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July 25th, 2008
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Getting Štift

Radisson to lose longtime chef, plus lesser happenings

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
March 19th, 2008 issue

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Pavel HOŘEJŠI/The Prague Post
Hilton standout Roman Paulus will replace Štift.
When you consider that it only takes one night in a Washington, D.C. hotel room to become fodder for New York tabloids, and about six years to grind the once-almighty U.S. dollar into near-worthless cage liner, nine years begins to look like a long, long stretch of time.
But during chef Jiří Štift’s nine-year tenure at the Radisson SAS, he has managed to turn the hotel’s niche restaurant, Alcron, into Prague’s top seafood destination. At the same time, his cooking classes almost single-handedly inspired a passion for culinary knowledge in the city. And he made Radisson’s other dining room, La Rotonde, synonymous with brunch.
Well, expensive brunch.
At the end of this month, however, the honored chef abandons his post at the Radisson in favor of his own venture, a restaurant scheduled to open about six months from now in Pankrác.
“It will not be easy for me to leave Alcron’s kitchen,” Štift admits. “They gave me the opportunity to develop my career as a cook.”
Backed by the hotel’s money, Štift traveled and learned new techniques. Unwilling to sit on newfound skills, he began to change Alcron’s menu each month — or sometimes daily — as seasonal ingredients came available.
“Alcron is the best working opportunity I have had so far,” he says.
To replace Štift, Radisson brass lured Roman Paulus away from CzecHouse at the rival Hilton Prague.
Paulus earned recognition as part of a short-lived wave of “modern Czech” enthusiasts — a handful of chefs who, loosed from communist control, began to rediscover and upgrade classic Czech dishes. But he also picked up a taste for more worldly touches at the Hilton: prime beef tartare topped with caviar, for instance, or rich and hearty bouillabaisse recipes from Provence.
The incoming chef’s comparative lack of experience with seafood doesn’t seem to concern folks at the New Town hotel. On the plus side, they’re exchanging one well-regarded kitchen hand for another.
And they part on good terms with Štift, who has dedicated a soon-to-be-published cookbook to the Alcron. The feeling is mutual: “I would like to express my deep appreciation to Jiří for all he has done for us,” says Radisson General Manager Michal Chour.
Now that’s Italian
The rumors about some English bloke buying up the underappreciated Valleta were true. New owner Glenn Svarc reopened the eclectic neighborhood joint’s doors last week — or was scheduled to, anyway — after some renovation work. Why all the rekonstrukce? To change Valleta into Da Clara, a modern Italian osteria. (That means no pizza.)
Or not
The first Czech iteration of Poland’s favorite chain, the aptly named Sphinx, opened near the Powder Tower in the space vacated (thankfully) by 120 Days. That’s almost directly across from that all-American outpost, TGI Friday’s, at one of the biggest tourist hubs in the city.
Coffee Heaven is flexing its muscle, preparing to open a location on tourist-mobbed Na Mustků while Starbucks’ second store waits behind the Palladium’s closed doors. Of course, Starbucks already countered by launching its umpteenth Czech operation (technically, its third — or fourth, already losing count here) at Ruzyně Airport, where baristas began overcharging for American-style coffee last week at terminal 1.
Congrats — sort of — to Norman Bice, owner of Fatboys, who tackled a pickpocket then watched in anger as local cops let him go free. Seems he hadn’t stolen enough for them to bother.
Final (slurred) words
Just a reminder for all those who slam Starbucks as too American, and Coffee Heaven as too whatever — my favorite excuse being “too expensive.” This snippet of a conversation overheard last weekend during a nonalcoholic lunch at a restaurant way out in Prague 20:
“Do you think this is espresso?”
“It looks like cappuccino. Maybe it’s half and half.”
“It doesn’t taste like either.”

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (19/03/2008):

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