Rusterhof
This splendid little restaurant and inn (see hotel reviews), at the upper end of the main square, served us one of the best meals in recent memory. Frankly, based on an earlier visit to Rust, we hadn't expected to eat this well.

Stopping on a cold afternoon for a hot drink, we became intrigued by the Rusterhofs cozy charm wooden ceilings, red tile floors, whitewashed walls, dried flowers, rustic wood furnishings and decided to request an 8 pm dinner reservation. It was winter and the woman attending us had to check first to see if the restaurant would be serving dinner that night. She returned in a minute or so to tell us it was all right but, since there was only one other reservation, and that was at 7pm, could we come then? We could.

Arriving at the appointed time, we were seated in the same small bar/bistro room. The white-clothed table was lit by a candle and set with tall, delicate wine glasses. We later learned there is a more formal dining room but it was not open that night. In summer, most meals are served outside on a small patio, enclosed by trees and potted plants.

Our wait person first delivered a basket of warm breads with butter, some soft, herbed cheese, cherry tomato halves, and very small hardboiled eggs with a bit of red caviar.

Next, we divided a fine appetizer of moist smoked salmon (125 AS/$8.22) that came with bits of fried potato, more small egg halves, and a yogurt-based sauce.

By this time, we knew we were in good hands and the main dishes kept the level of excellence. Succulent Tafelspitz (boiled beef), with julienned carrots and zucchini served with Apfelkrem (horseradish in applesauce), was a steal at 215 AS ($14). Equally good was Zander von Neusiedlersee auf roten und gelben paprikarahm mit Blatt Spinach (pike-perch from the lake with wild rice, spinach and two sauces) for 235 AS ($15.50).

A pair of extraordinary desserts capped this wonderful meal: Schokoladenmousse hell und dunkel auf Erdbeermark und Fruchten for 105 AS ($7) was a huge cone of chocolate lying on its side and stuffed with mousse and raspberry sauce; and in a surprisingly light and not too-sweet Orangencreme mit Grand Marnier (85 AS/$5.60), the orange mouse was decorated with orange slices and Grand Marnier-soaked strips of the rind.

To appreciate the local varietal wines one has to suspend preconceived notions of taste and simply take them as they are; very different but nonetheless good accompaniment to the food. After we made that adjustment we were better able to enjoy glasses of a Rust Cabernet (Friedrich Seiler Cabernet Sauvignon, 1996) and a 1996 Herman Hammer Chardonnay. Wines by the glass were in the $3.50-$5.00 range.

We discovered an exception to this rule, a dessert wine suggested by our server. It was Kracher, Grand Cuvee, Trockenbeerenauslesse #1 1995; spectacular stuff that instantly reminded us of the great Sauternes of Bordeaux, but grown and produced in the village of Illmitz, just across the lake. A glass cost 100 AS ($6.60), about half what one would pay for a comparable wine in the U.S. We decided we had to have some and so set out the next day to track down its origins (see page 5). It wasnt easy but we finally found the property where the wine is made.

The door was answered by a man with a napkin tucked into his shirt. We had obviously interrupted his lunch. He spoke no English and shouted back into the house for assistance. A middle-aged woman soon appeared at the door with a bit of a puzzled look. After hearing our story, she explained that though their wine was not usually sold on the premises she could arrange to find a few bottles for us. She went on to say that there was a store in the next town that sells her familys wine but that it was closed that day.

But with amazing good humor, she led us to a building at the rear of the property where we paid about $24 each for a few half bottles from the 1996 vintage the 95 vintage of the previous night was sold out.

(A few weeks after returning to the U.S. we came across a mention of Illmitz in an upscale magazine. The story noted that the wines of Kracher, once virtually unknown, are now prized by oenophiles throughout the world.)

Dinner for two without the beverages was a little over $50. This is an excellent restaurant with much charm.

• Contact: Gasthof Rusterhof, Rathausplatz 18, A-7071 Rust, Burgenland, tel. +43/02685/6416, fax 6416 11. Proprietor: Michael Mooslechner
• Rating: Quality 16/20, Value 17/20

Restaurant am Rathaus Platz
A more pedestrian option on the main square is Restaurant am Rathaus Platz where the townspeople gather to socialize over a drink, an ice cream or a simple meal.

Here, you can get a decent Schnitzel (95 AS/$6.25) or perhaps venison stew (135 AS/$9) with a mixed salad (26 AS/$1.75) of chopped lettuce, cabbage with caraway seeds, vinegary potato slices, and garlic marinated green beans. A large draught beer is 34 AS ($2.20) but a glass of house Riesling is the best deal of all at 12 AS (80 cents). A shot of Barack, the Hungarian Schnapps, costs 24 AS ($1.60).

• Contact: Hotel Am Rathausplatz, Rathausplatz 7, A-7071 Rust, Burgenland, Tel. +43/02685/6202, fax 6772, Proprietor: Freya Hbner
• Rating: Quality 9/20, Value 13/20

Rust Basics

    * Population: 1700
    * Altitude: 118 meters/387 feet

Driving Distances:
City    
KM
    
Miles
Budapest    
223
    
138
Graz    
184
    
114
Munich    
497
    
308
Salzburg    
357
    
221
Vienna    
66
    
41

Tourist Information:

Rust Tourist office, Michaela Prckler, Rathausplatz 1, A-7071 Rust, tel. +43/02685/502, fax 50210, email: info@rust.or.at

Burgenland Tourism, Schloss Esterhazy, A-7000 Eisenstadt, tel. +43/02682/63384-15, fax 63384-20

Activities
    * If you visit Rust in winter, your activities are likely to be limited to indoor pursuits museums, galleries or, depending on your pain threshold, chilly walks through the villages and vineyards.
    * In summer, however, the lake is warm and inviting. Paddle boats, row boats and various sailing craft can be rented.
    * The huge expanse of reeds that rings the lake is home to a great variety of wildlife. Bird-watchers come from all over to see storks, egrets, geese, ducks and dozens of other varieties.
    * The areas relatively flat landscape is conducive to cycling and walking, especially among the vineyards. The tourist office has publications which suggest routes for both activities.
    * For any excursion, on foot, on a bicycle or by car, be sure to stop at a tourist office and get the free Burgenland Strassenkarte (scale 1:200,000). It uses a color system to mark walking and cycling routes as well as wine roads.
    * Explorations by car, of course, are good in most any weather. See page 5.

Main Attractions:

•    Esterhazy Palace Eisenstadt
•    Haydn Church Eisenstadt
•    Haydn Museum Eisenstadt
•    Roman Quarry St. Margarethen
•    Fishermans Church Rust
•    Basilica Frauenkirchen
•    Franz Liszt Museum Raiding
  

Wine Country Drive

This is an all-day auto tour around the Neusiedlersee. Those who plan ahead can arrange with their rental car company (at the time of reservation in the U.S.) for permission to drive in Hungary and thereby drive entirely around the lake. We did not and thus had to backtrack.

Leaving Rust, head north toward Donnerskirchen, charting a course on your 1:200,000 scale map that includes these towns:

Purbach: First turn right and go through the arches Turken Tur into the town. Head down the main street, turn left at the end and see thatched roof buildings. Go right again, crossing the railroad tracks to the lake. In summer you can rent a boat. On the left, before the lake, is a swimming center with a twisty water slide.

Turn around and drive toward the church. At the end of the road go left, then right and out the arches. Then, just past the fire station, take a left into Kellerplatz and see the odd, bunker-style wine cellars. Those with green boughs over the door are open for tasting and selling wine. Return to the main road and leave the town, observing the chapels and statues along the way.

Breitenbrunn: Note the Watch Tower at the entrance to the old town. Follow the Bahnhof signs and you will see more wine cellars and some attractive new houses, perhaps a sign of the regions growing importance as a wine producer.

Winden: Turn into the town on Hauptstrasse and continue left to the church. Note the huge black marble headstones. Return to the main road.

Jois: Not very attractive. At the roundabout go right toward the town of Neusiedl.

Neusiedl: A principal lakeside town with lots of shopping along the narrow main street.

Weiden: We passed.

Podersdorf: Check the cemetery wall on the left. At the main junction turn right toward the lake. Note the dozens of private vacation accommodations along this road. At the end, you can park and walk to the beach and a dock that juts out into the lake.

Go back the way you came and proceed to Illmitz. On the way, if the weather is clear, you will see the towns on the lakes western shore and the mountains beyond.

Illmitz: An important wine town. Houses declare their success on signs reading "World Champion 19 --". The Kracher familys winery (see Rusterhof story, pg 4) is on the road to Apetlon. You need an appointment to visit but the wine is sold by a shop in the next town. We paid 360 AS or about $24 per half-bottle.

Apetlon: To find the Kracher wine shop, follow the Ortsmitte signs and swing left. The address is 55 Wasserzeile. Leave town and follow the "Gterweg Pamhagen" signs. Soon you will come to an Austrian guard station where the Hungarian border touches the road.

Pamhagen: Turn right after the church to go to the border, then take a left at Hauptstrasse and a right at Raiffeisenstrasse. About one kilometer outside town is a narrow bridge, that crosses the border. Just before it is a turnaround and tower with armed guards. After you do the turnaround, follow Raiffeisenstrasse to Wallern.

Wallern: Not a prosperous town.

Vila Vita: Along the road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, is the huge Vila Vita (Storchengasse 1, A-7152 Pamhagen, tel +43/02175/21800, fax 218 0444, web: vilavitahotels.com) used mainly for large conferences, no doubt by Vienna-based businesses. Some buildings have thatched roofs, there are stables and an elaborate tennis center. Guest and public rooms are certainly up-market, but with its over-the-top decor and furnishings the place has an odd feel. Doubles are in the $110 to $135 range.

Wallern: In Wallern follow signs to Todten and Andau. Along the road note the many greenhouses.

Todten: Turn right to Andau

Andau: Famous for helping Hungarians escape the Russians in 1956. A short drive takes you to the escape point on the frontier. Turn at the information sign, just after the cemetery. Soon you will come to a "Y" in the road. In the gore of the "Y" is a small monument. At this point an Austrian soldier may appear from the bushes. When we visited, the guards headquarters was a tent in the trees behind the monument.

Here you commence the nine kilometer drive to the border bridge, where the escapes took place. Both sides of this arrow-straight road are lined with trees and dotted with crude, eerie sculptures. At the end, is another soldier and a place to park. Unfortunately, a fence blocks access to the bridge. Climb the tower to see over the border to Hungary.

Return to Andau and go into town. There is a church with unusual architecture. Head again to Todten and St. Andr. Go through the town and follow signs to Wien and Neusiedl/See.

Frauenkirchen: Here is the Basilica and the unusual Calvary monument with its Stations of the Cross. Continue toward Wien and Neusiedl.

Mönchof: The only sign of industry we saw in the area. Looks like an American city.

Gls: Here we passed police officers standing at the side of the road clocking traffic with a radar gun.

One could easily spend a full day in the Podersdorf - Andau area. It is part of the national park and there are many small towns to explore.