The weekend forecast doesn't look too promising, but I'm hoping the sun will come out for the third annual Prague Food Festival, organized by Maurer's Grand Restaura
nt Guide. This years' indulging will take place between Mánesův and Charles bridges on the Old Town side of the Vltava, with some booths located on land and others set up on waterside pontoons. Participating restaurants include Aromi, Café Imperial, and V Zátiší, among many others.
The Hilton Prague Old Town has officially opened the new version of its restaurant, following the departure of Gordon Ramsay's Michelin-starred venture Maze Prague earlier this year. The new concept, called Zinc, is headed up by Ari Mun
andar, former executive chef of Essensia at the Mandarin Oriental Prague. His menu is described as "modern European cooking with an Asian twist," and includes dishes like crab cake and sweet corn sorbet, miso-glazed Chilean sea bass, and baked pineapple with star anise and cinnamon.
Jean-François and Nadine Musso, formerly of Passion Chocolat in Vinohrady, are back to making their i
rresistible pastries and bonbons. This time, they're located in the U Nováků pasáž off Vodičkova, and their shop is called Pâtisserie St. Tropez. Meanwhile, Mama Coffee has opened up a new, roomier location on Korunní, and Aromi offshoot La Finestra is now in full, delicious swing.
Kogo Group's lackluster sister, L'Angolo, is being remade yet again -- this time with the help of Kolkovna Group, which is collaborating with Ko
go to form a third local dining superpower, Koko Group. Under Koko's management, L'Angolo will be transformed into Fragola, a high-end combination sushi/Mediterranean restaurant/bar/club/"art cafe" that will have live DJs, serve food into the wee hours, and offer a Sunday brunch.
A little complicated, maybe, but it just might work.
images: praguefoodfestival.com, zinc.cz, musso-praha.com, kogofragola.cz
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Food news: the Food Fest sets up, Zinc debuts, and Kogo and Kolkovna make a baby
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Food news: Food and drink fests, and a sweet new hideaway for Luka Lu
Official dates have been announced for the second annual Prague Food Festival, w
ith the feasting set for a few months earlier this time around. From June 20th to the 22nd, you'll be able to sample selected delicacies from some of the city's finest restaurants, including Aromi, Allegro, Essensia, maze, and The Sushi Bar, under open summer skies at Žofín on Slovanský Island. Tickets should be on sale soon.
And there's a whole new kind of food fest coming to Prague this year, too: the Cze
ch Beer Festival, which is touting itself as the largest gastronomic event in the Czech Republic. With an enormous supply of beer to be tapped into glass mugs, an extensive menu of local specialties, and an anticipated attendance of 150,000 - 200,000 visitors, the 10-day guzzlathon promises to be every bit as raucous and sloppy as Munich's famed Oktoberfest. Still, its organizers insist that they plan on encouraging the "sensible and cultural consumption of beer." We'll see how well that goes for them...
On a recent trip to Balkan restaurant Luka Lu (formerly Louka Lu), I discovered that they've transformed the drab courtyard out back into a picturesque winter gard
en. It's quite removed from the front part of the restaurant, so you really have to know the room is there in order to find it, but it's really adorable and cozy -- definitely worth a special visit. Go have a look and let me know what you think.
images: praguefoodfestival.cz, staropramen.cz, lukalu.cz
