The Prague Post
December 2nd, 2008
Endowment Fund     Business Listings ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions
Hotel Prague Centre

Home » Archives » Night & Day

To lease or not to lease

The Universal question and other matters of culinary import

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
February 28th, 2007 issue

Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST
Location, location, location: A popular restaurant may move ... sooner or later.
What’s the old saying — here today and gone tomorrow? Well, it’s true … unless you get lawyers involved or a forgetful landlady overlooks some key documents.
Such is the situation of Universal, the popular low-cost diner on V Jirchářích street in New Town. Last fall, the owner of the building decided that some eager new tenants would be willing to pay much more for the space. Universal renews its lease every October, so the outcome seemed a foregone conclusion: owner refuses to extend, restaurateurs out on the street.
Ah, but the landlady failed to terminate Universal’s contract in writing, as stipulated by the lease. No matter — the restaurant owners and property manager had, according to Universal’s Aurelia Cristo, made an oral agreement that would have the diner packed up and moved out by the end of 2006, a deadline later extended to the end of February 2007. Which means Universal should be moving out right about now.
Ah, again. Through some misunderstanding, the landlady apparently planned to part ways with the restaurant in January. When the owners consulted their law team, they were advised that they can stick around until October if they choose.
Cristo says they harbor no ill feelings and would accept a slight increase in rent, though nothing close to what the landlady now wants. On the other hand, she says, they may go ahead and look for a new location before summer.
Speaking of new …
The Beer Factory opened recently on Wenceslas Square, just opposite the guy on horseback. It’s a self-service concept — each table contains four taps hooked to a computer. All you do is sit down, activate the system and pour. Computers keep score (so stag parties will know when they’re falling behind) and the Pilsner is fresh. Otherwise, it’s just a clean, numb, soulless space staffed by curt waiters who, thanks to technology, don’t need to learn human interaction skills, basic communication, that sort of thing.
If you’re keeping score, tankovaná beer sets you back 39 Kč ($1.82). But you can get all the, um, foam you want.
Meanwhile, Vinohrady continues to churn. U Slavíků replaced Rudý Baron, and the old standby pub Victor Prodleff underwent a facelift (of sorts) several months ago, emerging as BAReL. Another Vinohrady tradition, Metropole, is also in the midst a name change. The new moniker? Noel’s.
Continuing education
The folks staffing professional kitchens are lucky. Wait, strike that. While there’s very little charm in a trough of fatty vepřové maso waiting for the frying pan, those who occupy high-end stations get to play with lobster, truffles, liver yanked from force-fed geese and the like.
This spring and summer, chef Jiři Štift and his team at the Radisson’s two destination restaurants, Alcron and La Rotonde, will allow regular folks a taste of the fun. The young and talented chef (a direct quote from PR materials) leads a class on Brazilian cuisine in April, with other specialties featured in the following months. Coursework begins with a drink — just one, as sharp knives are involved — followed by an evening of hands-on prep work and cooking. The evening concludes with a three-course feast, complete with wine. Not bad for 3,800 Kč per person. Call 222 820 220 for reservations or further details. Ask for the bold and beautiful Martina Tkačová.
Final (slurred) words
The following took place at K.U. Bar Café a week or so after my most recent harangue in this space about local bartenders and their martini deficiencies. One guest at a four-top ordered a martini and received the usual: vermouth with a splash of gin — or in this case, vodka. She presented the waiter with a verbal dissertation on cocktail methodology and he departed to retrieve a proper one. But he returned only with an apology. Seems the bartender didn’t know how to pour less vermouth into the glass. He offered, however, to throw in a double shot of vodka.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (28/02/2007):

Browse the Current Issue

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Business Listings

Provokator
Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.