Take Me to the River

By Bonnie Fishman / San Francisco Bay Area

Sailing on the Danube

Last summer, my husband and I were scheduled to take a wonderful trip to the Scottish Highlands. Alas, due to illness (both of us!) we had to cancel. That’s when Bob declared “I’m never going overseas ever again, you can go, but leave me out of it!”  He was fairly defiant until this past December, when a Viking River cruise flyer arrived, unannounced as they always do, with a stunning image of sailing on the Danube.  Oddly enough, Bob now proclaimed that he always wanted to go down the Danube. Say no more. The next day I booked a stateroom for mid-June 2025. Now he couldn’t back out.

We actually did take the cruise, our first, our last. Am I sorry I went? No. Would I go again? No. Just to be clear, the ship was beautiful, the staterooms well-engineered, the staff, excellent. But the cruise didn’t fit what I had imagined would transpire. We were way too busy being herded on and off buses for land tours and most of the cruising was at night. Those gorgeous TV commercials where folks are sitting out on their balconies oohing and aahing at the castles, forts, and vineyards. The ads weren’t wrong, the scenery was spectacular. This lasted only 90 minutes, though. Ninety minutes of beauty of the whole eight days. Other than a few cute riverside towns and villages sprinkled along the Danube, the rest of the trip could have been on any river in the world.

Town, vineyards Wachau Valley, Austria

Schonbuhel Castle, on the Danube River

Now let’s get down to business and talk about the food on this trip. If you’re looking for great food, go to Italy, France or Spain. In my opinion, the food is not that good in Eastern Europe. There, I said it. We visited Prague, Regensburg, Germany, Vienna, and Budapest. The traditional foods are very meat- and pork-forward, so if you’re a vegetarian or kosher, I’d pack a jar of peanut butter for emergencies.

In the Old Own Square, Prague

In this part of the world, it seems every culture enjoys dumplings. There are dumplings and there are dumplings. The strangest and most disgusting ones were in the Czech Republic. They call them bread dumplings. They’re actually like a lightly cooked log of dough cut into big slabs. Without gravy, just walk away. By the time we got to Germany, they morphed into small spaetzles. One of my most delicious meals was in Vienna at an outdoor cafe, spaetzle and cheese, just like mac and cheese. What’s not to love?

Beef stew with dumplings!

This was my second time in Eastern Europe when I had vowed I wouldn’t go back because the food was so awful (food does mean that much to me!)  Years ago, I went to Romania with my sisters to visit a cousin who was living there for three years. We spent the weekend at an inn in the country where they served breakfast for their guests. How do you mess up simple eggs? I thought it was a fluke, but the eggs were consistently inedible. Then Bob and I ordered brunch in a lively café in the main square of Prague. Bad eggs. I will say; thought the bread and rolls were consistently great, and the apple strudel in the Czech Republic and Germany was terrific.

Fresh apple strudel, Prague

I have failed to mention that I had a mission in Vienna and Budapest.  Not only did I want to eat in one of their stunning coffee houses, I also wanted a specific dessert that I’ve not had since childhood.

Muvesz Cafe, Budapest

Bonnie sampling pastries at Muvesz Cafe

My mom had a close Hungarian friend whose confectionary specialty was Szerbo or Gerbeaud, a famous cake in Hungary. I looked all over for it. It wasn’t until our last night in Budapest when it was featured on the menu. It was as spectacular as I imagined. The cake has thin layers of yeast cake, crushed walnuts, and apricot jam. The top is coated with chocolate glaze. Another classic Hungarian dessert is Dobos torte. I sampled it a few times and it was delicious. All in all, the pastries in Germany, Austria, and Hungary were fabulous. Believe me, I was on the hunt for greatness.

Almond Blueberry Crumble

Gerbaud (Szerbo)

The restaurant that served Szerbo also served the best meal for both of us. Bob had a rich and satisfying Hungarian goulash and I had an alternate version of chicken paprikash, in which the chicken was stuffed into savory crepes instead of chicken pieces in sauce. This dish was a standout. The stuffing was similar to beef knish filling but made with ground chicken. The paprika sauce was rich yet surprisingly light.

Crepes filled with chicken paprikash, Restaurant Rosenstein, Budapest

Flodni, filled with apples, nuts, and plum jam and poppy seeds

I can’t review the food in Europe without discussing what was offered on the ship. Let’s talk about the good before we get to the bad and ugly. Everyday breakfast was a lovely buffet of brunch items:  eggs and omelets to order, crisp bacon, sausages, (they’re everywhere), warm beans, potatoes, a hot vegetable concoction, yogurt, muesli, fresh fruit, smoked salmon with all the trimmings and a great bread and croissant selection. I learned quickly that this was the meal to calorie load for the day.

Things started going downhill from there. Lunch was a meh–lackluster salad and standard favorites. All in all, not too bad. The ugly came at dinner. I thought the “fancy” chef on the ship would have some great food ideas up his sleeve. Au contraire! The dinners were stuck back in the last century. Boring meat in a gravy that I swear came out of a can, whipped potatoes, and a vegetable medley that had been boiled and thrown on the plate–no seasoning, no nothing. Same gravy every night, just the protein changed from beef to pork to lamb. One night, the chef even served a filet with Béarnaise sauce. I haven’t seen Béarnaise since Jimmy Carter was president.

Unexciting chicken, boiled potatoes and vegetables (gravy du jour!)

Consistently, the bread was the highlight on the table. Also, the ship employed a very capable pastry chef. His selection of pastries–cakes and homemade ice creams–was fantastic. I ate two desserts at each dinner. Why not?

All and all, it was a solid trip, visiting beautiful cities with stunning cathedrals, government buildings, interesting streets and alleyways. The people were friendly both on and off the ship, the weather was perfect in mid-June, and it was exciting to have a wonderful adventure. Just remember, pack your peanut butter for emergencies!

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Bonnie Fishman attended the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London. Later, she owned and operated Bonnie’s Patisserie in Southfield, Mich. and Bonnie’s Kitchen and Catering in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. She has taught cooking for over 35 years and created hundreds of recipes. She is now living in Northern California.