Restaurant Obauer — Restaurant in Werfen

I usually enjoy European breakfast buffets, but never have I begun a hotel review discussing breakfast. But then I've never had a delightful, surprising breakfast as at Obauer. This establishment also houses the highly-rated Restaurant Obauer, and they apparently want to wow their hotel patrons at breakfast with their culinary artistry and excellently-trained staff as well. ||First, it's not a buffet. You are seated at a table with (1) two different rolls in a wooden trencher, (2) a dish holding bite-sized pieces of fruit in a thin sauce (pineapple in a melon juice/sauce on day 1, rhubarb in a different sauce on day 2), (3) a small plate with 3 house-made jellies and 3 tiny spoons, (4) a small plate holding a rectangular piece of fresh cheese topped by olive tapenade and a splash of olive oil, (5) another plate holding two prepared items (a small cup of custard topped with fruit and a small piece of a slightly sweet cake), (6) the place setting and (7) lots of yet-unoccupied space. It will soon be full. ||Seconds after taking one's seat orange juice is poured in a waiting goblet. I always request water. Sparkling? No, still is fine. Next another orange colored juice is deliver in a slightly smaller goblet. Carrot-apple juice. I would never have ordered it, but it was very enjoyable. Would I care for scrambled egg with ham, fried egg with bacon, soft-boiled egg with an herb-cream sauce? Day 1 I opted for scrambled, but by day 2 I knew what was still coming and declined. I requested black tea. It arrived, pre-brewed to perfection in the kitchen.||Next to arrive is a tray with 4 different hams and sausages, placed to appear like 8 mini tents, and a small tray of 5 cheeses freshly sliced from an enormous selection sitting on a nearby table. A small wooden bin appears with several thin pieces of several freshly-baked breads (also sliced as needed from a nearby display table), accompanied by a seasoned butter and a mustard-cheese sauce. As if that wasn't enough, two new types of rolls were offered by a circulating waiter -- (sigh) I had to try one of them, didn't I? Finally, another surprise from the chef. On day 1, it was salmon of the alps with buffalo mozzarella and papaya; on day 2, it was minced trout in a delicious cream sauce with dill. Yum.||While the breakfast alone makes a stay at Hotel Obauer worthwhile, the modern-style room was very comfortable. My room was well-lighted, the shower was strong and a bit bigger than those found in some older buildings, and I had a balcony on the front of the building that had a wonderful view of Hohenwerfen fortress and the stone-walled Alps. Great Internet access and a few tasty treats to sample in the room. ||The primary restaurant building does not offer an elevator (I don't know if there is one in the adjacent building), so if mobility is an issue be sure to inquire about rooms with no or few stairs. ||Werfen is a peaceful town with a quiet central street as the main road bypasses the old town center market area. I noticed that several bars/cafes don't chain up their outdoor chairs/tables, so it appears extraordinarily safe. If you elect not to eat at Restaurant Obauer, there are several other restaurants within very easy walking distance. Parking is...

Let me say immediately, that we take our Tripadvisor reviews VERY seriously.||||We are very fortunate because we travel more than the average person - nearly 400 nights spent in hotels during the last three years - with almost as many fine lunches and memorable dinners in some of the best (and a few of the worst - either because there was no Tripadvisor review or we were in Provence) establishments in the world!||||WE TRY NOT TO GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT VERIFYING OUR CHOICE WITH TRIPADVISOR.||||If you read Tripadvisor reviews, and you separate out the fringe reviews, those with an axe to grind at the bottom end, and the owner's mistress/cousin at the top end, and then study several reviews from a varied cross-section of people you can usually deduce the right impression of a venue.||||If several reviews report that the: "hotel room was shabby", well, the chances are, it will be even shabbier when you get there - if you are crazy enough to ignore the reviews. ||||Every time we have chosen to ignore a Tripadvisor review we have lived to regret it.||||So, as I said, we take this kind of review very seriously, because we understand we are dealing with other people's happiness, other peoples finances, and more often than not, other people's few precious days every year of R&R - so deliberately misleading people is a selfish and unkind.||||Hopefully we have established our credibility?||||Having said that, if you are fortunate one day to visit Austria, and within Austria visit the little town of Werfen you will enjoy the "quirky" hospitality of the fabulous OBAUER BROTHERS!||||And you might even by a handmade hat from the kick hat maker?||||Forget the two Michelin stars, the two brothers are stars in their own right.||||The hotel is what you would expect from a "Two Star Establishment".||||Dinner is what you would expect from a "Two Star Establishment".||||BUT BREAKFAST is what you would expect from GOD!||||I have written elsewhere on Tripadvisor, that breakfast is not my favourite meal as it is difficult to enjoy a glass of wine with breakfast without feeling the need to say a few Hail Marys along with the Bloody Marys, but Austria - first in the Holmann Beletage, in Vienna - and then here, in Werfen, converted me to sitting back and enjoying the first meal of the day.||||I am not going to attempt to describe breakfast at Obauer, as it would take pages and pages, suffice to say it is absolutely and totally sinful with a cornucopia of endless dish upon dish of sheer sophisticated delight that you don't need to eat again until the following week.||||I have never advised friends or family to go somewhere for breakfast before... BUT GO AND STAY IN WERFEN... it is well "werf" it.||||It is more than a "breakfast of champions" it is a...

Let me say immediately, that we take our Tripadvisor reviews VERY seriously.||||We are very fortunate because we travel more than the average person - nearly 400 nights spent in hotels during the last three years - with almost as many fine lunches and memorable dinners in some of the best (and a few of the worst - either because there was no Tripadvisor review or we were in Provence) establishments in the world!||||WE TRY NOT TO GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT VERIFYING OUR CHOICE WITH TRIPADVISOR.||||If you read Tripadvisor reviews, and you separate out the fringe reviews, those with an axe to grind at the bottom end, and the owner's mistress/cousin at the top end, and then study several reviews from a varied cross-section of people you can usually deduce the right impression of a venue.||||If several reviews report that the: "hotel room was shabby", well, the chances are, it will be even shabbier when you get there - if you are crazy enough to ignore the reviews. ||||Every time we have chosen to ignore a Tripadvisor review we have lived to regret it.||||So, as I said, we take this kind of review very seriously, because we understand we are dealing with other people's happiness, other peoples finances, and more often than not, other people's few precious days every year of R&R - so deliberately misleading people is a selfish and unkind.||||Hopefully we have established our credibility?||||Having said that, if you are fortunate one day to visit Austria, and within Austria visit the little town of Werfen you will enjoy the "quirky" hospitality of the fabulous OBAUER BROTHERS!||||And you might even by a handmade hat from the kick hat maker?||||Forget the two Michelin stars, the two brothers are stars in their own right.||||The hotel is what you would expect from a "Two Star Establishment".||||Dinner is what you would expect from a "Two Star Establishment".||||BUT BREAKFAST is what you would expect from GOD!||||I have written elsewhere on Tripadvisor, that breakfast is not my favourite meal as it is difficult to enjoy a glass of wine with breakfast without feeling the need to say a few Hail Marys along with the Bloody Marys, but Austria - first in the Holmann Beletage, in Vienna - and then here, in Werfen, converted me to sitting back and enjoying the first meal of the day.||||I am not going to attempt to describe breakfast at Obauer, as it would take pages and pages, suffice to say it is absolutely and totally sinful with a cornucopia of endless dish upon dish of sheer sophisticated delight that you don't need to eat again until the following week.||||I have never advised friends or family to go somewhere for breakfast before... BUT GO AND STAY IN WERFEN... it is well "werf" it.||||It is more than a "breakfast of champions" it is a...