The Lutz family has been in the baking business since the 1770's. Today, the Lutz Cafe and Pastry Shop continue their traditions down to the last detail, preserving the Lutz's vision for the business. In Chicago, the Lutz family opened their café in 1948, introducing Konditorei to our area. As I walked in, I was overcome with nostalgia. The traditional old-world bakery counters were filled with hundreds of pastries from Sacher Torte and Marzipan, to Strudels and Cookies. You can enjoy the treats as a takeout, or sit down and relax for a full coffee service reminiscent of the Café Sperl in Vienna. Growing up, my grandfather was a foodie that would bring me to great bakeries, and this visit brought me back to a familiar place from my childhood. There is a comfortable family atmosphere with plenty of seating. They also have an outdoor garden café that further captures an old world Vienna, which is adjacent to the rear entrance of the indoor seating area.

The indoor café uses lighter colors, mostly muted yellows, to convey a warm and inviting feel. The artwork on the walls allows you to imagine that you’re sitting right outside the Stephansplatz in Vienna. After asking, I found that the outdoor café is only open from May through October.

Although everything in the pastry case looked delicious, I was drawn to try their Sacher Torte. I tasted the original at the Hotel Sacher in Vienna in May 2009, and wanted to see how the Café Lutz version compared. A Sacher Torte is a dry, dense chocolate cake infused with apricots, and covered in a layer of melted semi-sweet dark chocolate. This version had 2 layers as opposed to 1, with a layer of apricot preserves in the middle, and a sweet cream just inside the hard chocolate outer layer. I prefer the Lutz version of Sacher Torte to the original. It is slightly moister, due to the apricot preserves in between the 2 layers and not overly dense as the original.

The presentation of the pastry and coffee was also identical to the Viennese traditions: silver platter, coffee decanter, demitasse spoon, cream dispenser, sugar bowl, whipped cream bowl, as well as a fine 6 ounce porcelain cup and saucer. The one thing that I can appreciate over Vienna was the wait. The service is very proper, but Americanized in speed. It took 20-30 minutes to receive my coffee overseas, which is commonly reflected in the culture. On Montrose, I received a fabulous presentation and steaming cup in 5-7 minutes.

After the presentation, I poured my coffee, and a rich smell of Arabica hit me. The coffee beans themselves are dark brown; it’s a medium to full roast that smells with hints of cumin, or curry with a light scent of peanuts. It was darker than I expected, but a great cup of coffee none-the-less. The Mélange is the preferred coffee drink in Vienna. Think of it as a well-behaved cousin of the cappuccino. I find it smoother in flavor, without lacking in subtleties. That is what I recreated in my cup while sampling the Sacher Torte. I gave in to the experience and sat for the better part of an hour to soak in the atmosphere, vividly remembering why I loved Austria.

Surrender yourself to the experience. Take time to stop in and enjoy every aspect of this great hidden treasure in Chicago. If you can’t find the time to sit down inside, I recommend stopping by to take something home.

Website
www.lutzcafe.com