Czech Please

Osteria da Clara Revisited

2009-05-26T06:04:00.040+02:00

"Few things are more tempting to a writer than to repeat, admiringly, what he has said before." John Kenneth Galbraith

Hard to believe, but it has been more than a year since we first visited Osteria da Clara in Vršovice. That was shortly after it opened.

It's a small, Tuscan-inspired place just around the corner from our flat.The British chef and owner, Glen Svarc, used to live and cook in Florence. But he has Czech roots.

We've eaten there many times over the past year, but the menu changes every few months, so it always stays interesting. Some things we didn't love. But there have been a number of dishes that I have severely missed after they were taken off the menu.

So, when I saw the menu once again had a couple of our favorites from when the restaurant opened, we headed over.

And we were turned away. This restaurant, with more or less eight tables, is quite often full now.It wasn't that way in the beginning when I first wrote about it, but it has gotten a lot of positive press, including from the very popular Czech food blog, Cuketka.cz.

I wouldn't advise showing up without a reservation, especially on the weekend.However, we did turn up without one on another night. We were lucky and scored the last free table.

Soon, the breadbasket arrived. It contained wonderful warm focaccia and some sliced quality bread.The focaccia, lightly sprinkled with salt and rosemary, came with an assertive olive oil.

This was not available on our very first visit. I find it irresistible and have a hard time not ruining my appetite by consuming too many slices while waiting for food.

Which leads me to another thing you need to be aware of. When the restaurant is busy, the kitchen and the service can really slow down. Patience is required.We started by sharing a bowl of the soup of the day, tomato bread soup (85 CZK). It was a large portion, and they thoughtfully split it into two bowls for us.It was creamy and the flavors were very balanced. Just the right amount of salt brought up the essence of the tomatoes nicely, along with the basil. The little pieces of soaked bread gave it a pleasant texture and substantial heft. It was almost a meal in itself.

On a second visit, I tried prosciutto, scamorza, pere e noci, otherwise known as Parma ham, smoked cheese, pear, walnuts, rucola, and radicchio with lemon and olive oil (115 CZK).Fantastic. The Parma ham was fresh, moist, and tender. It was a very generous portion. The buttery slices melted in my mouth. The warm, gooey mozzarella-like cheese was a decadently delicious companion.

Perhaps it was luck, but the pear was the sweetest I can remember. My biggest regret was that there were only four slices. I cut it into small pieces and rationed them out so I could have some with each bite.

On that visit, V had zuppa di cozze -- mussel soup (139 CZK). She said the mussels themselves were just OK.They were clean, but some were on the small side, perhaps because the season had passed. No "r" in the month of May.

However, she really enjoyed the tomato-based both under the shells. It was strong, very garlicky, and spicy. The soup had the flavor of the mussels and the sea. There was a slice of bread soaking at the bottom of the bowl.

For a main course, I had one of my all-time favorite dishes, the fettine di maiale in saor -- pork fillets with pine nuts, raisins, caramelized red onions and balsamico (259 CZK).It lived up to my fond memories. The three pieces of pork were pounded flat and very tender. They were dipped in flour and cooked in wine. Very rich.

I like dishes with sweet notes. This was perfect for me. But V's tastes don't always run in the same direction. As I was raving about how good it was, she teased me.

"It's a cake."

"Oh, come on."

"Flour, butter, sugar, nuts. Cake."

"Let them eat cake."

On the second visit, I thought ordering something I hadn't tried before might be better for you, the reader. But me, the eater, couldn't resist another chance to have the fettine di maiale.But this turned out to be an educational choice for us both because it came out differently than other visits. This time, the chef had a heavier hand with the balsamic, moving it more into the sour camp than the sweet. I preferred the way it was the first time.

Also the vegetables changed on different nights. Both times there were sliced potatoes and carrots. The carrots are some of the best I've ever had.

They were cooked in Marsala wine and have a smokey flavor that I think comes from pancetta. They still had some crunch. Good for the health, but I don't want to know how much butter and olive oil they go through every night in the kitchen.

One time, there was zucchini. Another time there was fennel. You never know what you are going to get. But I appreciate that the vegetables are included in the price of the main course. No extra add ons for side orders.

V ordered a favorite dish from a year ago, the spaghetti alla zingara (139 CZK).This pasta excited her the first time she tried it because of the fresh ginger in the mix, a non-classical but creative idea. Per the name, it has a spicy zing.

This time, she didn't love it. She wished for more sauce, there was too much olive oil, and it was slightly overcooked. That said, the portion was huge. She could only finish half at dinner and took the rest home.

But there have been pastas on the menu that were really terrific. One was on the menu a couple of months ago -- a penne with tomato sauce and Italian sausage.It was perfectly al dente. I had actually planned to save some of it for lunch the next day, but I enjoyed it so much, I finished the whole thing.

And I need to mention another penne dish from a previous menu that I still dream about. It was made with mascarpone cheese, pumpkin, and pancetta. Creamy, savory, and sweet.

"It's dinner and desert," was my enthusiastic assessment after I had cleaned the plate. I can't wait for it to appear again.

I usually drink Pilsner Urquell. They only serve it in .33 liter bottles (35 CZK).Bottles of Mattoni mineral water were 30 CZK each. V had one of the house white table wines (35 CZK per glass).

The wine list is one of the really great things about Osteria da Clara. It is all Italian, the prices are relatively low, and we've had quite a few good ones.

The cheapest on the list was 195 CZK and the most expensive was 595 CZK. But there were also wines by the pitcher -- .2 liter, .5 liter, or 1 liter -- that are even better bargains.

For dessert, we shared a house-made tiramisu (99 CZK). Loved it.The topping was so light, I was doubting that was mascarpone. The savoiardi or lady fingers were soaked in a strong espresso.There were chocolate chips and a drizzling of strawberry syrup.

Above all, it was not too sweet. What was most interesting is V does not like tiramisu. I expected her to take one bite and the rest would be for me. But she thought the flavor and texture were quite special. She ended up consuming her full share.

Not content with one sweet ending, V ordered us two shots of Becherovka as a digestif (60 CZK each).

Even though it is outside the tourist center, I regularly recommend Osteria da Clara. Two well-traveled colleagues raved after I sent them over. A diplomat and his wife loved it. My stepfather seriously wanted to eat there every night. After all my referrals, only one person came back not appreciating it.

Just don't raise expectations to unrealistic levels. As noted above, it is not perfect. Not every dish is a winner. Service can be haphazard. The kitchen is not always consistent. But there is a large share of quality.

It's clear the chef's heart and soul is in his work. I've found nothing else quite like it in the city.

And along with original and often delicious dishes, Osteria da Clara has one more key ingredient -- great value.

It's a place that this writer repeatedly returns to, admiringly, again and again.

Osteria da Clara
Mexicka 7
Prague 10 - Vršovice
Tel. (+420) 271 726 548

Osteria da Clara

2008-03-23T11:06:00.011+01:00

"He who knows little, quickly tells it." Italian proverb

Osteria da Clara is a little, new Italian place with modest prices and lofty culinary aspirations.It took over the space once occupied by Valleta in Vršovice, just over the line from Vinohrady.

I thought Valleta, loved by some, was a reasonably-priced, if imperfect attempt at adventurous and creative cooking. It was interesting and different but never excited me.A couple of visits to Osteria da Clara the first week after it opened has me interested. And at least two dishes got me excited.

There were imperfections, but I think (and hope) those can be attributed to the restaurant's newness.

The small dining room has changed in subtle ways from the Valleta days, with a nicer chairs and rearranged tables. But there were only around eight of them.There was also a better looking, stained wood cover for an overhead air vent. But they should get rid of the beat up, old couch near the front door. It brings down an otherwise clean-looking space.

Meals began with chewy, crusty bread. It came with a strong olive oil that had a pleasant, ever-so-slightly bitter finish.

For a starter during a solo outing, I had the crostini misti (95 CZK).

There were three different offerings on the plate. Toasted bread covered with chopped chicken liver, toasted bread with chopped tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, and basil, and warm polenta topped with melted cheese.

Amid the crostini, there was white bean salad with red onion and a bit of tuna. This unadvertised addition was also offered as a separate starter (95 CZK).I'm a chopped chicken liver fan. In the old days, I used get tubs of it at a New York deli and make sandwiches. I enjoyed this version.

The chopped tomato bruschetta was basic but tasty. I thought the addition of the sun-dried tomatoes was a good idea.

I believe the polenta had a blue cheese on top. It was a small serving, but enough -- it had a pungent kick.

On the second visit, I ordered the insalata di pollo antica -- chicken salad with walnuts, raisin, and orange (95 CZK). There were a few rucola leaves and splashes of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.The chicken, served cold and shredded, was nicely prepared. It could have used more seasoning. All the ingredients were fresh and good quality, but I thought the dish didn't pull together as a whole.

Looking back, I'd have cut up the chicken, orange, and rucola into smaller pieces at the start, tossed them together, and added a touch more dressing. But maybe that's just me. I did this as I was finishing it and enjoyed the salad much more.

I tried the calamari caldi con barbabietole -- warm squid with beetroot, leaks, white wine and cream (115 CZK).The squid were tender, but unspectacular when considered on their own merits. However, the sauce was the star here.

The mixture of the wine and cream, along with the added calamari flavor, had us soaking it up with our extra bread. Only the bland beets were a disappointment.

For a main course on my first visit, I got the fettine di maiale -- pork fillet with pine nuts and balsamic vinegar (235 CZK). I absolutely loved this.The thick, brown coating on the meat tasted like a lovely Marsala wine sauce. There were unannounced raisins, giving it natural sweetness. Fresh sage took it to another level. Fantastic.

I asked the waitress about the sauce. After consulting with the kitchen, she said it was actually made with table wine, but that the carrots were cooked in Marsala. The carrots were perfect -- warm, but still with some snap in them.

There was cold, anise-influenced fennel and a small amount of cold, roasted eggplant, red pepper, and zucchini.

The roasted potatoes had potential, but weren't as good as they could have been. Also, the pork was just a little tough.

On the second visit, I had a bite of the spaghetti al zingaro, which is made with ginger, chili, garlic, tomato, and marjoram (129 CZK).It had the zesty zing of fresh ginger and the spicy bite of the chili. I'd never tasted a pasta quite like it before, and it took me a few bites to get used to it. We complimented the chef when he came out of the kitchen.

I also took the opportunity to ask him if the menu will expand, since it is pretty short.

He said probably not. The plan is to make changes every two weeks. But he said he'd make the spaghetti al zingaro any time, on request. Nice guy.

My sources tell me he's British, worked in restaurants in Florence, had a Czech girlfriend and... you know how that goes.

Anyway, on this second trip, I ordered the scaloppine dello chef (235 CZK). It was thinly sliced, tender pieces of beef topped with a Gorgonzola cheese sauce and, if memory serves, fried fennel.It also came with the great carrots and better-prepared roasted potatoes. The dish was OK but didn't grab me nearly as much as the pork dish.

Things I didn't get to try: breast of guinea fowl with pancetta, olives, and orange (285 CZK) or the fish of the day (285 CZK).

The wine list reminded me of Al Pacino -- short, cheap, and Italian. With all due respect, padrone. I mean that in a good way.

Wines by the .2 liter glass were all 35 CZK. A .75 liter bottle of Chardonnay della Venezia was only 175 CZK, while a bottle of Chianti Colli Senesi was 375 CZK.

There was no beer on tap. They had .33 liter bottles of Pilsner Urquell and Budvar for 35 CZK.

I ordered dessert on both visits.

The first was a homemade tiramisu (95 CZK). I'm not a big connoisseur, but this one was really good.The ladyfingers were soaked in plenty of real espresso and liqueur, and each bite revealed chunks of dark chocolate inside. The strawberry was ripe and finely sliced. Yum.

On the second visit, I had the panna cotta with brandy and orange (95 CZK). There was an orange sauce but not a lot of brandy flavor. Still, this sweet, creamy dessert tasted heavenly.There was one problem. Ice crystals in the middle. I mentioned it to the waitress, and she confessed the freezer had broken down some time earlier. Such are the opening week kinks in a new restaurant.

I wasn't thrilled about it, but I'll say this. It was good enough that I really want to try it again (without the ice crystals).

Yes, we'll be going back, even though it wasn't perfect. And not just because we live in the area.

I thought that pork was one of the best dishes I've had in a long time and felt the same way about the zingy spaghetti.

It also helps that the prices are probably 30% less than what you'd pay for similar cooking in the center, especially since side dishes were included.

Now, old school restaurant critics might wait for a restaurant to be open for a month or two to let some issues get smoothed out before writing a review.

In the blogosphere, we play by different rules. But they are not new rules.

It is not widely known, but we often use old Italian proverbs as our guides.

Osteria da Clara
Mexicka 7
Prague 10 - Vršovice
Tel. (+420) 271 726 548
Email: daclara (at) seznam.cz

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Valleta (Closed)

2008-01-04T09:55:00.001+01:00

*News update: Valleta has closed. The space has been taken over by an Italian restaurant, Osteria da Clara. You can read about my visit here.

"Sometimes I'm so sweet, even I can't stand it."
-Julie Andrews

Valleta is a sweet little spot in Vršovice, tucked into a side street on the Vinohrady border.

A sweet, gray-haired Czech man waits on the tables.

The prices are pretty sweet.

The restaurant serves cuisine that is international, adventurous, original, and, yes, on the sweet side.

The dishes from the old menu there used to be even sweeter, which was why we weren't regulars. We live close by. But from the beginning, Valleta had its fans.

The Prague Post's old restaurant critic gave Valleta a very good review a few years back. He even recommended in a later, cleverly titled CNN.com travel article.

The restaurant has a new menu these days, and while there were still some cloying aspects, there was also more balance. Not everything worked with every dish, but almost all had something good about them.

The chef is Filip Blažek, who learned his advanced skills while working in Barcelona. My understanding is that his dad is the waiter and front-of-house man.

The dining room changed since our last visit, with more stylish touches added to the single-room dining area. It is not a big place, with just a few tables.

I started with the marinated lamb kebab skewer with goat cheese timbal and pistachios (95 CZK). The lamb meat was ground up, mixed with spices, and cooked on wooden sticks.The lamb was quite flavorful. It was well-salted, not sweet. The fried onions were the sweet part, along with a piece of fresh pineapple and a slice of pear were on the side.

The goat cheese tasted similar to feta -- which can be made with goat's mile, but was not very goat-like. And it was very salty. The cheese was served between slices of eggplant. I didn't really see or taste the pistachios.

V had the "Oriental Bangkok" prawns with mango-sesame salad and an oriental mustard sauce (115 CZK). There were three decent-sized prawns, which seemed a fair for the price. They were well-prepared and had good flavor.The dish came with a mound of thinly sliced sweet/sour mango in the center, topped by rucola. Very nice.

I think I had the winner of the main courses: Grilled veal slices with sun-dried tomato, melted mozzarella, and avocado tempura in an orange-basil sauce (200 CZK).The veal was very fresh and very tender. It was well-seasoned. Sun-dried tomatoes aren't the most gourmet cooking ingredient, but I really like the sour bursts of flavor they bring.

The avocado tempura was something I hadn't seen before. It wasn't a classic tempura batter and they were a little greasy, but I liked it nonetheless.

Side orders are extra. I had the grilled triangle of crepes and mushrooms with fresh sage (45 CZK). They were OK, but really more like spongy cake slices than crepes.

I love fresh sage, and it went very well with the veal. The basil in the veal's sauce stayed in the background.

V ordered a special: A Moroccan tagine of Nile perch in a sesame-olive sauce with grilled fennel and lemon zest (190 CZK). She got the recommended side of cous cous with vegetables and spices (35 CZK).She said it was pretty good, but didn't love it. The sweet water perch was a little too fishy tasting for me.

There were some fried greens on top, but she couldn't figure out exactly what they were. We both thought the cous cous was good.

No menu is available on the Internet so I'll tell you a few other offerings. There is a wine-braised lamb shank (225 CZK), duck leg tagine with grilled pear and orange zest (180 CZK), duck breast with apple-fig chutney (230 CZK), and rabbit in a mustard sauce (220 CZK).

On the sea-side of the menu, there is butterfish in a seaweed sour cream sauce (220 CZK), honey-cumin glazed salmon (190 CZK), sea bass fillet over fennel puree and orange sauce (215 CZK), and a catfish cake with crab meat spring roll (180 CZK).

Other side dishes include risotto with caramelized ginger (45 CZK), grilled polenta with fresh basil (45 CZK), and roasted potatoes with garlic and cherry tomatoes (35 CZK).

With both decided to have dessert, which is unusual. Usually, we just share one. I had the chocolate brownie with ginger and banana in a spicy, white-chocolate soup, served with strawberry ice cream (90 CZK).It was interesting. There was just a little spice that built into a pleasant heat. But the flavor of chocolate was not strong enough for my taste. The ice cream was nothing special and the color was a little too neon.

V got the frozen parfait of poppy seeds with sour cherries (85 CZK). This is not something I'd order. But V loved it. She said it reminded her of a dessert from her youth.There were no cherries so there was an unannounced substitute of what I believe were marinated apricots on the side (I didn't taste them).

At the end of the meal, we decided that we liked the current menu enough to come back and try more of it. But take that with a grain of salt.

The location, a short walk from home, certainly is a big positive factor for us. The cuisine is creative, but its sugary sides might not appeal to everyone.

But if you love la dolce vita and want try a different take on haute cuisine, the bill at Valleta won't leave a sour taste in your mouth.

Valleta
Mexická 7
Prague 10–Vršovice
Tel. (+420) 271 726 548

Thai's Asian Food Shop

2007-10-24T07:08:00.001+02:00

"Great acts are made up of small deeds."
-Lao Tzu

At my home, at this very moment, sits a pot of homemade tom kha gai soup. V makes it a few times a year. Love the stuff.

But cooking Asian specialties at home in Prague is not so easy. Getting the proper ingredients has often required a scavenger hunt around the city and occasionally necessitated the import of ingredients from abroad.

But Thai's Asian Food Shop is making things a whole lot easier. Even more so for us since it moved from Gorazdova in Prague 2 up to Francouska in Prague 10.The shop is just two small rooms, but in that limited space, you'll see a respectable selection of hard-to-find stuff.

In the front room, there is a freezer holding a wide variety of seafood. There are some treasures in that chest.You will usually find one kilogram packages of frozen shrimp (prawns). These are special for a few reasons.

First, a bag only costs 250 CZK. That is about half of what a similar-sized bag of frozen shrimp will cost you at the fancy shop, Seafood, on Zborovska.

The shrimp at Thai's Asian Food Shop have been cleaned and shelled and frozen -- uncooked. That last part is key. These shrimp are terrific for cooking.

The pre-boiled shrimp you'll find elsewhere are problematic if a recipe requires that you put them on the stove. Heat will often cause them to shrink and get hard.

The pre-boiled shrimp are fine if you want an instant shrimp cocktail after they defrost.

I saw frozen, uncooked shrimp at Tesco this week, but they were uncleaned, with shells and heads on.

In this front freezer, there was another fantastic catch: Barbecued eel. I'd never seen it for sale before at a market. The big unagi costs 250 CZK. This seemed like a great bargain to me.

Previously, the best deal I'd found for barbecued eel was at the Japanese restaurant, Miyabi. There, it costs 390 CZK. It comes with rice and miso soup, but the eel is half the size of the one I bought at the shop.

I defrosted the eel when I got home. Since it was already cooked, I heated it up in the microwave. It was absolutely delicious. Such fine meat. I mixed up a little sweet soy chili sauce on the side and ate the whole thing.I regretted not buying the second one I saw in the freezer. I went back the next week, but it was gone. I was told they'd get more the next day.

In the front freezer, there are many other types of seafood, including cuttlefish, small shrimp, mackerel, and fish balls.

Next to this freezer, are two stand-up coolers that have a wide variety of Asian roots and greens for cooking.For tom kha gai soup, you can get galangal. This ginger-like root is one of the harder to find ingredients in Prague.They also have packages of kaffir lime leaves. This is one of my favorite flavors in Thai cooking.The shop has lemon grass, Thai basil, cilantro, green peppercorns, bean sprouts, and several things I had never seen before.

Trying to figure out what some things are can be a bit of a challenge. More on that later.

There is another freezer in the back room.We picked up some frozen spring rolls from there. These were vegetarian. I fried up a few.

They were very simple, just filled with shredded sour cabbage. But I'll say they were very good.

I can't tell you how many times I've had spring rolls that had off-tasting filling. Not a problem with these. The had a fresh, clean taste.The shelves in the back room are filled with a great variety of products you won't find too many other places in Prague.

It really is quite impressive how many things they fit into such a small area.

There are rices, beans, noodles, and nuts.

There are all kinds of sweet sauces, soy sauces, oysters sauces, curry pastes, and soup mixes.

There are cans of exotic fruits and vegetables, and jars of little fish. I can't begin to name them all.

There are many things I think I'll probably never try. But then V will find some exotic recipe calling for something I've never heard of before, so you never know.

You can even find some soybean pudding or more ordinary rice pudding if you want.

On a recent visit, we came back with several items we needed for our cooking.There was masaman curry paste (59 CZK), unsalted peanuts (39 CZK), a liter of coconut milk (59 CZK), sweetened cream of coconut (39 CZK) -- they also have unsweetened, Indonesian tamarind soup paste (39 CZK), and hoisin sauce (45 CZK).

One favorite little snack we found was their wasabi broad beans. They're not cheap at 65 CZK for a can. But these are the most addictive little things I've found in a while.

Someone shared their wasabi peas with me recently and I found they didn't taste as nice. T

These flat beans have plenty of that great sharp, sweet flavor.

One problem at Thai's Asian Food Shop is the man I always see working there. He is friendly enough. But he doesn't speak English. Or Czech. So, don't expect him to answer too many questions.

But if you speak Vietnamese, then you are in luck.

Another problem is that they do run out of things I must have like cilantro and eel.

It is possible to make a trip to the shop on the Vinohrady-Vršovice border and come away disappointed.

But I'd say these are minor problems that are far outweighed by the benefits. There are a lot of goodies there. Even I am surprised that I've had so much to say about so little a space.

Yes, Thai's Asian Food Shop is small, indeed. But it is a great act to follow.

Thai's Asian Food Shop
Francouzská 66
Prague 10
Mon-Sat: 10 am-8 pm
Thu: closed
Sun: 3 pm–8 pm

Dedicated to Max and Will

Tesco Eden - International Section

2007-10-22T08:16:00.000+02:00

"I never make a trip to the United States without visiting a supermarket. To me they are more fascinating than any fashion salon."
-Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor

You said it, sister.

I, myself, have made the personal pilgrimage to the renowned Whole Foods Market in the Time Warner Center at New York City's Columbus Circle.

Just to look. Food is my thing. I could wander around in that vast and varied space for days.

In Prague, the lack of a really super supermarket can be frustrating because V and I do a lot of creative cooking at home (which is somewhat ironic, considering the fact that I write a restaurant blog).

What it means is that we are always searching for a variety of exotic international ingredients.

But there is good news. Things are changing. Progress is being made.

Witness the international section at Tesco Eden. It used to be pretty pitiful.

However, I just got back from a visit and found the offerings in their international aisle have greatly expanded.

For example, it is no longer just a small, neglected section of shelves. Products from around the globe now fill an entire side of one whole aisle.They have a lot of things that have been available in Prague before. But the selection is now much wider. Instead of traveling around to many specialty shops, Tesco Eden makes one-stop international shopping less of a dream.

Let's take a brief tour, shall we? This is far from an exhaustive list, and I could hardly remember everything there, but here goes:

There is a North American section. There you will find items such as real Canadian maple syrup, even in one liter jugs, Tabasco sauce, generic barbecue sauce, and steak sauce.There is a Latin American section that has many kinds of flour tortillas, salsas, peppers, and sauces.

There is a Japanese section with a "sushi kit," wasabi powder mix or in tubes, pickled ginger, rice wine vinegar, and tonkatsu sauce. We bought miso soup mix. It was not so cheap, but apparently makes a number of portions.Next to that is an Indian section. There are a multitude of spices and prepared sauces. We picked up some tandoori paste.

There is a Thai section with red and green curry, and many Thai sauces.There are Italian and Mediterranean sections as well, with tomato sauces, balsamic vinegars, olive oils, cooking wines, and spicy ajvar.So, anyway, I'm a little crazy about supermarkets. Other than that, I have very little in common with Wallis Simpson.

Unless you include that brief, little encounter I had in Vienna with another Prince of Wales.

But that's a story for another time.

Tesco Eden
U Slavie 1527
Prague 10

Nanocafé

2007-08-27T19:03:00.000+02:00

“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.”
-Boris Pasternak

Sometimes, tourists are the primary audience for a post.

Sometimes, a post is more for people who live in Prague.

This time, the audience is far more narrow and select: Residents of Prague's Upper Vršovice neighborhood.

When Nanocafé opened on Kodaňská a few months back, I found it rather surprising. I wondered what the people behind it were thinking.It is a cafe the size of a phone booth, with four tables and a few stools inside. Out front, there are four tables surrounded by straw mats sitting under a big Hoegaarden umbrella. It is near the Slovinska bus stop, but it is a relatively quiet residential area, so I imagined the potential for foot traffic would not be high.

I walked by it many times, but I never gave it a second look. Which is where V comes into the picture. She is preternaturally curious and, one day, stuck her head in the door. And what she saw impressed her. Nanocafé serves her favorite beer in the world: Leffe Blonde.

Certainly, the attachment is somewhat sentimental. V spent a good deal of time working in Brussels.

Nanocafé serves it from a .3 liter bottle for 49 CZK, which is pretty steep. But we rationalized that it wasn't too bad because that is about the same price we've seen it selling for at Delvita. And when it comes to love, money is no object.

Another surprise was that the place is run by a cool and friendly young couple. We stopped by late one evening for a drink. Around midnight, we asked what time they closed.

"10 o'clock," we were told. "But we'll stay open later if we feel like it."

Another night we started there around 10 pm and were told they wouldn't stay open until midnight, like last time. Still, we were asked if we wanted another round at 11 pm. Our kind of place.

They told V that she is really their only Leffe Blonde customer. So, she'd better keep drinking it significant quantities.

Even I, very unexpectedly, fell for a new beer. Nanocafé sells Primátor Weizenbier, which is brewed in Náchod. It is a top-fermented, light-coloured wheat beer with unfiltered yeast.

They serve it with a wedge of lemon at the top of a tall Primátor glass, but I think it has a very nice tartness on its own and a slight honey sweetness. I just love it. A great summer beer at 34 CZK per half-liter glass.

It is also sold by the bottle at Delvita. If memory serves, it was only around 17 CZK for a half-liter. A great alternative to the much pricier Hoegaarden.

Nanocafé also has Stella Artois at 34 CZK for a half-liter.

They have a small menu of snacks like Medovnik for 30 CZK, fruit cheesecake for 40 CZK, and panini. And, of course they have espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes for between 24 and 39 CZK. There is a long list of teas to choose from for 24 CZK, including green lychee. They have banana, strawberry, blueberry or vanilla milkshakes for around 36 or 38 CZK. I even saw pear cider (34 CZK) and ginger beer (29 CZK) on the menu.

We asked the young woman in charge how the business was doing. I was surprised when she said they were actually making the most money from the coffee business.

One big reason, she said, is that there is a no smoking policy. They get many mothers from the area coming by during the day with their baby carriages to socialize or just sit outside. They also have free Wi-Fi.

I have been especially surprised in the last few weeks to see that Nanocafé has grown relatively popular. Or as popular as a place can be with seven or eight tables. They are often full and people stand around drinking and socializing by the door.

If more than two or three people reading this decide to drop by, they probably won't even fit. Just so you know.

I asked them how they will survive the winter if 50 percent of their tables are outside. They said they will try to keep the tables warm with heaters.

I have to admit, I'll be surprised if they'll be able to deal with the cold weather and keep the business going strong.

Then again, I've found that Nanocafé is full of surprises.

Nanocafé
Kodaňská 22
Prague 10

Park Restaurant & Cafe

2007-05-29T06:10:00.001+02:00

**UPDATE: The menu for this restaurant has changed significantly. There are fewer seafood options and it appears less international and more Czech oriented. The Internet version of the menu had not been updated to reflect his, last time I checked.

Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours.
-Swedish proverb

A number of people say they won't tell me their favorite restaurant, fearing that they will be overwhelmed by the crowds who read this.

I usually think they need to relax.

However, I recently found a restaurant with a nice garden and some great food. Getting a table outside on a nice weekend day never seems to be a problem.

And, I have to admit, I asked myself: Do I tell everyone?

Well, yeah.

I first stumbled upon the Park Restaurant & Cafe one day on the Internet. The menu looked interesting, with steaks, seafood, and pasta.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that it is owned by the company that runs La Bodeguita Del Medio and La Casa Argentina, which have some great food.

I was happy to see it was actually not far from my neighborhood. Walking distance.

I was taken aback by the location. It's an unusual choice, given the style of the place and the obviously large investment that went into it.

The restaurant is in Vršovice, near the border with Nusle. It is very close to an Esso station and a Czech Railway overpass. I believe the 6, 7, and 24 trams stop nearby. It is on Vršovická, a major thoroughfare and sits at the back of a new housing complex that also hosts a Lidl economy supermarket.

Not so good.

But when you walk around to the back corner of the housing complex, things get a whole lot better. The trick to having a good first impression is to come in the back way, through Havlíčkovy Sady (Havlíček's Park). The opposite side of the park has an entrance in a leafy and wealthy section of Vinohrady.

As you walk in the park from that side you'll pass the Neo-Renaissance Villa Grébovka built in the late 19th century for industrialist Moritz Gröbe. There is a steep hill behind the villa that is part of a working vineyard.

There is also a beautiful wood gazebo that is now a wine bar and cafe. Then, at the bottom of the hill, there is an exit on the right side of the park that leads to a bridge to the Park Cafe and Restaurant.

V started out with the bruschetta with salmon tartar and mustard vinaigrette for 125 CZK.

The chopped, marinated salmon was fresh and tasted very nice. One can eat the salmon by itself or load it onto the slices of toasted baguette. They were slightly sweet and seemed to have soaked up some of the mustard vinaigrette.

There is ruccola on the side, along with half a lemon, and diced tomatoes dressed with basil and olive oil. We both liked this -- it will be a regular order.

I had marinated peppers with goat cheese with marinated peppers for 95 CZK. We are big goat cheese fans. It was very creamy and had small bits of red pepper mixed in. I'd spread it on some bread and then lay some of the sweet red and yellow peppers across the top. Nothing too exotic, but good enough to order again.

On another visit, I had the Caesar salad with marinated chicken for 132 CZK.

It has what is billed as an "anchovy dressing." It was pretty close to a classic Caesar dressing, but there was definitely an extra-strong anchovy kick there. The salad is punctuated with a few of the little swimmers on top. There is also a generous amount of shaved Parmesan cheese. I'm a big Parmesan fan.

The marinated chicken is something of weak point. It was tough to cut and dry and didn't really have a lot of flavor, given the promise of marination.

For a main course, V got the calamari with tomato sauce for 235 CZK. This was just excellent, perhaps the best squid we've had in Prague. It was lightly cooked and all the rings were extremely tender. It was grilled and had a strong smoky flavor.

The menu said it comes with baguettes and salad. She got the two, rather ordinary mini-baguettes. But no salad. We neglected to ask why. She had this dish the both times we went.

I had spaghetti with mozzarella, zucchini, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and ruccola pesto. Simple and delicious.

I only had to chop up the big pieces of dried tomato so they'd be more evenly distributed. The little melted pieces of mozzarella were a nice touch. I didn't see much in the way of zucchini, but didn't mind so much. A lot of different flavors in there, but all pretty subtle.

During a different visit, I went for the Uruguayan rib eye steak for 370 CZK. This was a fine piece of meat. I assume they must have some good South American beef connection via La Casa Argentina (apparently not - see comments).

It was very tender. I asked for it cooked to medium. Half of the steak was medium and half was rare.

It was lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, but I felt it needed a lot more salt. It was a bit on the bland side. Surprisingly, it lacked much flavor from the grill. The calamari actually had a smokier flavor than the steak.

On the side, I ordered the port wine sauce for 25 CZK. This had great flavor and I really would have liked it, except that after the great flavor came something of a bitter aftertaste. I liked it enough that I'd try it again to see if the aftertaste was a one-time issue.

The steak doesn't come with any sides, so I ordered the French fries for 30 CZK. They are big, hot, and crispy. Very good. Only one minor issue -- they were over-salted.

I haven't tried it, but Park Restaurant & Cafe also serves breakfast until 11:00 am. The offerings are fairly basic: Ham and eggs (hemenex), croissants, cheese, and such.

There most involved effort is the English Breakfast: Ham and eggs, sausage with mustard, roasted mushrooms with tomatoes, bacon, fruit salad, toast, juice, and coffee for 280 CZK. The menu also says that the kitchen is "willing and able to make your breakfast any way you want."

The restaurant has a stylish and modern interior design. Their website says the dining room's furniture is by the design firm, de.fakto. It also says they have free Wi-Fi. There are a couple of flat-screen TVs on the walls, and during one visit, they were showing a football game. There's a full bar and they can produce all your favorite cocktails. There is also a gelato case. I didn't get to sample any, but they do look pretty good.

Park Restaurant & Cafe does not always achieve greatness, but I think it is the best place in the area. Of course, impressions are often formed by expectations.

Who'd expect to find such a restaurant in such an out-of-the-way spot, where both your stomach and your car's fuel tank can be filled in such close proximity?

Some of the Nusle crowd might find their way to Park Restaurant & Cafe. And perhaps some of the Vinohrady/Vršovice noveau riche. And maybe some intrepid, free-range expats. But I really do have to wonder whether ravenous hordes are going to descend on this rather desolate part of the city.

Now, if you are already a regular at Park Restaurant & Cafe and, after you read this, you can't get a seat any more, you might want to inflict grievous bodily harm upon my person.

All I can say is, relax. V will beat you to it.

Park Restaurant & Cafe
Vršovická 1525/1a
Prague 10
Tel. (+420) 267 310 999

Waikiki Restaurant & Music Bar

2007-05-18T00:01:00.002+02:00

"Hawaii has always been a very pivotal role in the Pacific. It is in the Pacific. It is a part of the United States that is an island that is right here."
-U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle speaking in Hawaii, 1989

To put it kindly, Prague restaurants can have their own special kind of quirky eccentricity. Sort of like Dan Quayle.

Restaurant owners here can and still do follow their hearts over their heads. The results usually fall somewhere between strange, intriguing, and amusing.

A case in point is a restaurant in the Vršovice neighborhood of Prague. This place specializes in two distinctly different cuisines: Mexican and Italian. It's not a fusion, mind you. They are separate offerings with separate menus.

Given the eclecticism already on display here, the name for this establishment makes just that much more sense:

Waikiki Restaurant & Music Bar

There is no Hawaiian cuisine. No loco moco, no mahi-mahi, and certainly no poi. Not even a Hawaiian pizza. Curiosity got the better of me, and I actually found out why this is so. I'll come back to that story later.

The restaurant itself is in an odd location, underneath an ugly old building on a side street at the edge of Vršovické náměstí. It's just up the road from the Bohemians football stadium. A stop for the 4, 22, and 23 trams is not far away.

Despite the somewhat dreary surroundings, when you walk down he steps, there is a nice, covered outside dining area. The roof does not retract, so it is not a place where you can get too much sun.

Inside, there is very modern looking interior that was built a few years back. There are lights hanging from the ceiling and a DJ booth.
But we were there for the food. And meals here start off with a small, complimentary basket of chips and salsa. They are basic chips from the store and a simple salsa, not too spicy.

I start with one of my regular favorites, the beef carpaccio for 135 CZK. The beef is good quality, topped with a few capers. I'd much prefer freshly shaved Parmesan cheese instead of the finely grated variety. But still, I liked it.

V got the chili relleno -- a deep-fried, whole, pickled jalapeno peppers filled with cheese for 85 CZK. The peppers were pretty hot and sour. The melting cheese had a smoky flavor that I appreciated. V couldn't eat them all, so I was happy to help.

For a main course on one visit, I got the beef chimichanga for 149 CZK. Or at least I think I did. That's what I ordered. On the receipt, it is listed as a burrito. It may have been a burrito because I didn't detect much in the way of deep-frying. It was hard to tell because the whole thing is covered with melted cheese and sour cream.

If you like refried beans, this is the way to go. I'd guess that this tortilla is filled with at least an entire can of the stuff. I like refried beans a lot, and it was even too much for me. Mixed in with the refritos are chunks of some decent beef. I didn't taste or see anything else in there.

Watch out if it should fall off the table. The thing is a brick. It will break your foot.

For a main course on one visit, I ordered the nachos topped with sliced steak for 209 CZK. Not good.

The biggest problem: The strips of beef were so dried out, it was close to beef jerky. They weren't even very warm. There was decent guacamole and average salsa on the side, along with sour cream. Underneath, there was a little melted cheese. The thick corn chips underneath were cold. They stayed hard and crunchy and did not absorb any of the toppings.

It just didn't work. Especially for the price. I was hoping for something more along the lines of one of my favorite snacks -- the chili con carne nachos at La Casa Blů. Those are killer. And much cheaper.

V got the Biftec Naranja (orange beef) for 219 CZK. This wasn't so good either. It came out on an iron skillet. The cut appeared to be a fillet, but the toughness and taste was more like a roštěná -- not a high-quality cut. There was some unremarkable orange sauce in the pan along with a slice of orange. Wouldn't get that again.

On the drinks side, a half-liter of Pilsner Urquell is 35 CZK. A .25 liter glass of Müller-Thurgau is 40 CZK. There is also an extensive drinks menu, with reasonably priced cocktails. At least compared with the cocktail prices in the center.

In spite of a number of disappointments, I'll probably go back again. There are a few other dishes I'd like to try. And there were a few things I liked -- the carpaccio and the jalapenos. The fact that it is walking distance from my home makes it a little harder to write off.

It was pretty busy the night we went. The bartenders were getting a workout behind the bar. The outside tables fill up fast in warm weather. The restaurant inside is split into two levels. There was a big birthday party there.

There was also a special promotion for Jägermeister while we were there. There were a bunch of orange and black decorations and flashing lights. And there was even a special appearance by the Jägerettes -- a collection of orange-haired temptresses.

Not tonight.

At a certain point during tour dinner, curiosity got the better of me. I asked our waiter why the restaurant is called Waikiki.

"I don't know," he said. He looked a little embarrassed. "I'll go find out."

A short time later, he returned with the answer. The waiter pointed out a young-looking man behind the bar as the owner. He said "Waikiki" is the owner's nickname. He got it because he used to spend a lot of time on the beach. The man liked the name so much, he bestowed it upon his Italian-Mexican restaurant.

So, now you know.

The whole concept for Waikiki is certainly odd, yet strangely amusing to me. I don't know the owner -- I never worked with him, and we're not friends, but I will say this:

He's no Dan Quayle.

Waikiki Restaurant & Music Bar
Vršovické náměstí 2
Prague 10
http://www.waikiki.cz
Tel. (+420) 271 741 082
Open every day, 'til 2 am on weekends

Neklid Restaurant

2007-02-20T09:11:00.000+01:00

If you live around the border between Vršovice and Vinohrady, there are quite a few options if you feel like walking for your dinner.

The best in the area is Mozaika, but it is a bit of an uphill trek, and a shade too pricey to visit on a very regular basis.

Atelier isn't the same since the original cook and owner left.

Potrefená Husa has the great bacon cheeseburger, but then there are the calories, and it is not so cheap.

Waikiki has their interesting perspective on Mexican and Italian, but alas, no Hawaiian fare.

There's Mon Ami, but Balkan cuisine is not something I can eat all the time.

Down the block on Kodanská stands Sawadi, but much to my disappointment, it is a very odd interpretation of Thai.

And some of these places have a big strike against them for achieving regular "local" status: They are more than 200 meters away.

I always run the list through my mind, but it is usually an empty exercise. It is rare that any of them can compete with my favorite local spot: Neklid Restaurant.
Neklid has so many of the important qualities of a great local:

1. It is pretty cheap
2. Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, and Primator Weizenbier on tap
3. A friendly, smiling staff
4. More than the usual Czech cuisine AND it tastes good
5. Less than 200 meters away

What kind of food is it? I'd call it ICI: Interpretive Czech-International. Anyone who has lived in this country for a while has tasted Czech versions of their favorite international dishes. This type of cooking usually bears little resemblance to authentic recipes from other nations. You might find lettuce lilting on your fajitas or frozen corn killing your curry.

Yes, Neklid has its own interpretations, but they actually taste good. Sometimes very good.

The chicken Caesar salad is a perfect example. It really bears little relation to a true Caesar. This one does not have romaine lettuce. It even has some cabbage mixed in at the bottom. But it also has succulent, well-seasoned and freshly cooked pieces of chicken on top. Lots of it. It also has freshly fried bacon that has not been sitting around all day waiting to be reheated.There are tomatoes, boiled eggs in quarters, croutons, shaved Parmesan cheese, and a rather ordinary approximation of Caesar dressing. It is very big and I usually find it difficult to eat the whole thing.

If this still doesn't sound appealing, then how about if it is only 119 CZK? And what if I told you that the Pilsner Urquell is less than 30 CZK? Half a liter of Gambrinus is only 23 CZK. They also have Hoegaarden.

Another favorite is Neklid's grilled steak with soy sauce (Neklidná roštěnka na grilu se sojovou omáčkou). It comes with a wasabi cream drizzled on top, a bit of pure wasabi on the side, and some pickled ginger, the kind that comes with your sushi. Roštěnka is not the best cut of beef, but it is usually tender and easy to cut. Maybe it sounds like weird ICI cooking, but this is a great-tasting steak. It is one of the pricier items at 155 CZK. Potatoes are extra -- all are 30 CZK. The fries are good.

On a recent visit, I had the steak tartare with fried Czech bread (Tatarák - klasika, 4 topinky). The raw beef is excellent -- hand ground and bright red, with no visible fat.

It is a fairly small
portion, but only costs 139 CZK. You season it yourself. The mound of meat is surrounded by tiny glass bowls filled with egg yolk, chopped onion, paprika, pepper, mustard, and whole garlic for scraping across the fried bread (topinky).

Mix the meat and seasonings as you like and spread it on the bread. Heaven.

For those concerned about eating raw meat, I have been eating this dish on a regular basis for years and have never had a single problem. V thinks my brain is already full of holes, which may afford an immunity to the human variant of mad cow disease.

V ordered the vegetarian fajitas (Fajitas se zeleninou, fazolkami, tortillou a salsou - vegetariánské). Not your classic version by any measure. They bring out a hot iron plate, though not really sizzling, with green beans, carrots, eggplant, and white beans, along with flour tortillas, sour cream, and salsa. Relatively healthy and very filling for 129 CZK.

I also like their chicken wings (Pikantní kuřecí křídla se zakysanou smetanou), eight for 115 CZK, which have a variation of sweet Thai chili sauce on them. As near as we can tell, the bottled sauce is mixed with honey and soy sauce. It tastes pretty good, but not a major culinary achievement, either.

On another visit I tried the grilled pork steak with onion rings, red and white shredded cabbage and tartar sauce (Steak z krkovice na grilu s cibulovými kroužky a majonézovou omáčkou) for 129 CZK. It was a very juicy, a little fatty, but nicely seasoned with salt and pepper. The chef really knows how to season meat. I'd have it again.
V got grilled vegetables with honey for 74 CZK. There were red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, tomato, and onion. She liked it.
They also have pork ribs for 115 CZK, which look good, but I still haven't tried them.

Neklid Restaurant is not much to look at. The furniture is plain and generic. The blond wood paneling gives the place a cheap feeling. But Neklid is cheap in a good way, and there's a wealth of good things to eat there.
I wouldn't say it is the kind of place to go far out of your way for. Don't cross town just to go to Neklid. But I'd definitely say it is worth traveling more than 200 meters to go there.

Neklid Restaurant
Ruská 34
Praha 10 - Vršovice
Tel. 777 718 787
For reservations in English: 775 974 682