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November 22nd, 2008
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Screen plays

Where to watch American football, plus off-field news items

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
September 12th, 2007 issue

Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST
Sports bars are popular gathering spots on the weekends for expats and locals alike.
Some people refer to soccer as the “beautiful game.” And boxing was once known as the “sweet science.” Ah, but American football is a high-speed collision, a grinding slugfest, a full-contact ballet and a complicated battle of wits played over 60 minutes that somehow stretches to three hours.
Which, of course, makes the United States’ national obsession the perfect backdrop for an evening of ritual drinking.
A number of local sports bars have access to select weekend football games, although European satellite feeds tend to allow more time for NFL contests than Saturday’s college matchups. In general, college games kick off at 6 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and midnight Saturdays. The NFL starts at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sundays.
Here is a brief guide to some of your better viewing options:
Jáma (V Jámě 7, Prague 1–New Town. Tel. 224 222 383). Not technically a sports bar, this American-style pub broadcasts more football than other locations thanks to its excellent satellite service. The options typically include three or more college and at least two pro games in each time slot, many not available at other bars. The downside: one flat-screen in a narrow room, so which game you see is a matter of consensus.
The Pack (Ve Smečkách 21, Prague 1–New Town. Tel. 222 210 280). The same options as Jáma, at least for the time being, although not always as accommodating when conflicts arise, such as an evening soccer match. The viewing is on several flat-screens upstairs and a large one downstairs, and there’s free (very salty) popcorn.
Zlatá Hvězda (Ve Smečkách 12, Prague 1–New Town. Tel. 296 222 292). Just a short jog from The Pack and probably the most popular sports bar in Prague. NFL games draw large, raucous groups. Beer is cheap and there are screens set up in every possible position. Some are too small to see from a distance, so call and reserve a good seat.
Lions (Krakovská 19, Prague 1-New Town. Tel. 720 216 204). This pub once served an almost exclusively soccer-and-rugby crowd. This season, however, it’s showing NFL football feeds. The pub consists of two levels, with a wall-size screen downstairs. To celebrate the NFL season, management plans a lottery for regular fans, with the winner earning a flight to the United States for Super Bowl weekend.
Rumor mill
Representatives from Hard Rock Café have been scouting locations and interviewing potential managers, clearly intending to open a branch in Prague sometime soon. The kitschy chain continues to draw fans of Americanized global fare in markets where similar efforts — most notably, Planet Hollywood — failed.
Zátiší Group, the power behind Bellevue, Mlýnec and, of course, V Zátiší, has purchased an interest in Žofín on Slovanský ostrov.
Expansion
Local restaurateurs are sometimes slow in their response to consumer demand, but at least they are responding. Haveli, for instance, just announced the opening of a “vegetarian department.” Not too much of a stretch for the Prague 6 Indian restaurant, but worthy of note nonetheless.
The popular Millhouse Sushi in Slovanský dům has shut down temporarily for reconstruction.
As you jostle around in the tram swaying up Ječná toward I. P. Pavlova, take a gander at Alex Bistro, a newly opened establishment.
Good news for Sunday slackers: The Radisson’s Jazz Brunch is once again in business after its annual summer hiatus. Yes, it’s expensive — 999 Kč ($49) per person — but that includes oysters, sushi, meats, pastries, various cooking stations, wine and beer. And you can stuff yourself at your leisure.
Press clippings
According to a piece in Mladá fronta Dnes, three actual, true-to-life cooking schools are scheduled to open in the city: Cooking Academy Bertolli, Čerstvá škola vařeni and Ola Kala. It will cost about 2,000 Kč a pop and four to five hours of your time. But at least you get to grade your own tests.
Meanwhile, Týden reports that Czech farmers grow more poppies than any other country, some 1.5 billion Kč worth. A plus for the owners of both pastry shops and smoky dens.
The Karlovarský suchar crackers produced in Karlovy Vary earned trademark protection from the European Union. Unfortunately, the company went bankrupt just before the announcement. This from Právo.
Final (slurred) words
Some mistakes at local restaurants are horrible and comical at the same time. Even seasoned crews at highly-regarded establishments like La Bodeguita del Medio get involved in the high jinks. What the waiter brought to my table there one recent evening was not a Negroni — which I confirmed with a couple of sips (the second to guess just what it was they served). Another staff member arrived with my drink, saw the errant glass, apologized, and immediately trotted it over to a group two tables away.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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