When we woke up on Monday, we were faced with a strange predicament: so many important things had happened at Lake Balaton that all of a sudden we didn’t know which one to report to you guys first. This is a problem we usually encounter in July and August, and not at the beginning of October.
Let’s start with the fact that Balaton experienced glorious weather over the weekend: on Sunday morning we strolled through Keszthely in a T-shirt, and when we got to the beach we saw that the summer crowd was gone – all we found was an idyllic scene that was very different from the gloomy and gray stereotype of fall we all know so well.
Lounging on a blanket was only one of the options, of course: the weekend was also memorable because the event series Nyitott Balaton, organized by the Balaton Tourism Association, came to an end after bringing a colorful program to the Balaton shore with everything from ghost tours and marathons to exquisite fall menus at great restaurants. The photo competition held in the framework of the event series is now over, but the submitted works of art are still on display, driving home the message that Balaton does not close in August.
The message of Balatoni Kör’s Sunday performance in Badacsony was exactly the same: with a bunch of bright colored umbrellas in hand, several of the wine-themed group’s members (among them Gábor Kardos, Zsófi and Bence Laposa, Gergő Istvándy, Dániel Bezerics) grabbed a table decked with gorgeous food and wine, and brought it out onto the beach. The symbolism is really simple: Balaton awaits visitors with a table full of goodies even in the fall, regardless of whether it’s pouring rain or sunny as a bright summer day.
To corroborate this claim, Keszthely’s Télikert has once again opened its gates for the fall and wintertime, offering a serious hamburger and pizza selection familiar from the three establishments run by Dani Bezerics (Fröccsterasz, Kishableány, Paletta), as well as divine bistro cuisine created with the leadership of chef János Pál, who’s previously worked at Piac Bistro in Zalaegerszeg and Hűvösvölgyi Csárda in Hévíz. His aim is to make mouthwatering dishes from seasonal, local ingredients – a fine example of this approach is the deer with beetroot, poppyseed and parsnip puré that was served on the opening night.
The price of the bistro dishes will range from 2,500 HUF to 4,500 HUF, and the delectable savory delights will be served with the best wines of Balaton winemakers. Opening on October 9, the eatery will feature a series of gourmet dinners, as well as various DJs and musicians to reinvigorate the weekend party scene.
