My new favorite lunch spot is Home Kitchen on Jungmannova. It's about the size of a large closet and only has a few seats, but it serves honest food made fresh several times a day. The menu changes frequently, with three different soups daily (I warmed myself up with a fantastic dill and potato version), a meat entree (like duck breast with rosehip sauce and gratinated potatoes), and a couple of vegetarian items (stuffed peppers or eggplant parmigiana with turnip purée). The cozy brick walls, pleasant service, and neat take-out packaging make Home Kitchen feel distinctly un-Prague-like (a more complete write-up can be found on Cuketka's blog).
I was very sad to
hear that one of our best and most innovative restaurants, Sofia Smith's Asian-inspired Angel, has apparently closed. Celèste, Angel's sister restaurant, is still open, and I recently had a great meal there -- the desserts were particularly awesome -- but Angel will be sorely missed.
More predictable, perhaps, is the closing of Le Cornichon, which was resurrected with a new chef after a hiatus last summer, but never managed to regain its buzz. La Casa Blu, meanwhile, is still fighting to renew its lease; updates can be found on its homepage.
As m
any of you know, I left my position as Lidove Noviny's restaurant critic at the end of last year (their farewell interview with me can be read here). I'll be putting the blog on hold while I pursue other passions and things. Thank you to all my readers, even the more vicious ones, for your support. You kept it interesting -- and kept me in check occasionally, too.
And if you find anyplace good to eat in this town, be sure to let me know.
photographs: homekitchen.cz, Tomáš Krist for Lidové Noviny, lecornichon.cz, Prague Spoon
Monday, February 1, 2010
Food news: Openings, closings, and goodbye Spoon
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Food news: Slowdown at Savoy, new bakeries, Burger King, and more
Over the summer, Café Savoy closed its doors for a little while to do some renovating, the most notable change being a much-needed improvement to the toilet situation (the restrooms are now located in a new downstairs area and have multiple stalls). But it looks like they might have forgotten a few basics in the meantime.
I've had issues with Savoy's service before, but I've never had to deal with a server as surly, impatient, and incompetent as the woman in charge of our table during brunch last Sunday. She huffed and puffed and rolled her eyes as we were giving our orders, then forgot to bring half of what we'd asked for. And on a recent dinner visit, every step (ordering food, asking for another beer, getting the check) took several attempts, and our wine list didn't come until we'd ordered the first course.
A VIP sitting at the table next to ours seemed to be getting more than enough attention. Well, at least someone was happy...
Whopper fans rejoice: the Czech Republic's first Burger King will open next week in Metropole Zličín shopping mall. The franchise is owned by AmRest, the Polish company that also brought us KFC and Starbucks.
In pastry shop / bakery news, scrumptious French
patisserie Passion Chocolat has left its spot in Vinohrady and will soon be reopening in Pasáž U Nováků (on Vodičkova, connected to Lucerna Pasáž). I'm a little skeptical that the new location will give them the kind of foot traffic they need, but let's hope for the best. French chain bakery Paul has opened in Palác Flora, of all places. And Bakeshop is promising great things for Thanksg
Finally, for those who understand Czech and might want to find out a little more about me and the Prague Spoon, Lidovky's Pátek magazine published an interview with me last week, written by the positively lovely chef and food writer Hanka Michopulu.
images ambi.cz, burgerking.com, Prague Spoon, paul.fr
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Apologies...
...for the lack of posts. Prague Spoon restaurant reviews will be returning in a few weeks, and I'll be putting up some smaller posts in the interim.
Thanks for your patience! See you soon.
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Prague Spoon
Looking for a decent place to eat your next meal? Whether you're a first-time tourist or a lifelong local, finding high-quality restaurants in Prague can be tough. Food and service standards tend to be low, and even when they aren't, restaurants here seem to open, close, or change ownership constantly.
Most guidebooks and websites can't keep up with Prague's rapidly evolving restaurant scene, and some even take advertising money and freebies from mediocre locales in exchange for positive reviews. It's time to expose the crap for what it really is, and to support those who deserve to be praised.
The Prague Spoon tells it like it is: no pretension, no timidity, no pandering to advertisers. And, above all, no secrets. If the sommelier at a certain four-star restaurant smells like he hasn't showered in a week, we'll let you know. And if we discover a tiny hole in the wall that serves the Czech Republic's best pad thai, you'll be hearing about that, too.
Thank you for reading... and welcome to the Spoon.
