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November 23rd, 2008
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Dining with the stars

The city's best restaurants put on a riverside extravaganza
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By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 18th, 2008 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
Last year's festival at Museum Kampa drew capacity crowds for a combination of great food and scenic views.
Prague Food Festival


When: June 20-22, noon-10 p.m. daily
Where: Slovanský ostrov (Žofín), Prague 1-New Town
Admission: 350 Kč entry (250 Kč returned in food vouchers)
For more information, check www.praguefoodfestival.com
Selected participants



Alcron
Allegro
Aromi
Auberge de Provence
Bellevue
Café Imperial
Café Savoy
Coda
CzecHouse
Essensia
Hradčany
Lví Dvůr
Maze
Sarah Bernhardt
Sushi Bar
U Lípy
U Zlaté Studně
V Zátiší
Pavel Maurer had one problem during the final preparations for this year’s Prague Food Festival.
Or rather, a photographer snapping publicity stills of the event’s organizer had the problem. As Maurer waited, holding his pose, the man behind the camera hunted for someone to hold a large reflecting screen. The first volunteer turned out to be millionaire businessman Jan Sykora, interrupting his lunch at Žofín to help out the city’s No. 1 food lover.
That the rich and famous willingly support Maurer is no real surprise. After just one go, he’s turned the food festival into an institution. This year, more than 8,000 foodies, the country’s top chefs and big-name corporate entities such as Mattoni and Pilsner Urquell will be converging on Slovanský ostrov for the second annual affair.
“We have double the number of restaurants,” Maurer says, “and 15 on the waiting list.”
The region’s first-ever Michelin star chef, Andrea Accordi, and his team from Allegro will cook for visitors Friday, June 20, along with kitchen wizards from Alcron, Essensia, Auberge de Provence and V Zátiší. On Saturday, Gordon Ramsay’s Maze makes its Prague Food Festival debut. The final day features the city’s best sushi — Sushi Bar — and more global choices.
In all, 30 restaurants, wine bars and distillers will set up each day.
“We’re coming to people who might hesitate to come to our restaurants,” says Zdeněk Pohlreich, chef at Café Imperial. For an entry fee of 350 Kč ($22) — with 250 Kč returned in the form of vouchers to purchase food — visitors can sample Allegro’s white asparagus risotto, the quail cutlet from Hradčany, a taste of Alcron with chef Roman Paulus’ smoked salmon rillette, a bite of Thai red prawn curry as served at Essensia, or the escargot from Brasserie M.
Drop by 20 of the city’s top kitchens for a multicourse meal and “it will cost you 60,000 Kč,” notes Radek John, a food reporter with TV Nova. “But here you can try them all. That’s why I love it — it’s a briefing in culinary culture.”
In addition to food and drink, this year the festival is offering music, wine tastings, fashion shows, afternoon children’s programs and cooking shows.
Accordi will be leading a class on the preparation of risotto — “so we can all cook Michelin star risotto,” Maurer says with a smile. Marek Purkart of Mlýnec will demonstrate the art of tempura. Ari Munanader from Essensia is teaching the basics of curry. And chefs Fabio Baldassarre and Matteo Scibilia, from Rome and Milan, respectively, are flying in to present the latest trends in Italian cooking.  
And that’s just on one day.
The three-day binge kicks off this Friday, and runs noon–10 p.m. each day. The range of offerings is wide, covering everything from Czech classics to French, Japanese, Tex-Mex, Belgian and Italian.
All of the restaurants were voted into the top 100 of Maurer’s Grand Restaurant guide. For libations, booths set up by Bohemia Sekt, Pilsner Urquell and Pražska vodka should keep the party rolling.
Last year, the festival’s first iteration drew large crowds to the Museum Kampa grounds. Maurer moved to Slovanský ostrov and Žofín this year, he says, for a different perspective on the city.
“Right now,” he adds, “I exist to combine Prague with great food.”

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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Reader's comments:

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[13:37 23/06/2008] : Pavel Maurer's quote 'I exist to combine Prague with great food' conflicts with my own experience of the Prague Food Festival this last weekend.
The entrance fee of 350Kc (100Kc to Mr. Maurer) includes 250Kc for 10 food tokens. Most of the fine dining establishment offerings required around 3 tokens for a starter and 5 tokens for a 'main course'. However, the main courses were closer to a starter and the starters closer to an amuse bouche.
I have since discovered that each restaurant has to pay in the region of 30000Kc a day to attend, plus provide their own staff and equipment. So who can blame them for trying to recover their costs?
The losers? Those who paid 350Kc for little more than a snack, eaten, while standing, using a fork that required a 20Kc deposit - hardly a window into the fine dining world.
The winner? Mr. Maurer, who I imagine will be able afford to eat regularly in fine dining restaurants until next year's event rolls the money in again.
For around 700Kc per person, diners could enjoy the three-course lunch menu at Maze, V Zatisi or many other similar establishments. This would include ambience, waiter service and a table complete with silverware that doesn't require a deposit before use.
Paul Feagan
Prague
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