Čau Down

Happy St. Martin’s Day, the traditional feast day in the run-up to Advent. Yearly falling on Nov. 11, this is year is especially special, as it’s 11/11/11 (also known in some circles as The Day That Most Resembles Corduroy).

On St. Martin’s Day, Czechs roast goose and drink the Czech version of Beaujolais nouveau, Svatomartinské vino, a young wine from the recent harvest. Wine shops and restaurants around town pour the first of the St. Martin’s wines at — can you guess? — 11:11 a.m. This year’s celebrations promise to be the best yet, not the least due to so many elevens, but also the number of restaurants around town offering special menus for the day, many featuring the traditional roast goose. It doesn’t come around too many times a year that it’s acceptable to partake in a tipple before noon, so, if possible, go and find a vinotéka near you to get in on the fun.

Here’s a sampling of what else is going on today and over the next week, several of which last for the whole weekend:

Farmers’ market at náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad

Nov. 11

Affectionately known as Jirák, this farmers’ market on the border of Vinohrady and Žižkov will be celebrating St. Martin’s Day as of 11:11 a.m. with a toast on the square. Fifteen winemakers from Bohemia and Moravia will be showcasing their young wines, and at 5 p.m. there will be a blessing of the new wines by the reverend of the Church of the Sacred Heart, located on the square. The market runs all day, till 8 p.m., featuring wine-friendly snacks of cheese, salamis, sausages, pickled delicacies, duck and St. Martin’s goose from organic farms, free-range and grain-fed.

Vozovna

Nov. 11

In beautiful Stromovka Park, Vozovna is a great place to stop off after an autumnal walk. For today only, there’s a special menu for St. Martin’s Day of goose pate (95 Kč), roasted goose with red apples, dumplings and cabbage (179 Kč) and special homemade cakes, as well as St. Martin’s wines available by the glass or bottle. Vozovna-stromovka.cz

Artisan

Nov. 11-13

This popular restaurant and cafe near Ujezd, which is also a sister restaurant to longtime hangout Bandito’s, has a four-course St. Martin’s Day menu for 500 Kč. The courses, which can also be ordered separately, include goose pate with onion jam and Marsala jelly, creamy goose soup with liver dumplings and Czech noodles, confit of goose breast in fat with grilled polenta and kohlrabi, and baked plums with cinnamon pancakes. Artisanrestaurant.cz

Chagall’s Club

Nov. 11-13

This pretty, accessibly luxurious restaurant in Old Town, which just joined the scene earlier this year, has a flexible menu for dear old St. Martin that begins today. It includes roasted goose liver on toast with caramelized apples for 140 Kč; goose kaldoun for 95 Kč; and confit leg of goose, red cabbage with apples and potato rolls with onion for 295 Kč. You can also order a whole goose, roasted with cumin and served with red cabbage and apples and potato pancakes, for 1,490 Kč. For four people, it’s advised to book a day in advance. Chagalls.cz

Como

Right on Wenceslas Square, a classy and chic restaurant specializing in international and Mediterranean cuisine. For St. Martin’s Day, there’s a special menu for the price of 880 Kč, which includes goose pate with caramelized apple in St. Martin’s wine with toasted farmhouse bread, typical Czech soup “kaldoun,” baked farmhouse goose in Moravian style with red cabbage, a variety of homemade dumplings, plum ravioli with sugar and butter. Served alongside the food will be a glass of St. Martin’s wines with each course, followed up by a shot of traditional Moravian slivovice. Comorestaurant.cz

Lvi dvůr

Nov. 11-13

Focused on game and suckling pig, this restaurant right next to Prague castle has a special of roast goose for the occasion. Lvidvur.cz

Coda

Nov. 11-13

In the Hotel Aria in Malá Strana, this fine-dining restaurant offers goose kaldoun with bread dumplings, goose-leg confit with cabbage and dumplings, pastry and jam in a slivovice glace with fried breadcrumbs. Codarestaurant.cz

Perpetuum

Nov. 11-13

Another local favorite for game lovers, Perpetuum, located in Dejvice, is a fitting place to do St. Martin’s goose in true fashion. For 490 Kč, there’s a three-course menu that entails foie gras with caramelized apple, boneless goose roasted with apples, potato pancakes and two kinds of cabbage, and a dessert of mulled wine soup with fruit slices, cinnamon sticks and vanilla ice cream. Restauraceperpetuum.cz

Oliva

Nov. 17-19

While normally a Mediterranean restaurant, Oliva, which sits close to the Vltava River, has a hearty St. Martin’s Day menu today, featuring oxtail terrine with salad, roast leg of lamb in garlic cream, glazed carrots and roast potatoes; roast goose with glaze Brussels sprouts and St. Martin’s broth; poached sole with glazed shallots, mushrooms and bacon served with boiled potatoes. Oliva.cz

Zinc

Nov 17-20

At the Hilton Prague Old Town, the Asian fusion restaurant Zinc with chef Ari Munander at the helm serves up a special menu in honor of Beaujolais nouveau with the likes of terrine, fig chutney, scallops, roasted quail with raisin confit, lamb medallions with Duroc sauce, roasted duck breast with orange confit, vegetable terrine and sauce from the Beaujolais wine, and fillet of fish with risotto from red wine. Hiltonpragueoldtown.cz

Beaujolais nouveau