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December 5th, 2008
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Away to go

Picking up at Culinaria and dropping in on other spots

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
April 9th, 2008 issue

JAN PŘEROVSKÝ/THE PRAGUE POST
Some of Culinaria's kitchen crew on display with their takeaway handiwork.
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A number of expats show little or no interest in cooking at home.
Why bother, they shrug. Only the most depraved masochist finds joy in Tesco’s crowded vault or the excruciating lines at Albert. Few apartments come stocked with cooking utensils, the fridge is too small, they’re never very hungry after seven or eight Pilsners, anyway — I’ve heard a number of reasons.
And used more than one of those myself.
Of the takeaway joints servicing this crowd when they tire of restaurant fare, Culinaria’s reputation has remained relatively steady over the years.
Does it still hold up under new chef Martin Held?
Half an hour before closing time, the many service plates scraped clean in the display cases suggest that it does. Even at that late hour, the chicken satay remains tender, the marinade creating a nice herbal patina. The accompanying peanut sauce — gritty and creamy at the same time — underscores this with subtle heat.
The buffet cabinets showcase individual quiches, olives packed in oil, elaborate presentations and all-too-simple, witty dishes like “pasta gratin.” It’s a quick and easy, just-like-mom-used-to-make concoction: mac and cheese, only good, sharp cheese instead of processed stuff, with the edges blackened — comfortably acrid and crusty.
Culinaria’s lasagna features layers of pasta (overcooked on a recent visit) layered with cheese and placid, crumbled meat. This mundane assembly is saved by a hearty sauce, loaded with chunks of tomato and bright herbs.
I also tried a few of the Easter creations, such as a rather decent honey-glazed ham. My conclusion: All in all, Culinaria still hangs in there. Menus vary — sometimes falling short, but often matching midrange Prague restaurants … although the cookies can be memorably dry.
 
Let’s do lunch
A frequent diner with a relatively undamaged palate recommends the business lunch at Monsoon. The menu changes daily, but features creative dishes — stir-fried noodles and tiger prawns, for instance — for less than 150 Kč ($9.35).
The Prague Marriott in New Town recently introduced a business lunch menu offering soup, salads and favorites such as roasted chicken and grilled sea bass for 430 Kč (two courses) or 480 Kč (three courses).
Or, if you can afford to spend a little more, stroll across the street for the 600 Kč business lunch at Maze, which attracts a well-heeled, yet frugal set.
Not home on the range
For decades, Czechs have assumed that home cooking beats restaurant meals, even though many will happily shell out hard-earned cash for woeful restaurant meals. Why? A study recently reported in Právo claims that a quarter of Czech women can manage only a couple basic recipes, while only 17 percent of the men know their stuff in the kitchen.
Or maybe it’s the unpredictability of Prague restaurants. One of the harried Prague Post staff scraped together a few loose coins and hustled down to Fuzion for coffee and a few breadcrumbs, only to find the place gutted with a “closed” note on the door.
Spring forward
Planted on one corner of the menu at Brasserie Praha (in the aforementioned Prague Marriott), a special menu for spring includes pea soup with mint sorbet, leg of milk lamb and nettle crepes or, not surprisingly, crab spring rolls.
The popular Malá Strana nook Little Whale hosts special dinners each Wednesday with ingredients (such as fresh fish) hand-selected by the chef.
Jiří Štift is leaving Alcron at the end of April, not March, as reported here a few weeks back. Seems my notes were blurred by the discovery of a little shop selling zubrowka.
Final (slurred) words
Woe is the typical Czech middle manager, at least according to recent media reports. The poor business men and women reportedly slave away from 9 a.m. to 3:30 in the afternoon, maybe even 4. To accomplish this Herculean feat, they chug down energy drinks and pop (or otherwise ingest) uplifting chemicals. The moral: If you can’t get away from work to go clubbing, bring the club to work.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (9/04/2008):

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