My Czech Republic Blog » Food & Drink

Two Michelin Stars for Prague in 2009

Jeff — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:33:48 +0000

The MICHELIN Main Cities of Europe 2009 guide, which contains information and ratings on hotels and restaurants in 20 countries in Europe, is being released tomorrow. The Michelin Guide is famous for its 1 – 2 – 3 star restaurant rating system, with three stars being the highest. Last year, the Prague restaurant Allegro at the Four Seasons Hotel received the first Michelin star ever awarded in the Czech Republic. Gordon Ramsay’s Maze at the Hilton Hotel was awarded a star this year in addition to Allegro. Ramsay previously announced that he was pulling out of Prague. If the restaurant changes name and ownership, then it will lose the Michelin star.

Three Prague restaurants, Aromi, Le Cornichon, and Le Terroir received the Bib Gourmand, which highlights “good food at moderate prices”.

For further reading see:
Another Prague restaurant wins Michelin star
Ramsay Wins 13th Michelin Star as Chef Counts Cost of Expansion
Gordon Ramsay pulls out of Maze Prague

If you are interested in purchasing the guide:
MICHELIN Main Cities of Europe 2009 – from Amazon.co.uk (published on March 18)
MICHELIN Main Cities of Europe 2009 – from Amazon.com (published on May 15)

Czech Roundup 20-Jul-08

Jeff — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:41:40 +0000

Czechs join Slovakia to register salami and sausage
If they publish the recipes, I would be interested in knowing what exactly is inside.

European Tour returns to Czech Republic in 2009 after 12 years
Golf has been gaining in popularity over the years here and this should give it a boost.

Dogs – Czechs’ best friends
I do see a lot of dogs around and unfortunately you have to watch where you step when walking on the sidewalk.

Season tickets in Prague to be replaced by chip cards
It would be very convenient to buy monthly/yearly tickets or to just add credit online.

Czech Roundup 04-May-08

Jeff — Sun, 04 May 2008 20:52:27 +0000

Czech wines excel at international wine contest
- Southern Moravian wines are winning medals

TV makers give Central Europe high ratings
- LCD and plasma television manufacturing big in Czech Republic and its neighbors

Vivaldi’s long-lost opera returns to Prague after 278 years
- missing manuscript completed and performed at Prague Castle

Fake blog caught promoting bank
The curious case of the phantom blogger
- fake blogs also an issue in the Czech Republic

Czech Roundup 27-Feb-08

Jeff — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:43:00 +0000

Oscar dream comes true for young Czech musician Markéta Irglová
Home town of Markéta Irglová celebrates her Oscar success
- Markéto a Glene, gratulujeme!

Czech police seek missing bridge
- How do you hide a four-ton iron bridge? Most likely it has already been recycled.

Lights dimming on gambler’s paradise
- Herna bars are all over our Prague district with two even next door to each other.

Budvar ups exports to record 587,000 hl of beer in 2007
- For those living in South Korea, Brazil or Albania, Budvar is now being distributed to your country.

Frappuccino in Sight?

Dana — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 10:00:49 +0000

The American coffeeshop chain Starbucks is finally coming to Prague! And I say, it is about time! No, I am not being ironic and I realize there are many of you who don’t get excited about the “stand in line and get your coffee to go in a paper cup” concept. All you Starbucks haters are probably dreading the moment the American monster opens its polished glass doors in the middle of Malá Strana and its sterile counters, plastic spoons and Wi-Fi slowly overtake our old world. To be honest, I don’t really care one way or another about Starbucks. I don’t mind it, I don’t need it. But there is one thing they make that I can’t get enough of: Mocha Frappuccino! If they bring it to Prague, my list of things to indulge in on my trips to the U.S. will be one item shorter. I know this is going to sound dumb and girly, but I am in fact really excited about having Starbucks’ heavenly, chocolatey concoction a tram ride away.

And here’s another piece of news. The first Starbucks location is to open in the space that has been used by Square restaurant on Malostranské náměstí. Looks like Square will have to find another square to move to. Too bad, but at least I won’t have far to go for coffee after I’m finished with my Subway sandwich.

Starbucks uvaří první kávu v Česku na konci ledna
Kavárny Starbucks budou mít v lednu premiéru v Praze
Cukrárna se přemění na první český Starbucks

Here’s an update: Czech Republic’s first Starbucks opened on January 18, 2008

Fantastic Bio Food? I Think Not.

Dana — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 22:07:14 +0000

I bought a sandwich at the hip Bio Cafes on Americká a few days ago. I give the place credit for trying to be different. The interior looks cool, bright and very clean, the restaurant is non-smoking and all the food and drinks they sell are organic, or bio as we say here in the Czech Republic. I had bought sandwiches there a couple of times before and never found them very exciting, but I was hungry and I was passing by, so I thought I’d give the place another chance. I chose the prepackaged Roma sandwich, which was described as focaccia with basil pesto, lettuce, tomatoes, mozzarella and another type of cheese the name of which escapes me. When I got home, I unwrapped it and took a bite. I found myself chewing nothing but day old bread. I opened up the sandwich to discover its tired contents, apparently put on by a very tired employee. I wasn’t sure if I should feel frustrated or amused. In the end, I laughed and took a picture. I proceeded to take two more bites, gave up and threw the rest into the garbage.

So, guys, the bio idea’s good. Now all you need to do is teach your people how to make a sandwich.

P.S. To be fair, I must admit the soups are excellent.

Here’s an October 10 update: I went back and got the 119 CZK menu of spinach soup, bean salad and freshly squeezed vegetable juice. It was all very enjoyable. It’s just the sandwiches that are a bit… iffy.

Mushrooming Time

Dana — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:22:06 +0000

I think it is safe to say that mushroom picking is a Czech national leisure activity. The mushroom season usually lasts from June/July through October. Last year’s harvests were especially generous thanks to the rains and cool temperatures. On our weekend trips from Prague, we would see people returning from forests with baskets full of gorgeous suchohřiby, křemenáče, bedly and other mouthwatering varieties. As we sat in our train compartment, we went by people’s yards and caught glimpses of piles of fresh mushrooms being cleaned in preparation for dinner or to be sliced up and dried. From the bus windows, we watched rows of colorful holubinky line the road.

We haven’t been taking very many trips this summer but I hear that this is another good year for mushrooming. Even rare kinds of mushrooms, ones that can be seen just a few times in a lifetime, can supposedly be found in the Vysočina (Bohemian-Moravian Highlands) region where the weather has been just right.

When we were in Italy last fall, we marvelled at the abundance of fresh forest mushrooms that were sold at outdoor produce markets. I was jealous and wondered why forest mushrooms aren’t sold anywhere in the Czech Republic, a country that is so devoted to mushrooming. Is it because people are expected to pick their own mushrooms?

There’s a good article on mushrooming on the Radio Praha website.

Mmmm Oplatky

Jeff — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 08:14:41 +0000

Spa wafers (lázeňské oplatky) were first mentioned in the 18th century and started as a homemade treat. Around the second half of the 19th century, mass production began in Mariánské Lázně and Karlovy Vary. Nowadays, spa wafers can be found in stores all over the Czech Republic, where it is typical to find three types – Vanilla with hazelnuts, Cocoa, and Chocolate (mmmm – my favorite). It was not until a visit to Karlovy Vary that I discovered that there are many more flavors of oplatky. I also saw Apple, Coconut, Capuccino, Rum, Nugat, Lemon, Almond, and Cinnamon. There are stands where you can buy most of the oplatky warmed up.

Dana and I have found that spa wafers make a good gift. So, if you are returning from a trip to the Czech Republic or visiting friends/family outside the Czech Republic, bring some oplatky along.

72 Free Beers

Jeff — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:05:37 +0000

Czechs are big beer drinkers, so why not come up with a beer-based incentive? If you buy this refrigerator/freezer, you will get 72 beers for free. That’s 36 liters or 76 pints of beer. I wonder if they’ll all fit in the fridge.

Tip Included

Jeff — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:55:15 +0000

This weekend we had some beautiful weather in Prague. On Saturday there was blue, blue sky and it was around 23 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit). Dana and I walked around Vyšehrad and ended up at the restaurant Rio’s Vyšehrad for lunch. They are just across from the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Chrám sv. Petra a Pavla) and have a nice outdoor seating area. We enjoyed the food, but the service was v-e-r-y slow. We waited over an hour to get our two identical plates of simple chicken sauté and two mini-scoops of white rice. We were certainly not in the best mood by the time the food arrived. To top things off, the bill that was brought after another lengthy period of waiting included a 10% tip. This was only listed as a cryptic “DPT” line on the bill that we had to inquire about in order to understand what it meant. The menu had no mention of a service charge being added to the bill. Very irritating, since it is not common in the Czech Republic for a service charge to be added automatically. Plus we wouldn’t have had tipped 10% in this case as spending close to two hours at lunch that eventually left us hungry was not our idea of a Saturday afternoon.

Later in the day, Dana and I grabbed dinner at U Šemíka, which is just below Vyšehrad at Vratislavova 36. It was our first time there and we enjoyed our whole dining experience - from service to food quality to ambience. We look forward to going back. If you are looking for food in the Vyšehrad area, our tip is to try U Šemíka.