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November 23rd, 2008
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The heat is on

New challenges at CzecHouse and other fine-dining venues

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 11th, 2008 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
Chef Peter De Smedt is all fired up about his new post at Hilton Prague.
Peter De Smedt is probably the first chef to feel a bit daunted moving to Prague.
“It is a challenge,” he said shortly after arriving in the city. Allegro’s Michelin star caught everybody’s attention, including up-and-coming chefs. Thus he proclaims Prague one of Europe’s “few new gastronomy places.”
But, as the new head chef at Hilton Prague’s CzecHouse, the 33-year-old Belgian knows this market has becoming increasingly demanding. New restaurant openings, big-name chefs, food festivals — it’s no longer a city that raves over freezer-burnt sushi or not-quite cindered steak. And so, he tosses in a line unthinkable less than a decade ago.
“It is an honor for me to be here right now,” he says.
De Smedt replaces Roman Paulus, who left the well-regarded post for a kitchen of slightly greater renown, Alcron in the Radisson hotel. While CzecHouse first built a reputation around modern Czech cuisine, adding international touches along the way, De Smedt spent much of his career perfecting French and Belgian regional fare.
He owned a place near Nice, and worked at La Couleur pourpre in Provence. More recently, De Smedt abandoned his independent restaurant roots to open Azahar in the Hilton Valencia — which put him in line to take over in Prague.
The chef, by the way, loves to create sculpture in wood, stone and sometimes iron, a skill he picked up during rare quiet moments in the kitchen, whittling away at blocks of chocolate.
New tricks
The Old Town destination known for over-the-top elegance, Flambee, just revised its stellar menu. Head chef Dušan Jakubec and his staff added such fineries as foie gras with cherries and licorice, organic guinea fowl supreme (set in Sardinian couscous), as well as several seasonal items (think asparagus).
Fluidum, the neighborhood fine-dining place in Prague 3, had decided to combat new parking regulations by selling two-hour passes for 120 Kč to nonlocals brave enough to venture into the residential area by car for an evening meal. The passes allow guests to squeeze into an available blue zone space.
Five Prague restaurants have teamed up in a VIP menu competition, the rules of which are rather vague. Purchasing a Gourmet Pass entitles diners to a 20 percent discount and bestows the right to cast a “best menu” vote.  Drop by the participating establishments — Červená Tabulka, Golf Hostivař, Salut, U Básníka pánve and Zahrada v Opeře — to clear up the details. The contest runs until the end of June.
Looking good
It wasn’t just Pod Křídlem’s name that changed, as reported two weeks ago. The newly retagged Pod Křídlem Noci (Under the Wing of Night), adopted an interesting — if probably short-lived — concept: dining in complete darkness. Restaurants in cities across the United States have tried this gimmick, as has a well-known eatery in Berlin. By removing sight from the experience, diners are apt to pick up more smell and taste, and aural clues from others at the table, at least in theory. They’ll likely also spend time mopping up spills and trotting to drop off some dry cleaning.
La Rotonde in the Radisson has joined the ever-growing list of “business lunch” destinations. Every Monday through Friday, everyone from cube dwellers to corner-office types can select either a two- or three-course menu. Options include soups, salads, pasta, fish, meat and the all-important dessert platter (need that afternoon sugar rush, you know). Call 222 820 410 to learn more.
Another bit of Radisson news: The hotel shut down its lavish Sunday brunch, but only for the summer. Instead, the kitchen is lighting up the grill on La Rotonde’s terrace, preparing meat and seafood over an open flame. Things heat up every Sunday (weather permitting) starting at noon.
In the suds
Rumors continue to swirl through the Czech press about a summertime increase in beer prices. Increasing gasoline costs, short harvests and other forces are all fueling the speculation. Meanwhile, Czech beer exports shot up once again, this time by 10 percent over last year. Domestic sales of Czech brands, however, lagged behind — all of which would be considered signs of an impending apocalypse, if it weren’t for this country’s widespread atheism.
Final (slurred) words
With the second annual Prague Food Festival fast approaching (June 20–22), the pressure is on one restaurant in particular. As the winner of Eastern and Central Europe’s first-ever Michelin star, chef Andrea Accordi and his team at Allegro know eager crowds will gather around their booth for a taste of, well, something extraordinary. Unless the average wage-earner commits his or her life savings to one meal, after all, an evening at the Four Seasons’ dining room remains beyond reach. The festival will be many diners’ only opportunity to sample culinary history. Cooking on an island under a tent, Allegro’s kitchen staff must come through.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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