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Consistently good

Good words for Chudoba, plus a few new faces popping up around town

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
May 23rd, 2007 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
This Vinohrady corner pub could draw crowds based on looks alone.
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Taking just a moment here to applaud what is, ostensibly, just another Czech corner restaurant.
Unlike so many other “typical” pubs, Chudoba has built a reputation for pleasant service and — something almost unheard of in this market — consistent quality.
There’s a filet, for instance, stuffed with English bacon, Roquefort and leeks. Though slightly on the stringy side, the balance works, pulling smoky, salty flavors from bacon, a sharp bitterness from the cheese and a brighter shade of the same from chopped leeks. An oddly named thing — the stinker — combines chicken and mushrooms in a Roquefort sauce. It looks ugly: dingy gray flecked with brownish specks. But the mushrooms are dense and musty in flavor and the sauce temperate.
The menu is Czech pub, with some twists and turns. Yes, there’s Prague ham and topinky and such. There are also a few favorites from expat lands, such as stuffed jalapenos … or in this case, paprika filled with cheese, rolled in crushed corn flakes and deep-fried. The crust is crispy and gossamer thin, not oily. The peppers are sneaky things.
Sure, the kitchen trips up on occasion. But this Vinohrady standout (Vinohradská 67, to be precise) prides itself on the kind of dull predictability that, compared to the hit-or-miss theatrics of trendier restaurants, proves so satisfying.
Other pluses: a homey and gratifying multilevel dining space, plus, in warmer months, a noisy patio along Vinohrady’s main drag. Not the most romantic al fresco seating, but a good see-and-be-seen perch.
Summer hiatus on hiatus
Chefs, line cooks and wait staff need some time off, like everybody else. At least that’s Radisson’s excuse for suspending their highly regarded Sunday brunch during summer months. But management has decided to postpone the warm weather shutdown this year. May 28 was to be the last event until September, but now it will be on offer through June 24 — good news for folks wishing to gorge themselves on the all-you-can-eat cornucopia (everything from salads to sushi to Czech faves, free-flowing wine and live entertainment). The place? La Rotonde. The cost? 895 Kč per person. Call 222 820 038 for details.
New kids in town
Just opened in Malá Strana: U Lamberty, tucked into a corner across from the German Embassy. It takes over the spot once held by Faros, a Greek restaurant. While a little of the old flair survives in a noticeable Mediterranean influence, there are also a number of creative steak options listed.
Jammed alongside Efes and a herna bar on Vinohradská (diverse company, indeed), the cocktail bar-cum-kavárna known as Akvarium is promising take-away coffee service.
Meanwhile, construction continues slowly on a small patio adjacent to Fluidum’s outdoor seating on beautiful Lucemburská. Presumably this wooden structure will soon allow customers of a new vinoteka to uncork and relax.
Grosseto has opened another branch, this time in Michle’s BB Centrum corporate complex.
Rites of spring
Someone at Square either caved in to an asparagus salesman’s high-pressure tactics or devoted far too much time to their garden. Anyway, the Malá Strana restaurant’s seasonal menu features roasted asparagus, white asparagus in Hollandaise, marinated asparagus with aged balsamic, saffron risotto with — what else? — green asparagus, seared halibut with white asparagus … I could go on, but you get the idea. If you need a fix, you know where to go. Just keep in mind the spears don’t pair well with many wines.
Meanwhile, La Provence celebrates spring with an extensive list of lobster dishes — bisque, thermidor, that kind of thing.
Final (slurred) words
Pity the poor waitress left to handle the entire Lucerna bar space all by her lonesome. Not that you expect to encounter prompt, friendly service in a movie-theater lobby. One recent evening, however, management decided a single frail staff member could cope with movie audiences, tourists, passers-by and those waiting for a concert downstairs.
Not a wise move.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (23/05/2007):

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