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July 6th, 2008
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Down on the corner

Gate's popularity doesn't reflect its mediocre cuisine
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By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
February 6th, 2008 issue

Gate

Sokolovská 31
Prague 8–Karlín
Tel. 224 815 305
Open Mon.–Thurs. 8 a.m.–midnight, Fri. 8 a.m.–1 a.m., Sat. noon–1 a.m., Sun. noon–midnight

Food *
Service ***
Atmosphere ***
Overall **

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Not an empty seat in the house. Great atmosphere and service define Gate.
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FROM THE MENU

Caprese 107 Kč
Fish and chips 97 Kč
Mixed grill (ribs, wings) 199 Kč
York burger 156 Kč
Spinach pappardelle 144 Kč
Hoegaarden 42 Kč
Staropramen 31 Kč

Had Edward Hopper lived a few decades longer and sought more upbeat images, he may have settled on Gate as the model for Nighthawks.
Viewed from the street on almost any evening, the corner space glows, full of motion and conversation. During the lunch rush, it’s much the same: hardly a seat available. Certainly this must be the most popular restaurant outside of Prague’s tourist zone.
Glance at the restaurant’s ambitious menu and you might guess that food service has something to do with all this commotion.
Like so many pubs, Gate has a menu that roams far and wide through pasta dishes, local specialties, international selections and odd whims, such as the prawn stir fry finished in a hollowed-out pineapple.
Yet the kitchen avoids a common mistake. Instead of piling on page after page of options, it offers a few examples from each category, pulling together an intriguing list. The benefit of this should be a kitchen staff perfecting tasks through repetition, which in turn promises greater consistency and a higher level of quality.
So there’s hope from the start: popularity, congenial service and a compelling menu. Alas, expectations immediately dropped with a portion of fish and chips pivoted on ivory-white “shark” that, had it not turned into mush somewhere along the way, would have mimicked delicate plaice. If the crust fails to crisp up — my experience on one occasion — you end up with an unpleasant coating, both chewy and gooey (but not Louie) at the same time.
Pliable, pasty mush. Mmm-mm.
Line cooks also muffed the all-important chips, at least that time. On other visits they ended up golden, tinged in reddish-brown and beautiful in appearance. This is important because the fries have a pronounced and quite peculiar character, much like sour cream. In yellow, sagging batches, this becomes a shocking, powerful force. Proper cooking tames some of the curdled flavor, so you end up with a pile of can’t-eat-just-one, almost irresistible potatoes.   
Near-perfect fries accompanied the York, one of three burger options. Here the restaurant shows potential. The bun is classic sesame — rather unassuming, perhaps a little disappointing. But the rest: meat charred crisp on the outside, drawing out dark, sweet flavors, tart ketchup supported by grilled onions to brighten things a bit more, a slice of pancetta adding a rich layer, cheese … every element clicks, except for the bun and a sad heap of lettuce.
The burger may be tiny by Mozaika standards, but it’s rather good.
Standout offerings are simple, such as barbecued pork ribs. Despite the smaller bones, there is plenty of meat — all very tender — and a sweet, deep sauce that, unfortunately, blackens into bitterness. Chicken wings follow the same course, nice and meaty, dominated by the sauce.
Other items falter at some point. Caprese alternates two types of mozzarella with tomato, or so swears the menu — the “buffalo” version does a fine impression of regular cow’s milk cheese. Capriono e spinaci, a cream papardelle dish, joined a tired refrain of overcooked pasta heard in restaurants all over the city. Still, the surrounding elements, though a bit heavy-handed, work nicely together. Spinach retains a modicum of its summertime bite. The garlic is more grassy than bitter, aiding the spinach’s cause. Sun-dried tomatoes release a dense, husky sweetness into the mix. And, on top, sits a baked round of goat cheese, melting into the pasta, lending its tart voice to the pappardelle’s creamy base.
So you end up with a supportive group of ingredients, tending to echelon from similar points. It may seem redundant after a while, but for a few sudden snaps of pungent, caramelized black pepper.
Ultimately, it all leaves you with a “good, but …” feeling.
The ratings also pose a bit of a problem this week. Part of this stems from my personal bias against “star” rating systems, which I don’t believe serve the reader. With rare exception, turning a thumbs up or down either feeds the critic’s ego (as in “I gave the place three stars”) or provides those suffering from short attention spans a reason to avoid further reading, attaching their own meaning to one, two, three or four.
Stars also hamstring the critic, with Gate offering a case in point. In no way is it on the same level as Monsoon or Angel — nor does it aspire to be. Therefore, three stars are out of the question. It also falls well short of La Veranda, a very good two-star venue.
But Gate ranks far above most corner spots in the city.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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