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Stars on parade

Michelin chefs visit Mandarin, and other news

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
October 10th, 2007 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
London chef Chris Staines works in Essensia's kitchen.
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Every so often, the local outpost of some giant hotel chain decides to flaunt its financial pectorals by flying in a Michelin star chef.
The best that Prague restaurants have managed is a handful of Bib Gourmand ratings from tire-company critics, denoting a place offering good value for the money. No local chef holds even one of the coveted celestial marks.
So this fall, Essensia restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental is bringing three one-star kitchen celebrities to the city for a little working vacation (more properly called “Autumn with the Stars” by the hotel’s marketing department). Chef Chris Staines, of Foliage in Mandarin’s London hotel, just wrapped up his tour. Next up: Mario Corti from Mark’s (Mandarin Munich) Oct. 23–30, and Franck Ferigutti of Le Neptune (Mandarin Geneva), Nov. 20–25.
The visiting chefs will prepare a five-course dinner menu each evening. More adventurous guests can sign up for cooking classes followed by a three-course lunch with the teacher. It’s an opportunity to ask questions, pick up a few tricks or accidentally sever an appendage with one of those razor-sharp professional knives.
Restaurant management claims that some of the dishes featured during Autumn with the Stars will remain on Essensia’s regular menu, which presumably means executive chef Ari Munander will be peeking over shoulders and surreptitiously jotting down recipes.
Call 233 088 888 for pricing, reservations or further information.
Celestial seasonings
Speaking of stars, the Hilton Old Town — formerly known as the Renaissance, but still occupying a piece of New Town real estate — has signed big-name British chef Gordon Ramsay (owner of three Michelin stars) to develop a menu for its new restaurant. The, um, loquacious Ramsay not only earned fame as a demanding chef, but also for his television appearances … and keen grasp of slang.
Speaking of the Hilton, CzecHouse Grill in the Karlín location introduces a game menu just in time for harvest season, giving chef Roman Paulus (no stars, but still quite respectable) a chance to play with deer, pheasant and the flavors of fall. The menu is available Oct. 11–21. Call 224 842 700 for more information.
Monsters from the deep
Heroic cooks at Corinthia Towers apparently fended off an extraterrestrial invasion by cooking up spindly sea creatures. At least that’s my reading of their cutesy media kit introducing an all-you-can-eat feast known as “Invasion of the Crabs.” The running commentary includes promises of “close combat” against “heavily armored” beasts — presumably referring to the act of eating crab meat. Several different types of crabs and other shellfish are involved in the action. It’s not too often that we get a batch of crab in Prague, so this is a good opportunity to load up. The confrontation takes place Friday, Oct. 26, starting at 7:30 in the hotel’s restaurant. Cost depends on when you call for reservations, starting at 1,750 Kč ($90) per person (Oct. 1) and increasing 25 Kč per day. Call 261 191 103.
Drink up
Trying to get back to their good coffee roots, the owners of Káva Káva Káva are offering a free coffee tasting at their Anděl location Oct. 14. Five or six different freshly ground varieties will be available. Like one? Buy a bag and take it home. Or just pretend you haven’t found a suitable cup and keep sipping for free. Sample the coffees during opening hours.
The Patron Spirits Company recently announced a partnership arrangement with Prague-based Kratochvílovci to distribute the famous high-end tequila (that would be Patron) and Pyrat rum. For now, the name-brand spirits will be available at select venues.
Interesting new kavárna in Vršovice called the Nano Café. Best appreciated, I’m told, on warm and sunny days. So either wait until May or settle for indoor seating.
Oh-oh ovoce
According to media reports, the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority conducted random checks of 27 fruit and vegetable shops recently. Those who firmly believe such places display goods that are fresher and better than mainstream groceries may be shocked at the results: 25 of the 27 sold items were considered poor in quality. Of course, that may still be good enough to best Albert and the other local supermarkets.
Final (slurred) words
Both Patriot-X and Wings Club are, in their own way, decent places to dine. But wait staff at the two places have recently resorted to tired service tricks. At the latter, there was an hour-long wait for an order of wings (go figure) and American potatoes, which turned into potato pancakes by the time they reached weary guests. The waitress corrected her mistake after a few complaints and removed the offending flapjacks — without removing them from the bill. At Patriot-X, a waiter tried to sneak a bottle of Champagne onto a guest’s receipt. Yes, an entire bottle, and on a quiet night with only one other two-top occupied (no way to use the confusion of dinner rush to justify the “mistake.”) Funny thing, really: He was attempting to scam a top executive in the credit-card business.
Busted.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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