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Simply speaking

Giardino sticks to the basics, with mixed results
Restaurant Review | Search restaurants | Archives

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 18th, 2008 issue

Giardino


Záhřebská 24
Prague 2-Vinohrady
Tel. 222 513 427
Open daily 9 a.m.-
11 p.m.

Food **
Service ***
Atmosphere ***
Overall **

DOROTHEA BYLICA/The Prague Post
Giardino's patio provides cool, shaded backyard dining.
FROM THE MENU



Grilled polenta 85 Kč
San Danielle prosciutto 195 Kč
Burrata with arugula 175 Kč
Ravioli with ricotta and spinach 185 Kč
Beef strips 395 Kč
Grilled swordfish 320 Kč
Dining out in the United States, it’s amusing to listen in as the snootier of America’s “foodie” crowd heaps verbal scorn on grits, that hallmark of Southern truck-stop cookery. These same people, after all, launch into frequent and wistful reveries about the glory of polenta.
Yes, the processing and presentation differ. Both are, however, essentially mounds of corn meal mush once favored only by the working class or rural poor. And perhaps “favored” overstates things a bit.
But, if the casual dismissal of grits seems comparatively unfair, the adoration of polenta is completely understandable.
Aside from the creamy mouth feel, the appeal lies in its utter simplicity. Seared on the grill at Giardino, the otherwise unadorned cake betrays only traces of caramelization and a faint natural sweetness — nothing to distract you from the rich, oozing texture.
In many ways, simplicity defines Italian cooking. At Giardino, the kitchen lays out strips of San Danielle prosciutto, a salty-sweet, air-cured ham from the Po River regions, alongside ripe figs. The chefs do this knowing that such a delicate meat is best either on its own or when paired against subtle natural contrasts. Wine-dark and earthy, the fruit seems to mature the already memorable flavor of San Danielle.
This kind of dish requires little deconstruction. There are no innuendoes, no frustrating techniques to learn, no mentions of Escoffier. Some of the most famous Italian dishes — carbonara pasta comes to mind — resist gentrification, unlike their French peasant counterparts.
Unless you thoroughly mess it up (overcooking the pasta, for instance), Italian is can’t-miss cooking. Indeed, recipes from the best of these restaurants can easily be duplicated at home, requiring little more than the proper ingredients — which usually means the freshest possible.
Herein rests the problem with most local Italian kitchens: Purveyors in Prague are not known for their responsibility in regard to quality.
Case in point: Giardino’s burrata starter. The beautiful mozzarella spin-off is runny and creamy and downright alluring. It’s also a little past its prime, but that’s bound to happen when cheese meant to peak a few hours after being unwrapped ventures this far from its homeland. Only a slightly more-brazen-than-usual yogurt taste lurks in the background, nagging at the rich, silken, milky-sweet curd.
Unfortunately, Giardino plates the burrata on a jumble of arugula — its spirit long crushed — morose lettuce and equally lackluster cherry tomatoes.  
Tender beef strips are stacked atop the same dull salad, minus the lettuce, leaving nothing to support the husky, faintly sour sensation of decent red meat, lightly seasoned and brushed with olive oil. Greenery betrays Giardino’s ravioli with ricotta and spinach as well. Instead of exploding from the kitchen’s extraordinary pasta, the wasted, almost flavorless leaves just slump listlessly.
A theme emerges: reasonable planning and execution in the kitchen crossed up by, well, the growing season.
Giardino will likely improve as fresh local ingredients become available. The chef — a former Kogo hand, I’m told — clearly knows his stuff, judging by the sweet, beautifully al dente ravioli and the intense sauce of tomatoes, capers, garlic and pepper that accompanies grilled swordfish. My waitress on one occasion mentioned that the restaurant’s Bosnian owners love Italian cuisine . . . although they prefer the more inclusive “Mediterranean” label. Or so claims our photographer.
Either way, they’re obviously a talkative lot.
For now, the kitchen thrives on simplicity, leaning on very few ingredients, allowing the grill to speak for meats, knowing when to leave things alone and preparing homemade tiramisu. Otherwise, the restaurant gets by on pleasant service and its cool backyard patio.
Despite a nicely appointed interior of sage green, wood tones and crisp white tablecloth, Giardino is hardly snooty.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (18/06/2008):

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