

For future dinners in the series, Sichel plans to cook from the Jewish cuisines of Italy, Spain, and Montreal.

The Austria night is $90 per person including tax and tip. Alcohol is separate. Take a look at the menu:

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Breads and Spreads

• Liptauer and grammelschmalz
• Smoked beef tongue
• Pickled vegetables
• Pretzel bread, matzo, toasted caraway rye

Knodel

• Halibut, beets, horseradish

Knoblauchremesuppe

• Barley and mushroom stuffed cabbage, garlic cream soup

Wienerschnitzel

• Chicken and veal sausage, matzo, grape mustard, kale and grape salad

Palatschinken

• Baked apple blintz, caramel, walnuts, cream cheese

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