Restaurant review: Freistein in Rust is a welcome addition to Burgenland

Rust has gained a new culinary address where the wine list may be as compelling as the food. Freistein, opened in June by childhood friends Simon Steindl and Johann Freiler, occupies a picturesque extension of Rathausplatz that evokes Vienna’s Spittelberg district. The small wine bar fills up later in the day, after Steindl finishes the last preparations at the outdoor tables.

The restaurant’s name combines the two owners’ family names rather than referring to freedom or Rust’s town walls. Freiler runs the kitchen after working as sous-chef at Wirtshaus im Hofgassl, also in Rust. Steindl, who comes from the Ernst Triebaumer winery, oversees an impressive wine list. It includes his own Biodynamo range, such as a skin-fermented Grüner Veltliner, and around 30 Furmint selections.

The concentration on Burgenland wines gives the list considerable vintage depth, including Ernst Triebaumer’s Blaufränkisch Ried Mariental. Steindl also brings bottles from Champagne and other regions to Rust. Freiler sources most ingredients from trusted suppliers, including pork, lamb and vegetables from the Triebaumer extended family, beef from the Köller regenerative farm, and sourdough bread from Sopron bakery Kovászüzem.

The cooking is uncomplicated, solid and rich in flavor, although the desserts disappoint. Highlights include iced paprika soup with tiny melon cubes, briefly cured pike in coconut marinade with kohlrabi and cucumber, and roasted eggplant with curry flavors, yogurt and herbs. Blunzen dumplings with Furmint cabbage and mustard beurre blanc resemble Kärntner Kasnudeln more than ravioli. The review’s strongest verdict is reserved for the fries: better ones would be hard to find.