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November 23rd, 2008
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Down Texaco way

Confusion on the border and some new homes on the range

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
July 30th, 2008 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Wide open spaces: Hombre del Mundo's décor looks like Texas ... or Mexico.
People around the world disagree on many things. But, aside from a few stubborn pockets of resistance, they all share at least one common bond: The mass of humanity labels Tex-Mex, Southwestern and other associated cuisines as “Mexican.”
Restaurants in Prague tend to blur things further, listing chimichangas and fajitas under the “Authentic Mexican” heading. Both dishes, however, hail from north of the border. The sizzling platter of meat and vegetables first appeared on a menu in Houston, while the accidental meeting of burritos and a vat of hot oil in a Phoenix-area restaurant led to the creation of chimichangas — at least, according to legend.
Other hallmarks of the Tex-Mex genre include chips and salsa and the Margarita, concocted as a lubricant for gringo tourists.
A couple local restaurants manage to prepare decent Tex-Mex and truly Mexican dishes — Cantina being the best of this lot. One small place, Fosil Bar, serves good home-style Mexican. Another, Sonora, toys with a few border-region favorites.
But Hombre del Mundo in Smíchov stakes itself purely in Czech-Mex territory. That means some bizarre menu items — risotto, Argentinean steaks — and slimy green goo passing for guacamole. Instead of properly deep-frying their chimichangas, line cooks merely pop the barely edible mound of tortilla-wrapped beans into the oven.
At least the flautas are intriguing. Chicken stuffed inside crispy tortillas draws a unique earthy, salty backwash from a mild cheese, attending the meat perfectly. The salsa presents cool, minty and sweet flavors, followed by a surge of vegetal bitterness, heavy on the garlic.
Still, Hombre del Mundo looks the part. Well, kind of — the framed map of South America doesn’t exactly support the “Mexicano” theme. But hundreds of Spaghetti Western extras are shivering because the decorators nabbed their colorful woolen blankets and tucked them here and there throughout the dining room.
Up on the roof
What Hilton Prague bills as the city’s first true sky bar — Cloud 9 — opens Aug. 1. The presumptive hot spot celebrates the feat by hosting DJs on the first two Fridays and Saturdays (Aug. 1–2 and 8–9). More importantly, star bartender Roman Uhlíř and his crew are offering their signature cocktails for 99 Kč on the same evenings. Call 224 892 999 for all the highlights.
High plains drifters
On the sly, Hard Rock Café found its niche (Malé náměstí in Old Town), renovated and just over a week ago, hung up signs and flicked on the lights. Not for the restaurant, however — just the souvenir shop stuffed with branded T-shirts and trinkets. As Krusty the Clown once pointed out, T-shirt sales are the juiciest plum, although by rushing ahead with the store, corporate mavens also hope to generate buzz for the Hard Rock proper. Work on the adjacent three-level bar and dining space (already being billed as the largest Hard Rock in Europe) will likely continue for some time. Plans call for an atrium and a view into the building’s Medieval cellar. But don’t expect the restaurant to open until January.
Near the castle, Villa Richter also set up quietly in the middle of an old royal vineyard. The complex includes three restaurants, each with a distinct menu and price structure. All three offer guests an impressive view, assuming you’re into Malá Strana rooftops and such.
Chili today, hot tamale
Unveiled at a “meeting” (i.e. drinking spree) of the Czech Irish Business Association at Molly Malone’s, a company called Expatbread.com claims to be the first supplier of high-quality (their words) English bread in this part of the world. The fledgling business imports frozen loaves — and there’s nothing that builds anticipation like watching bread defrost. For more info, check the Web site.
Just in time for summer — assuming it ever arrives — Oliva has introduced its new seasonal menu. Some of the highlights include arugula and strawberries with gorgonzola and a balsamic reduction, dried duck breast on lamb’s lettuce in a warm vinaigrette, mango gazpacho and grilled langoustines, grilled beef tartare (which presumably means hamburger), and homemade vanilla ice cream dressed in olive oil and fleur de sel.
For a short time, Le Patio served just about the best burger in Prague. Ah, but then something happened. A new chef, I’m told, took over and decided that guests didn’t want rich, juicy burger covered in caramelized onions and surrounded by crispy pomme frites. No, they long for a slab of dry, stringy meat similar to flank steak and fat, mushy, flavorless hunks of potato. Hate to say this, but you’re better off finding a McDonald’s.
 
Final (slurred) words
A group of 10 women booked a get-together at Žofín Garden one Saturday afternoon. It was to be a chance to catch up and, more importantly, a send-off for someone moving back to the States. No problem, the manager said — although he forgot to mention that Czech newlyweds had reserved half the space for their wedding party that same day, bringing with them a live band. From all accounts, the performers were not only loud, but extraordinarily bad. The manager seemed oblivious to the would-be diners scurrying quickly away from his restaurant. He did, at least, offer to move the women to a table five feet further away from the band, but they opted to skedaddle, as well. Several lessons could be learned from this episode, of course. But this being Prague …

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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