The problem with a three-day sojourn in a city like Prague is you're forced to do all the tourist things. But in this case, it seems like the locals prefer to do the tourist things, too: Drinking and eating massive amounts of pork-based products.
Prague: What's not to love?
Dancing House
Despite the hour-long delay at JFK, we arrived on time in Prague on Friday morning. Fall has arrived and the air was cool and crisp and it was overcast on and off most of the weekend.
We had planned to spend all four nights at the Hotel Savic, a former monastery converted into a smart boutique hotel around the corner from the Old Town Square in central Prague. But plumbing issues had put two rooms out of commission so they put us up for the first night at the Retezova Residence apartment across the street. We were concerned it would be a dive, but it was a beautiful building and we had a two-bedroom apartment with vaulted ceilings, two bathrooms, a drawing room and a really nice full-size kitchen. (Though the shower in Bob's bathroom could safely be described as Hobbit-sized.)
We were a little out of it Friday but managed to make our way up the block to Švejk Restaurant, a local chain which serves up traditional Czech fare in a beer-hall type environment. Pilsner Urquell is served in small glasses or large glass mugs, along with red, white and sparkling wines; pretzels and roasted and salted almonds and peanuts are on every table.
Bob and I both had a grilled pork sausage and then split the "First Lieutenant Lucas Platter" - ham, bacon, smoked pork neck and sausage served with mixed pickles, rye bread, mustard and horseradish:
Fortified with a protein-packed lunch, we forced marched ourselves to see Frank Gehry's Dancing House. It's beautiful from the distance, but like his work on MIT's Ray and Maria Stata Center, it just doesn't hold up under close inspection: The glass facade on the "Ginger" side of the structure is elegant, but the "Fred" side, with its angular window outcrops, just looks rusted and frayed.
Still, Prague is an amazing city, with architectural styles ranging from little Romanesque, circular brick churches to the massive Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral located within Prague Castle, the seat of Czech government. The castle itself a collection of structures dating back to the medieval times to the early 20th Century. Neo-classical, neo-Renaissance and Art Nouveau buildings abound ...
We took a nap on Friday afternoon, and headed out to dinner around 8 p.m. The concierge recommended a place around the corner called U Modré Kachnicky II. Though we were in the heart of the tourist area, not far from the Old Town Square, "At the Blue Duckling II" was a wonderful experience.
According to one of the waiters, the restaurant's founder, an architect, first opened the space as a Glatt Kosher restaurant more than 20 years ago. The ground floor was where they served milk-based dishes, with the second floor offering beef and other meats. However, it was too expensive to run that kind of split-level/split menu so the proprietor switched to authentic, home-style Czech cuisine. Good call.
Reviews describe it as "rustic" and "quirky", which is true enough, but I must say, the bar on the second floor was a stunning piece of carpentry.
We started off with Kir Royale each and then I switched to a Harmony Cabernet Moravia for the remainder of the meal. Mmmm, dark berries, nice mouth feel (tannin not too crazy) with a light peppery finish.
Bob ordered the duck and I ordered the 14-course "all you can eat" meal where you get a taste of, well, almost every traditional Czech meat and poultry dish there is - stewed boar, roast duck, grilled steak, Viennese goulash. Yeah, it was a food frenzy:
Cocktails were off the menu this trip due to a crisis of national proportions. In the last week, more than 30 people were hospitalized and another 20 died in the Czech Republic in a rash of methyl-alcohol-related poisonings. Bootleg liquor has been blamed and the Czech government has banned the sale of any products with 20% alcohol or higher until further notice.
Now, this might seem a bit draconian, but here in Prague the open container laws are pretty much lax to non-existent. On Friday night, as Bob and I walked around the Old Town Square we were surprised to see people of all ages wandering around sharing bottles of beer and wine. Some bars have created "prohibition" menus; cocktails made from cordials and other low-alcohol aperitifs, but the country is graced with spectacular beers and wines, so people are making do.
It rained early, before dawn on Saturday, but temperatures rose to the high-60s by noon and it was sunny with a nice breeze. Bob and I walked over to the Old Town Square to see and hear the Astronomical Clock chime. We took the elevator up to the top of the tower to view the city. It's a spectacular view of an almost fairy tale place. Plus, the elevator itself is quite impressive:
I walked down to get in a little exercise. Following the chiming of the bells at 11 a.m., we decided to walk across the Charles Bridge, over the Vltava River to Prague Castle. It's a hike, but well worth the experience. Roughly 1,100 years of history in one place.
Breakfast that morning at the Hotel Savic had been great, so we didn't feel hungry for most of the day, which was surprising given the amount of walking we did. Note: Wear sensible, supportive walking shoes. Cobblestones look great and shiny and quaint, but are deadly on the ankles and the lower back. However, when we did get back to the hotel, it was time for dinner and I knew where I wanted to go next.
Čestr is a modern steak house located across from the National Museum. It's a world-class steak house, its specialty being a Czech breed of cattle. The service was impeccable, with a large selection of Bohemian and Moravian wines and, of course, beer, on offer. It's very much a "beautiful people" hang out with thirty- and forty-something Czechs armed with iPhones and Blackberries making up most of the clientele on the night we dined.
I had the three-course meal; Bob opted for a beef broth soup with a lightly poached egg floating in it and the filet mignon with creamed potatoes. I started with a raw steak "sashimi" served in a soy and mirin sauce, followed by beef neck slow-stewed in paprika with sour cream. It came with a side of potato and onion dumplings. We had, according to the sommelier, a late harvest 2011 Ota Sevcik Frankovka. (No, I have no idea where it's from, outside that it's a Moravian red grape, the Lemberger. Dry, again a dark cherry/dark berries flavor, and I swear, I never thought I would ever write this, a woody finish.)
I had the skirt steak. It was a beautiful cut, cooked barely medium rare; tender, savory, and served with lightly steamed spinach.
We finished the meal with two nice desserts; Bob has the bluberry pie and I had the dark beer ice cream, made on-site.
The food should have been the highlight of the meal, but actually it took a backseat to the handsome couple sitting across from us who spent most of the evening making out like they were prepping for a porno.
In their late-40s, the couple would not have been out of place in one of those Cialis or Viagra commmercials you see during the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley. In between what could only be described as strenuous bouts of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, they would take turns feeding each other, then laugh and fondle and grope before once again colliding into lip-lock. Our waiter, a slightly-built Czech in his mid-20s had no time for this, routinely interrupting them to ask about the meal, the wine, if they wanted coffee and desserts.
By the time desset arrived, Cougar Town and Silverado had garnered the attention of all the wait staff, kitchen and surrounding tables.
Not since Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom had anyone witnessed such a mating ritual.
"How was your dinner," our waiter asked.
"Great," Bob replied, "almost as good as the floorshow."
On Sunday, we hit Wenceslas Square. While it's full of history, it's also full of tacky tourist shops and brand name storefronts aimed at the kids. It's a lot closer to Fisherman's Wharf and Times Square, though the street vendor with their regimented wooden stalls have a rustic charm.
Prague, like the rest of the modern world, is pretty much touched by all things American - Hooters, KFC, McDonalds and Burger King - but when it comes to "fast food", you can't beat Prague Ham, large, sweet boiled hams roasted over open wood fires.
They cut off a slab, weigh it and serve it up with a couple of slices of rye bread, saurkraut and potato salad (most of the vendors had potato salad with large chunks of ham in it). At $5 to $8 (without potato salad/with), it's a deal.
If there's one thing the Czechs do incredibly well, that's the meat of the swine: Marbled smoked pork neck, succulant hams, savory, spicy sausages and bacon that's both salty and sweet, yet not a cardiologists nightmare like the stuff we get back in the U.S.
We had planned to spend all four nights at the Hotel Savic, a former monastery converted into a smart boutique hotel around the corner from the Old Town Square in central Prague. But plumbing issues had put two rooms out of commission so they put us up for the first night at the Retezova Residence apartment across the street. We were concerned it would be a dive, but it was a beautiful building and we had a two-bedroom apartment with vaulted ceilings, two bathrooms, a drawing room and a really nice full-size kitchen. (Though the shower in Bob's bathroom could safely be described as Hobbit-sized.)
We were a little out of it Friday but managed to make our way up the block to Švejk Restaurant, a local chain which serves up traditional Czech fare in a beer-hall type environment. Pilsner Urquell is served in small glasses or large glass mugs, along with red, white and sparkling wines; pretzels and roasted and salted almonds and peanuts are on every table.
Bob and I both had a grilled pork sausage and then split the "First Lieutenant Lucas Platter" - ham, bacon, smoked pork neck and sausage served with mixed pickles, rye bread, mustard and horseradish:
The Lieutenant's Favorite
Fortified with a protein-packed lunch, we forced marched ourselves to see Frank Gehry's Dancing House. It's beautiful from the distance, but like his work on MIT's Ray and Maria Stata Center, it just doesn't hold up under close inspection: The glass facade on the "Ginger" side of the structure is elegant, but the "Fred" side, with its angular window outcrops, just looks rusted and frayed.
Still, Prague is an amazing city, with architectural styles ranging from little Romanesque, circular brick churches to the massive Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral located within Prague Castle, the seat of Czech government. The castle itself a collection of structures dating back to the medieval times to the early 20th Century. Neo-classical, neo-Renaissance and Art Nouveau buildings abound ...
St. Vitus Cathedral
Neo-Classical or Neo-Renaissance? Still, great ab work ...
Astronomical Clock
We took a nap on Friday afternoon, and headed out to dinner around 8 p.m. The concierge recommended a place around the corner called U Modré Kachnicky II. Though we were in the heart of the tourist area, not far from the Old Town Square, "At the Blue Duckling II" was a wonderful experience.
Ground floor dining room. Great pianist.
According to one of the waiters, the restaurant's founder, an architect, first opened the space as a Glatt Kosher restaurant more than 20 years ago. The ground floor was where they served milk-based dishes, with the second floor offering beef and other meats. However, it was too expensive to run that kind of split-level/split menu so the proprietor switched to authentic, home-style Czech cuisine. Good call.
Reviews describe it as "rustic" and "quirky", which is true enough, but I must say, the bar on the second floor was a stunning piece of carpentry.
Now THAT'S a bar.
We started off with Kir Royale each and then I switched to a Harmony Cabernet Moravia for the remainder of the meal. Mmmm, dark berries, nice mouth feel (tannin not too crazy) with a light peppery finish.
Bob ordered the duck and I ordered the 14-course "all you can eat" meal where you get a taste of, well, almost every traditional Czech meat and poultry dish there is - stewed boar, roast duck, grilled steak, Viennese goulash. Yeah, it was a food frenzy:
Filet mignon, vegetable cream sauce and dumpling (note extra cutlery).
Cocktails were off the menu this trip due to a crisis of national proportions. In the last week, more than 30 people were hospitalized and another 20 died in the Czech Republic in a rash of methyl-alcohol-related poisonings. Bootleg liquor has been blamed and the Czech government has banned the sale of any products with 20% alcohol or higher until further notice.
Now, this might seem a bit draconian, but here in Prague the open container laws are pretty much lax to non-existent. On Friday night, as Bob and I walked around the Old Town Square we were surprised to see people of all ages wandering around sharing bottles of beer and wine. Some bars have created "prohibition" menus; cocktails made from cordials and other low-alcohol aperitifs, but the country is graced with spectacular beers and wines, so people are making do.
It rained early, before dawn on Saturday, but temperatures rose to the high-60s by noon and it was sunny with a nice breeze. Bob and I walked over to the Old Town Square to see and hear the Astronomical Clock chime. We took the elevator up to the top of the tower to view the city. It's a spectacular view of an almost fairy tale place. Plus, the elevator itself is quite impressive:
I walked down to get in a little exercise. Following the chiming of the bells at 11 a.m., we decided to walk across the Charles Bridge, over the Vltava River to Prague Castle. It's a hike, but well worth the experience. Roughly 1,100 years of history in one place.
Bob and King Charles
A view from the Bridge
One of the Titans at the Gates of Prague Castle
Breakfast that morning at the Hotel Savic had been great, so we didn't feel hungry for most of the day, which was surprising given the amount of walking we did. Note: Wear sensible, supportive walking shoes. Cobblestones look great and shiny and quaint, but are deadly on the ankles and the lower back. However, when we did get back to the hotel, it was time for dinner and I knew where I wanted to go next.
Čestr is a modern steak house located across from the National Museum. It's a world-class steak house, its specialty being a Czech breed of cattle. The service was impeccable, with a large selection of Bohemian and Moravian wines and, of course, beer, on offer. It's very much a "beautiful people" hang out with thirty- and forty-something Czechs armed with iPhones and Blackberries making up most of the clientele on the night we dined.
It's what's for dinner ...
I had the three-course meal; Bob opted for a beef broth soup with a lightly poached egg floating in it and the filet mignon with creamed potatoes. I started with a raw steak "sashimi" served in a soy and mirin sauce, followed by beef neck slow-stewed in paprika with sour cream. It came with a side of potato and onion dumplings. We had, according to the sommelier, a late harvest 2011 Ota Sevcik Frankovka. (No, I have no idea where it's from, outside that it's a Moravian red grape, the Lemberger. Dry, again a dark cherry/dark berries flavor, and I swear, I never thought I would ever write this, a woody finish.)
Ghoulash, by any other name ...
Put a cork in it.
I had the skirt steak. It was a beautiful cut, cooked barely medium rare; tender, savory, and served with lightly steamed spinach.
We finished the meal with two nice desserts; Bob has the bluberry pie and I had the dark beer ice cream, made on-site.
The food should have been the highlight of the meal, but actually it took a backseat to the handsome couple sitting across from us who spent most of the evening making out like they were prepping for a porno.
In their late-40s, the couple would not have been out of place in one of those Cialis or Viagra commmercials you see during the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley. In between what could only be described as strenuous bouts of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, they would take turns feeding each other, then laugh and fondle and grope before once again colliding into lip-lock. Our waiter, a slightly-built Czech in his mid-20s had no time for this, routinely interrupting them to ask about the meal, the wine, if they wanted coffee and desserts.
By the time desset arrived, Cougar Town and Silverado had garnered the attention of all the wait staff, kitchen and surrounding tables.
Not since Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom had anyone witnessed such a mating ritual.
So close, you could touch them. No, really ...
"How was your dinner," our waiter asked.
"Great," Bob replied, "almost as good as the floorshow."
On Sunday, we hit Wenceslas Square. While it's full of history, it's also full of tacky tourist shops and brand name storefronts aimed at the kids. It's a lot closer to Fisherman's Wharf and Times Square, though the street vendor with their regimented wooden stalls have a rustic charm.
Prague, like the rest of the modern world, is pretty much touched by all things American - Hooters, KFC, McDonalds and Burger King - but when it comes to "fast food", you can't beat Prague Ham, large, sweet boiled hams roasted over open wood fires.
World's finest Street Meat
They cut off a slab, weigh it and serve it up with a couple of slices of rye bread, saurkraut and potato salad (most of the vendors had potato salad with large chunks of ham in it). At $5 to $8 (without potato salad/with), it's a deal.
If there's one thing the Czechs do incredibly well, that's the meat of the swine: Marbled smoked pork neck, succulant hams, savory, spicy sausages and bacon that's both salty and sweet, yet not a cardiologists nightmare like the stuff we get back in the U.S.
After wandering throughout central Prague for several hours Sunday night, and reading numerous guidebooks and walking from restaurant to restaurant, we returned to the scene of the crime on Friday, U Modré Kachnicky II.
Why? Because despite the fact that every second restaurant in the city offered "Authentic Czech Cuisine," too many also offered "International" or French or Italian food. It's like one of those diners in Manhattan, where the menus have everything from steak to lasagna to roasts to "huevos rancheros," somehow we don't think it's going to be great.
The Blue Duckling had atmosphere, it also had a fantastic menu which celebrated Czech cuisine that was also seasonal. Bob and I split two appetizers that night: Veal pâté with fresh cranberry sauce and fallow deer, cooked rare and sliced thin and served with a beautiful, fresh raspberry sauce. Bob and the veal stew with slow-cooked root vegetables and I had the roast half-duck, served with potato and garlic pancakes and Brussell sprouts served in a bacon and cream sauce. Stunning.
Now we're off to Croatia. But if you've read this far, some musical entertainment:
Great post, great read. It sounds like you two are having a blast eating, photographing, and musing your way across Eastern Europe.
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