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Goin' for the green

Jagr's turns Irish and other small potatoes from kitchens around the city

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
October 24th, 2007 issue

KURT VINION/THE PRAGUE POST
Some things never change . . . well, almost never: The "new look" for an old bar.
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It was no great feat to transform the cavernous sports bar Jagr’s into an Irish pub, apparently. Some polishing, a few splashes of green and taps pouring dark, foamy stout — maith thú, Shamrock.
The big projection screens are still in place, as is the upstairs bar. On tap: cider, Guinness and Beamish (but no American Budweiser, one of the island’s favorite beers). The single nod to the Czech Republic’s specialty: Krušovice.
At least the Krušovice is priced in the lower reaches of the tourist zone stratosphere, at 65 Kč.
Shamrock’s kitchen serves a mix of bar food favorites, such as wings, along with other meaty fare and Irish specialties. The steak and Guinness pie is hearty, at least. Cubes of beef are thoroughly saturated with the bitter-sweet brew, which unfortunately flattens the meaty flavor and leaves a sour aftertaste. The crust is puffed-up on top but remains chewy underneath, much akin to from-a-can Pillsbury pastry.
The kitchen doesn’t skimp on the meat, however, and the sauce pulls earthy resonance from mushrooms. It’s nothing memorable, nothing offensive.
Placards promise numerous sidelights, including live music and occasional bouts of dancing. For partisans of the newly resurfaced bar — owners, managers, marketing firm — all of this is enough to warrant the “Prague’s real Irish pub” tagline on advertising materials.
Others might look around at Jagr’s new costume and say, “The jig is up.”
Good to go
Crowds tromping around the southern edge of Old Town no longer need do so without a sandwich and hot cup of Joe. The former Café Panerie on Konviktska, later restyled as CP 1, became Café Kavarna CP1. In its new guise, the place offers coffee and food to go.
A booze and dance venue called People is set to open on Štěpánská.
The folks at Fraktal are busy testing new burger recipes, hoping to add a few gourmet versions to their already well-respected menu.
Bar-fly
Finally open after all these months, Bukowski’s now hosts ladies’ night every Tuesday. From 6 to 9 p.m. the Žižkov joint will slam the door shut on men and pour free sangria for women looking to get a head start. Once the ladies are goggled up, the place turns into a meat market, presumably.
Ghost dance
Several pubs around town are throwing Halloween parties between Friday, Oct. 26 and Thursday, Nov. 1 — technically All Soul’s Day. The two biggies: Prague TV’s Monster Ball, now in its fifth year, will be at Retro Music Hall (on Francouzská near náměstí Miru, Friday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m.; call 603 476 747 for details). The ninth annual Blaq Mummy Halloween concert will rock out at Club Bordo (on Vinohradská, Saturday, Oct. 27. 8 p.m.; call 774 039 991). Others worth checking out include parties at Jáma (Oct. 27, call 224 222 383) for the more sedate expat who likes the wait staff dressed as nurses; Zest Bar in the Hilton (Oct. 31, call 224 842 700) for the expense-account crowd; and Radost FX (Oct. 31, call 603 181 500) to howl at the moon one last time before November begins. Those with children (or merely wishing to relive childhood) should find their way to Bohemia Bagel (Oct. 27, call 224 812 560). The Old Town mainstay shows everybody’s favorite, Charlie Brown, stocks pumpkins for carving and offers spooky tales for kids, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Cover charges vary.
Burnt offerings
After being apparently spurned by the owners of Paneria, the corporate giant of java — Starbucks — plans to open a store at Pankrac next year.
Final (slurred) words
Food lover Pavel Maurer is putting the finishing touches on his Grand Restaurant guide for 2008. The useful Zagat-style booklet tabulates popular opinion on some 400 kitchens in Prague and throughout the Czech Republic. To set this edition apart, Maurer also polled a few select “experts,” including chefs, writers and known gourmands. He expects to match their top five against those selected by the public. Should be interesting. The final publication date has not been set, but check out www.grand-restaurant.com to place an order and find out more.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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