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May 17th, 2008
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Tastemaker

Allegro wins the race for the city's first Michelin star

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

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Accordi nailed Prague's first star, but now the challenge is to maintain "quality and consistency" at Allegro.
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Star power



What Michelin rankings mean:
Bib Gourmand: Good food at moderate prices
One star: A very good restaurant in its category
Two stars: Excellent cooking and worth a detour
Three stars: Exceptional cuisine and worth a special journey

Criteria used in judging:
Quality of product
Mastery of flavor and cooking
Personality of the cuisine
Consistency over several visits
Value for money

“Our team worked for a long time to receive this recognition,” he said. “We were extremely happy.”
Meanwhile, word spread quickly through the city’s media outlets. Here, after all, was confirmation of Prague’s culinary revival, the news that local gourmands had anticipated ever since Accordi arrived at the Four Seasons, multistarred chef Gordon Ramsay opened Maze and La Degustation began playing with rare ingredients.  
For years, the tire company’s revered guide barely deigned to notice Prague, beyond token nods to a few restaurants with potential and conferring Bib Gourmand tags (quality food at reasonable prices) on Aromi, Brasserie M and Le Terroir.
But the much sought-after stars proved hard to come by.
While Prague languished, Copenhagen racked up 10 one-star destinations and one with two stars. Seven restaurants in Munich earned recognition, including two stars for Tantris.  
“A lot of people would never contemplate coming to Prague for fine dining,” says longtime expat and foodie Nigel Mort. Now, he believes, travelers will begin to take notice.
René Beauchamp, general manager of the Four Seasons, agrees, noting that one star will enhance the city’s reputation, “not only as a destination for its culture, but also for its culinary experience.”
Under Michelin’s classification system, one star denotes a very good restaurant in its category — and its critics adhere to some rather strict standards. The 2008 edition of Michelin’s Main Cities of Europe guide highlights 1,462 highly recommended restaurants in 41 urban centers (including 20 Czech establishments), only 292 of which picked up coveted one-, two- or three-star ratings.
While the cuisine here may be making progress, other parts of Prague continue to lag. One day after news broke of the Michelin award, Four Season staffers called around to local bookstores in search of copies of the guide — with no success. Big Ben bookstore in Old Town promised to place orders for interested customers. The massive Palác knih Luxor on Wenceslas Square, like so many other shops, does not stock the guidebook.
Perhaps bookstore managers missed all the pre-publication buzz. In the months leading up to Michelin’s announcement, locals pressed the case for several restaurants here, with the names of Allegro, La Degustation and Maze popping up most often.
Certainly Ramsey brought his concept to the city in expectation of duplicating the success of Maze in London, which held onto its one-star Michelin rating. But the Prague version failed to follow suit, presumably because of the usual growing pains.
But Allegro, according to Mort, is “absolutely stunning.”
Accordi and his team of 30 line cooks turn out “modern” Italian food, introducing unique flavors and techniques borrowed from global cuisines without damaging the soul of each dish.
Accordi’s low-key response to his historic first may stem from confidence, or from the fact that he’s been through it all before. The 31-year-old Italian earned a Michelin star in Florence, just months after joining the upscale hotel Villa La Vedetta, and held onto it for five years — so he knows what to expect.
First of all, the award spurs greater competition. “We think there will be more [Michelin star restaurants in Prague],” he says. “It is just a question of time.”
It also puts pressure on his kitchen. Slack off, and they could lose the honor. More than 20 restaurants suffered that fate in this year’s guide. So, Accordi adds, “We have to maintain quality and consistency.”
Other than that, he’s willing to allow himself a satisfied smile and show some of his quiet self-assuredness when asked what he plans to change:
“There is no need to change anything.”

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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