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October 8th, 2008
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Shuffling the Pack

Sports bar revises menu, and other snippets from around town

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
March 12th, 2008 issue

JAN PŘEROVSKÝ/THE PRAGUE POST
Food for a pub crawler's soul: The Pack's fish stands out, chips less so.
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Toward the end of last year, longtime pub owner Max Munson dealt his backup location, The Pack, to British expat Robert Young.
More than likely, Munson considered his “other” operation a place to steer stag parties, keeping them away from Jáma. “Bob” Young has done little to amend the sports bar motif of The Pack. But he has put forth an effort to revise its menu, adding a number of British favorites based on his own family recipes.
Cornish pasty, for instance, may not compare to the quickie miners’ lunch of yore. Yet its flakey crust surrounds a hearty stew resembling good onion soup, only thicker, and resonant with pepper and bitter vegetal notes. Some chunks of meat, unfortunately, turned out tough and chewy.
The new Pack’s version of fish and chips hardly matches portions served by my old neighborhood place on Hampstead High Street. It’s not soggy, not greasy and not redolent of never-cleaned frying vats. Instead, The Pack’s kitchen turns out flakey fish under a crisp and slightly sweet crust — very good.
Well, except for the chips.
The new ownership continues to fine-tune the operation, struggling most notably with the satellite system during rugby matches. Still, it’s worth a look if you crave something authentic on a Premier League weekend.
Hail to the Lions
The owners of the establishment once known as Three Lions (and now just plain old Lions) have been working hard to drop the haven-of-drunken-spewing-stag-partiers image. Along with toning down the thoroughly British name to one less thorough, they dumped Krušovice in favor of better brews, slashed beer prices and, recently, hired a skilled chef. He specializes in the traditional Sunday roast, by the way. Rumor has the roast, the steak and other menu items rated highly. Will let you know.
Beyond the sea
Chef Jiří Štift will be leaving the Radisson soon with an eye on starting his own restaurant. As a kind of farewell, the noted seafood chef has put together a “fish market” menu for guests at the hotel’s La Rotonde. Diners select from a daily “catch” of fresh seafood and pick from several preparations (seared in olive oil, seared in butter and so on). Same goes for side dishes: Dover sole with grilled polenta, sautéed paspierre, black olive tapenade with tomato coulis — whatever you want. Available through March 30. Call 222 820 410 for more information.
Soho in Prague 4 now offers sushi, in addition to its international pickings. Also in Prague 4, Sushi 4 You delivers maki and nigiri to many spots around the city.
Bohemian rhapsody
Bohemia Bagel’s new Nebušice location is finally getting around to its “winter program,” just as spring threatens to break out. The schedule includes Tex-Mex nights Tuesdays, Italian nights Thursdays, and Fridays dedicated to a “build your own” burger concept. Other days feature Play Station competitions, reading sessions for the kids and more.
For those in search of Vietnamese basics, there’s word of decent pho at Asian Bistro — really, a few tables under an awning — across from the Anděl metro. Make certain, warns the source, that you order beef pho, as the chicken variety is “not nice.”
Ch-ch-ch-changes
Perhaps one or two people will lament Euforia’s passing — anything is possible, after all. The New Town space has been transformed into yet another pizza joint.
A highly respected gadabout showed up at Dinitz Café for a recent lunch meeting, only to find it shut down for renovation.
Final (slurred) words
Forget St. Patrick’s Day — or, rather, consider it a warm-up for an event potentially more impressive, if you find sodden excess impressive. Assuming all the I’s are dotted, T’s crossed, paperwork filed and palms greased, a massive Prague Beer Fest will consume 10 full days in May. Organizers are planning sit-down space for 10,000 seated guests, kegs from many of the country’s breweries and big helpings of local fare. Entertainment includes everything from costumed folk performers to main-stage rock bands to … well, whole beef carcasses roasting on spits. More later.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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