BlackBook Magazine

Lower East Siders, you can go home again.

By Ethan Wolff

Okay, obviously the L.E.S. jumped the shark long ago. But two kebab dudes on Rivington? I have to pass through a street-meat miasma just to get to my door? And these guys are bookending Thor. You’d think one of the black-clad fauxhawked doormen there would be running them off the sidewalk. Can souvenir t-shirt and balloon venders be far behind? Sigh. I miss the old, half-abandoned, pre-Li-Lo L.E.S. Which is maybe why stumbling into Café Katja felt so much like coming home.

Katja is the anti-Thor. They’re serving Austrian food, but taking the homey angle. Co-owner Erwin Schrottner comes from an Austrian farm and that goes a long way toward explaining the vibe. The place borrows its name from one of his daughters. The materials inside are clean: exposed brick and glass fixtures, maroon banquettes, a bouquet of sunflowers. Despite the full liquor license, a low-key familiarity justifies the café in the name.

Though savory and meaty are the bywords, plenty of sophistication seeps into the flavorings. There’s pumpkinseed oil and caraway in the goat cheese and beet salad. Spiced crab apples accompany the speck appetizer. Lemon sour cream tarts up smoked trout. I honed in on the homemade pickles, a nice variety that comes with landjaeger, “hunter’s sausage,” which is a little like salami and would make for the bestest camping trip ever.

There’s plenty of wurst to go around, too, from the liverwurst and pickled onion sandwich, to weisswurst and pretzels and homemade brats and sauerkraut. There’s also spaetzle, salty little dumplings with an excellent taut texture. They’re served with emmentaler cheese and chives in a monster portion that’ll work equally well at lunch the next day, and also as a side for the goulash. On the latter, I really liked the tangy burgundy-shaded sauce, although the meat itself was a little on the fatty side. Brunch will be the next add-on, featuring coffee from the Roasting Plant next door.

The wine and beer comes mostly from Germany and Austria, and the selections are set to change seasonally. As our long Indian Summer finally fades, crisp whites will be giving way to spicier reds, and Oktoberfest brews will infiltrate the taps. I was way into my Forstreiter St. Laurent, an Austrian take on Pinot Noir, with plenty of flavor to stand up to the goulash. My date had the tasty Schneider hefe weisse, served with a cappuccino-like head and carrying hints of clove and apple. 

Spend a little while chatting with co-owner Andrew Chase at the bar and you’ll see him constantly reaching up a hand to wave at familiars on the street, which is maybe not such a surprise given he’s a Lower Eastsider himself. The pottery that adorns an upper shelf was done by Andrew himself right down the block at the Educational Alliance. He says his goal for Katja is simple: to craft a place where people from the neighborhood can come and feel comfortable and enjoy unpretentious, tasty home cooking. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but he seems to be pulling it off. Come on Lower East Side! It’s safe to drink near home again!

QUICK BITES
Cuisine: Austrian
Vibe: Residually Euro, neighborly
Occasion: Date with a Gustav Klimt or Arthur Schnitzler fan
Damage: $60+ for a three-course meal for two with one drink each, including tax and tip
Reservations: Not accepted
Not to Be Missed: Spaetzle ($12)

79 Orchard St. (Broome and Grand Sts.) 212-219-9545 Lower East Side