Eastern stars

Three years ago, The Four Seasons Prague's Allegro restaurant was touted as the first in Eastern Europe to be awarded the prestigious Michelin star. Never mind that Vienna is further east than Prague, the distinction was at least correct in that Allegro was the first restaurant in a formerly communist country to grab the ranking.

One year later, Prague nearly had two stars when Gordon Ramsey's Maze was awarded a star posthumously. The restaurant had pulled out of the Hilton Old Town just one month prior to the announcement. Since then, Andrea Accordi has defended his star at Allegro, and the award was upheld again this year when Michelin released its 2011 guide March 15. Allegro remains the only restaurant in Prague with the distinction, despite expectations that restaurants such as La Degustation Boheme Bourgeois would be similarly ranked.

To hear Michelin tell it, however, Budapest is the culinary capitol of Eastern Europe these days. The city now boasts two restaurants with the Michelin star. The first was awarded to Costes just last year, and Onyx joins the list in 2011. Onyx touts its "Hungarian Evolution Menu," using new techniques for updated versions of traditional Hungarian cuisine, and Costes similarly explains a philosophy of "evolution" and the combination of international techniques and cuisine with Hungarian traditions.

The two cities are tied in the number of restaurants with the Bib Gourmand awards, however, which designates quality food for good value. In Prague, the Bib Gourmand was awarded to Aromi, Divinis, Le Terroir and SaSaZu. Outside Prague and Budapest, the only neighbors with Michelin-starred restaurants are Austria and Germany, which boasts 51 stars. Poland remains the culinary landscape that Michelin forgot with zero stars.

On the map

"Where should we eat?" is a terrifying question, capable of sending otherwise confident and rational people into extended fits of indecision and uncertainty. We can help you. Calmly turn to your computer, or whatever fancy device you're using to access the Internet. Go to http://bit.ly/praguefood. More than 60 reviewed restaurants are linked to place markers on a Google map, thanks to the hard work of our Web Editor Bill Lehane. The map features the location and contact details of each restaurant plus a link to all the latest reviews, going back to January 2010.

A Czech touch to the royal wedding

Students at the Vsetín vocational school in north Moravia are preparing gingerbread hearts that will be present at the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton in Westminster Abbey, the Czech News Agency reported March 23. "Gingerbread hearts have been traditionally given to weddings here. I believe that the Czech custom will be understood in England," teacher Jaroslava Londová told Czech Radio. The wedding takes place April 29.

Claire Compton can be reached at
ccompton@praguepost.com