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Paisano row

Old Town's Little Italy and other local dining destinations

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 13th, 2007 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Restaurateurs Ciullo Antonio (Albar's) and Nicole Serughetti (Amici Miei).
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Three may be a crowd, but four? No problem, apparently.
Case in point: four Italian establishments sharing the same stretch of Vězeňská in Old Town.
The two older restaurants, Amici Miei and Vinodivino, have much in common. They sit adjacent on the west side of the street. Both are unhurried and sophisticated, aware of their status in the community. Service at one mirrors the other — friendly, assured, aware of little details.
The primary appeal of these destinations is on the plate. Amici Miei is known for seafood dishes, but its kitchen applies the same creative touches even to common duck breast (presented in a rich chocolate-balsamic sauce with muted sour, bitter and sweet layers). Wait staff at Vinodivino fillet salt-crusted cod at your table — then let natural flavors, gentle seasoning and a perfect, fluffy texture round out the experience.
Almost directly across the street, recently opened siblings (same owner) Albar’s and Aldente aim lower. The former is primarily a deli/wine bar. Plastic wrap shows style. “We can heat it for you” stands in for Old World quality. But a small selection of good Italian cheese (Parmaggiano Reggiano, pecorino) and cured meats make for an atypical snack joint … until a group of Italians enters and your server disappears to cater exclusively to the paisano.
Aldente leans on pasta to satisfy the stop-and-peek masses. The vegetables included in my order, however, were tired, as if plopped from a can.
Taken as a whole, Prague’s new Little Italy foursome has it all: high-end to take-away, fine dining to simple street-side fare. Lots of wine, too.
Now, if we only had a Chinatown.
Three on the tree
Our copy editors, sticklers for the picayune details of grammar and punctuation, have pretty much barred me from writing about Rocky O’Reillys, which eschews apostrophes. But that notorious hangout for British stag parties now serves breakfast all day and well into the evening. Until 11 p.m., at least.
Recovered from a quick facelift: Café Panerie 1 on Konviktská in Old Town. It draws a regular breakfast-coffee crowd, but only in the morning.
The corporate BB Centrum area may be Prague’s hottest spot for new restaurants. Joining Grosseto and Maranatha in the recent openings department: Le Pavillon, a gourmet destination open early (for cube drones) and late (for … um, nobody lives out there, do they?)
Pass the biscuits
Those crispy, sweet wafers produced in Karlovy Vary earned EU protection after a squabble that started when a Dresden bakery began packaging “Karlovy Vary Wafers.”  From now on, only cookies produced in the Bohemian spa town can bear the name. Other domestic goods protected by EU trademarks include Budvar (for what it’s worth) and Pohorelice carp. Good thing, too. I think we were all tired of fine-dining restaurants passing off regular mahi-mahi or plain old Copper River salmon as Pohorelice carp.
Of course, of course
CzecHouse Grill is the latest high-end place to introduce a degustation menu. Chef Roman Paulus designed seven courses, starting with spicy avocado and crab, winding through soup, foie gras and beef tournedos. The multicourse, carp-free meals appeal to those interested in exploring new flavors. For chefs, Paulus adds, “It gives us a possibility to express our creativity.” The cost? 1,495 Kč ($71).
Final (slurred) words
While I’m on the topics of CzecHouse and food snobbery, it’s worth noting that the Hilton restaurant now offers a one-page list of upscale water. And the Czech press reports plans to start importing the impressively clad Voss from Norway and less fashionable Fiji from the States — apparently under the impression that Mattoni doesn’t cut it in the odorless, colorless, flavorless-beverage category. None of the brands, in my opinion, stands up to pure, crystal clear Stolichnaya.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (13/06/2007):

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