Global spice

This Saturday, Aug. 28, you'll get the chance to sample cuisines not always available in Prague at one of the year's last outdoor festivals. The Vibrant Nine Etnofest is in its sixth year and brings food, performances and crafts from four different continents. Entry is free at Vysočany Park in Prague 9, and the festival includes competitions and workshops for kids of all ages. For adults, the main draw will be a series of hourly concerts in the evening, with Gipsy.cz of EuroVision fame headlining.

If Roma hip-hop isn't your thing, Chico Diaz Orquesta Salsaborrr, a Dominican band, will also be playing a variety of salsa, meringue Latin pop and jazz. Along with the concerts and activities, several booths will feature food from a variety of different nations including Angola, Bulgaria, China, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Georgia, Lebanon, Moldova, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ukraine and Vietnam.

"We're in the sixth year, and we're happy the festival has become a regular program, not just for the citizens of Prague 9. We're also proud there are foreigners and representatives of various ethnic groups from all over the Czech Republic. The park becomes a real colorful part of the city," said Prague 9 Councilor Adam Vážanský.

Back in business

Fosil, the Mexican-owned Mexican restaurant that's been an expat favorite, closed the doors of its I.P. Pavlova location in June. But the restaurant will be up and running Aug. 31 at a new location in the Prague 3 neighborhood Žižkov at Miličová 25. For reservations on opening night, visit Fosil.cz.

Breakfast burrito

There's a second helping of good news for fans of solid Mexican food in Prague. Las Adelitas, the newish and very popular Mexican restaurant in Vinohrady reviewed this week, has started opening at 9 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays for traditional Mexican breakfast, which is served until 2 p.m. Choose from fruit cocktail, huevos rancheros, egg burrito, chilaquiles with eggs or even pancakes "Americanos." Fresh juices include orange, pineapple and carrot, or choose an Agua Fresca made of melon, tamarind or horchata. Although it's not on the menu, I'm sure the accommodating servers would be happy to whip up a Bloody Maria, a tequila-based riff on that brunch basic, the Bloody Mary.

And a third ...

The Hilton Prague will be hosting the Mexican Food Festival in celebration of Mexico's Independence Day Sept. 9-19. Carlos Ozuna Recinos, a sous chef at the Hilton Cancun Resort, is flying to Prague for the occasion and will prepare tequila-based dishes and other traditional Mexican dishes. The festival will be held at the Café Bistro restaurant; price per person is 990 Kč.

New looks

If you feel like chef Zděnek Pohlreich's eyebrows are haunting you, you're not alone. The Yul Brinner of the Czech food world appears to be endorsing everything in sight. I couldn't have breakfast this morning without peeling him off my yogurt lid. His busy schedule has had a brief respite, however, as his restaurant Divinis has been sadly closed for the past month, undergoing a remodeling. Just in time for tourist season. The new look will be unveiled Aug. 31, when Divinis opens back up for business.

Café Sladovsky, a much humbler but no less beloved establishment, is likewise getting a quick upgrade and will be closed from Aug. 26-Aug. 31.

Claire Compton can be reached at
ccompton@praguepost.com