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Not so grand tour

Continental Cristoff makes adequate seem interesting
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By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
November 7th, 2007 issue

Cristoff

Donská 11
Prague 10–Vršovice
Tel. 271 752 239
Open daily 10 a.m.–10 p.m.


Food *
Service **
Atmosphere **
Overall **

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
What's the appeal? Family-friendly prices and a room for the little ones.
VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
For the grown-ups, a little bit of style.
FROM THE MENU

Egg stuffed tomato 45 Kč
Spinach on fried bread 40 Kč
Ratatouille 95 Kč
Cheese soup 35 Kč
Caprese 60 Kč
Madrid-style pork ribs 130 Kč
Beef in red wine sauce 130 Kč
Flemish roast 125 Kč
Pot roast 150 Kč

Imagine having to prove that one plus one really equals two. Sure, the sum should be obvious. But, in the messy, theoretical world of mathematics, things don’t always add up so easily.
To understand that concept, one need merely run over to Prague 10 and order the ratatouille served at Cristoff. There are red and green bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, eggplant — all the elements that make up the familiar side. To stand in a French kitchen and declare this stuff ratatouille, however, would provoke outrage.
Common recipes require chefs to sauté the ingredients in oil until they soften, seeping shared flavor into the pan, bubbling and reducing into a natural, pulpy sauce. Aficionados even insist vegetables must stew separately, pulled together only at the last minute for a more distinct dish. Cristoff instead plates crisp peppers, gently warmed, and firm eggplant showing few signs of distress.
Only the onion and tomato meet the demands of tradition.
Of course, the rules of cooking should occasionally yield to the impositions of location or the whims of a particular chef. And nowhere does the new Vršovice establishment profess itself to be authentically French.
But a good restaurant should have a focus, or at least a consistent approach. And in that respect it’s hard to classify Cristoff by anything other than the most unreliable labels: “eclectic” and “family restaurant.”
By my quick count, the menu lists items from 19 different countries. Egg-stuffed tomatoes represent Portugal, consisting of two beefsteak-sized fruits, hollowed out and filled in with a couple of hard-boiled eggs. The simple starter is redeemed only by a warming sauce with just enough brackishness, a harbinger of bitterness and whispers of sweetness.
From Switzerland, there’s a predictable broth of cream, consommé and cheese, collected in stretchy glops along the bottom of the bowl. The Swiss prepare a traditional soup thickened with stale bread — but we’re not playing by those rules, remember?
A Russian “specialty” — creamed spinach on fried bread — features tattered frozen green stuff on a remarkable base. Golden brown and thoroughly crispy, the rich and sturdy toast somehow clings to a little of its original texture. If only one could order it without the sloppy topping.
The pot roast, also labeled Russian, piles three kinds of meat and several root vegetables into a tomato puree resembling ketchup, loaded with herbs and cracked black pepper. While a drizzle of red wine provides a tannic bite, bursts of pepper pierce your palate and dig in for a moment. This is enough to cancel out the stringy beef. Pork and cured pork (i.e. ham) account for the other two meats. The latter is particularly fatty and tender, appearing to melt away on the tongue. Perhaps this represents the high point, a family favorite turned out in single-serving ceramic pots.
Beef medallions in red wine, described as Greek, pours a dense, contrite reduction over thin, chewy meat. Flemish roast pairs a similar parched sliver with a hearty sauce based on mustard and ale — rich, sweet and loaded with onions. Moving down the figurative continent, doubtful Madrid-style pork ribs sit under congealed tomato paste. Thankfully, there’s a gentle current of peppery heat drifting under all that natural sweetness.
Yet if the kitchen falters here and there — and falls well short of authenticity on many occasions — it never completely collapses. The ribs are caked in peppered paste, but they are also well-caramelized and quite tender. The faux Swiss cheese soup at least offers a filling, creamy background and herbal spikes.
Indeed, everything I sampled stood up to the modest standards of everyday family fare. Which means it beats out most neighborhood pubs by a noticeable margin.
Speaking of which, this restaurant/cocktail bar has a short children’s menu (including chicken nuggets) and a larger, well-stocked play area for rambunctious little tykes — not often seen, even at neighborhood eateries. And management and staff are as accommodating as possible.
In short, the place feels like home.
No one is going to mistake Cristoff for fine dining. But it’s a welcoming, kid-friendly, inexpensive place, more than adequate for those evenings when close enough is good enough.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (7/11/2007):

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