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Local version of Rock Cafe rolls By Evan Rail Staff Writer, The Prague Post (February 19, 2003) Let's be honest: Kure v hodinkach seems like a bizarre name for a neighborhood pub and restaurant. Even when you learn that the title comes from a song and album by Czech rock legend Vladimir Misik, what translates as "Chicken in the Watch" is far beyond the pale of your average restaurant moniker. But it is somewhat fitting, as Kure v hodinkach functions both as a restaurant-pub and a small-scale museum of Czech rock history, from mid-'60s bigbit music all the way to the modern era. Misik himself appears in several of the custom-made posters that serve as the restaurant's main source of decoration, underneath a large light fixture in the form of an electric guitar. If you want to see what some of the other big names of early Czech rock looked like, check out the large-scale photos of Blue Effect, ETC and Flamengo. Righteous!
As might be expected, Kure v hodinkach offers an eponymous dish: two thick boneless chicken breasts, rolled in thyme and oregano and grilled, served with a sweet ratatouille of zucchini, bell peppers, onions and eggplant, and accompanied by two thick bramboracky (potato pancakes). It's a generous meal for eaters of any size, and the chicken breasts are rewardingly juicy and tender. Though filling, the bramboracky are not heavy or greasy. Another recommendable plate is the boneless veprova krkovicka, a slice of tender pork neck meat served with a sweet and smoky barbecue sauce. American potatoes make an excellent side dish to this delicious fillet. But top honors here have to go to the immense, 300-gram (10.5-ounce) serving of pork koleno (knuckle). Removed from the bone, the meat is wrapped around a couple of rosemary sprigs and marinated in Czech beer, and then roasted. The result is buttery and aromatic, with a crispy, crunchy exterior surrounding a juicy and moist interior. It's served with slices of bread on the side, but if you plan to finish the whole thing, skip the bread and stick to the meat. There's easily enough here for two hungry eaters.
Such hearty recipes go best with Czech lager, and Kure v hodinkach offers a passel of brews on draft: Pilsner Urquell 12°, Gambrinus 10°, Budvar 12°, Staropramen Granat 12°, Zlato- pramen 11° lager and Zlatopramen 10° dark. Since many of the big beer manufacturers lock small restaurateurs into exclusive deals, it's quite rare to find such a selection in Prague. What's even more surprising is the moderate body, lush mouth-feel and hoppy finish of Zlatopramen's 11°, a truly gold-colored lager that I had never before found on draft in the city. Highly recommended. It has to be said that service here is just OK, even occasionally slightly gruff -- but that goes with the publike feel. The music, played at discreet volumes, includes classics of the '60s and other Czech faves, such as Queen. In addition, a number of music videos are shown on the TV. If you're lucky, you might catch the 1988 INXS clip for "Never Tear Us Apart." Filmed in pre-revolution Prague, the array of strange imagery in the video includes a saxophone player soloing in the Old Jewish Cemetery while late lead singer Michael Hutchence dances past. In comparison to that, maybe Kure v hodinkach isn't so bizarre after all.
Evan Rail's e-mail address is erail@praguepost.com
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