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Better on the inside

Dreary facade hides popular spot for good steak, great service
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By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 25th, 2008 issue

Dock House


Michelská 59
Prague 4-Michle
Tel. 261 211 590
Open Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat.-Sun. noon-11 p.m.

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

DOROTHEA BYLICA/The Prague Post
Chef Miroslav Sebek puts on a fiery show at this upscale roadhouse.
FROM THE MENU



Spinach soup 49 Kč
Grilled mozzarella 159 Kč
Burger 159 Kč
Fillet steak (200 g) 351 Kč
Tea/lemonade 38 Kč

Some years ago, savvy restaurateurs took the “roadhouse” idea and scaled it up a couple notches.
What was once a den of blues, booze and illicit fun was transformed into a trendy come-as-you-are burger or steak joint for a young, upscale crowd. Abandoning the old wooden-frame dwelling, these kinder, gentler shanties can be wedged into office buildings, strip shopping centers or hip apartment blocks.
So Dock House would not look out of place in New York City’s Meatpacking District, Buckhead in Atlanta or anyplace else that values shabby chic — perhaps even Hoxton in London. In this city, one would expect such a place in Vinohrady or Smíchov. Instead, it butts against a narrow, busy strip of Michle asphalt spilling from the glass towers of BB Centrum office park.
At times, Dock House seems purely American. Well, almost — there’s buttered sweet corn, although not on the cob; a selection of refreshing lemonades, but with ginger, mint or other distinct flavors, and none of that artificial sweetener so pervasive in the States. The wait staff hustles like nowhere else in the city and the register doesn’t automatically tack on 20 Kč for extra dabs of mayonnaise.
The burger sits, thin but juicy, in a soft sesame seed bun. It’s not as masculine as one would expect in the good ol’ USA — greens, onion and a very light sauce lending more than the usual flair. Bright, vegetal flavors dominate, followed by a few pricks of pepper. The richer taste of ground beef trails behind.
Still, it’s at least on par with the burger served by Hergetova Cihelna.
In keeping with the semi-American theme, the kitchen staff plates steak atop green beans steeped with ham. But to bring full expression to this Southern staple, you need pungent, salt-cured meat, slow cooking and quite a bit of water, allowing a fatty liquor to develop.
The rare fillet I tried during one particular visit was, simply put, better than all but a few others in Prague.
Granted, the kitchen starts with the same flavorful but rather lean cuts available to most restaurants. But the chef clearly understands the explosiveness of seasoning with great reserve. When you encounter a crystal of kosher salt or a few grains of pepper, time stands still. From the scorched black scars left by the grill, a dense, meaty and bittersweet essence creeps in. And all the while, creamy, buttery fat coats your palate.
Backyard chefs lacking the wherewithal to buy heavily marbled steak long ago adopted a simple trick, borrowed by the folks in this kitchen: floating a heaping spoonful of herbed butter on the fillet as it cooks. Although this little measure slows caramelization, causing the meat to skid slightly past rare and working only as a substitute for the real thing, it at least provides the rich mouth feel you want from steak.
There’s a casual touch to Dock House’s dishes, even when you depart from the steak and “American Bistro” listings. For example, grilled mozzarella oozes from prosciutto-thin slices of ham, blackened by happenstance and pitted by grit. In this case, the meat carries enough of a salty wallop to overwhelm the delicate taste of mozzarella, undercutting any home-style charm.
Mellow cubes of ham fill the spinach soup, building a meaty background to the gently bitter, creamy broth. Regulars who suggested I visit the Dock House swear by this starter during cooler months.
The coat-and-tie clientele filling the place at lunchtime must walk several blocks, forgoing their own office park cafés. Clearly, they believe it’s worth the effort.
They are probably right.
Although the gray front and timid signage promise nothing more than a sloppy neighborhood pub, Dock House is really more like a combination steakhouse, business casual hangout and touch of real Americana rolled into one.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (25/06/2008):

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