Schlag Is Optional

1. Klee Brasserie

200 Ninth Ave., nr. 23rd St.; 212-633-8033

Chef Daniel Angerer (late of the seafood shrine Fresh) explores his Austrian roots with dishes like pork loin with red cabbage and mustard relish.

2. Alto

520 Madison Ave., entrance on 53rd St.; 212-308-1099

Scott Conant has toned down his Alto Adige obsession, but you can still get a nice house-made tagliatelle with speck-potato sauce or herbed spaetzle with braised rabbit.

3. Blaue Gans

139 Duane St., nr. W. Broadway.; 212-571-8880

Simple (if hard-to-pronounce) Austro-German dishes like blutwurstgröstl and schupfnudeln, presented with a high degree of finesse by Kurt Gutenbrunner.

4. Trestle on Tenth

242 Tenth Ave., at 24th St.; 212-645-5659

Start with the pork-shoulder crepinettes, and proceed directly to the roast lamb saddle with bacon sauce.

5. Danube

30 Hudson St., nr. Duane St.; 212-791-3771

David Bouley’s velvet-swathed Klimtian dining room is still one of the prettiest in town. Good schnitzel too.

Schlag Is Optional