Zelená Zahrada

"Nothing defines humans better than their willingness to do irrational things in the pursuit of phenomenally unlikely payoffs. This is the principle behind lotteries, dating, and religion.” Scott Adams

Me and my long-time dining partner, V, went our separate ways earlier this year. So now I'm in the market for good restaurants for dates.

Just the other day, G-Man told me of a place in Vinohrady that his Czech colleagues are raving about called Zelená Zahrada (The Green Garden).I decided to take Curly Girl there.

At the street-level entrance, there's a modern, stylish little bar.A trip down a short staircase reveals two similarly appointed dining rooms.But the real attraction is out back.

First, there is a winter garden.It has windows that can be opened in fine weather.But even better are the few tables in the elevated, open-air garden.

This has added attraction of a koi pond, which is also stocked with turtles.These perches are hot commodities. If you want one during a warm, dry, summer evening, booking is a must. Thanks to G-Man's advice, I did.

It's a really nice spot for a meal. The only drawback is that there is no lighting out there except for a tea candle. After dark, it's almost too dark to see the person across from you or the food in front of you.

I started with a Mojito (99 CZK). The first one was excellent. It had just the right balance of sugar and lime.It was a large glass for a low price, but it was also jam-packed with crushed ice, making it a little less generous than it first appeared.

I liked it so much, I ordered a second one. However, this one was out of balance, with too much rum. Some might not have a problem with this, but I didn't like the flavor.

Curly had a couple of glasses of the 2008 Hibernal bio wine from Vlastimil Peřina (82 CZK each). It was dry but lightly fruity. We both liked it.

Some French-style baguette slices were placed on the table.The waiter told us that half the slices were warmed and half were cool. It does not come with butter or olive oil.

We shared two starters. The first was the seared scallop (85 CZK/one, 155 CZK/two). This was one the best scallops I've ever had.It was cooked right, with a crisp, brown exterior and a delicate, almost gelatinous interior.

The tomato glaze on the outside gave it a zing. The concentrated little tomato around the side only added to that. It stood upon the creamiest of mashed potatoes with parsley and dill in the mix. There was some crunch, as well, which the waiter informed me was hazelnut.

It all worked together perfectly. It's the best thing I've seen on a half-shell since The Birth of Venus by Botticelli.We had the goat cheese salad with sun-dried tomatoes, rucola, and pine nuts (159 CZK).The cheese, cut into small chunks was served cold. The leaves had a minimal oil dressing. It was fresh, but rather ordinary.

Curly also ordered the chicken broth with pork and black mushrooms.We both had the same assessment here: not much flavor and boring.

For the next round, Curly got the tagliatelle with beef tenderloin and rucola (185 CZK).The menu said there were chili peppers, and they looked chilies, but they tasted more like ordinary red bell peppers. There was almost no kick to them. The noodles also held tender, sliced garlic and shaved Parmesan cheese. I thought the sauce was too sweet, but Curly liked it.

I had the octopus with black risotto (285 CZK).The one tentacle was small, but it reminded me of some of the best I've had in Greece. The end was charred and crunchy.

As I worked my way up, the crunchy exterior gave way to a wonderfully tender interior. The risotto tasted of lemon, dill, and perhaps a hint of wine. Though a small portion for the price, I found the dish extremely enjoyable.

There was one big sin here. The risotto was way overcooked to the point of mushiness. But given the great flavors, I was feeling forgiving on texture.

I also ordered the tiger prawns with lime leaf sauce (270 CZK). The five medium-sized shrimp were good, but weren't bursting with flavor.I love lime leaf and the coconut-based sauce had plenty of that going on. I'm a fan of sweet sauces, but it was just over the line on the sweetness scale.

Curly isn't and didn't like it. The garlic bread was bordering on dry, and the mache salad had almost no dressing. The whole thing was just OK, but it could have been so much better.

I was stuffed, but I had to try the chocolate fondant (110 CZK).This one had a very intense and liquidy chocolate center. Its crisp cake walls caved in on themselves easily with one touch of a fork.The ice cream didn't impress me, but I'd call this one above average.

This large meal cost 1537 CZK before tip.

I went back the very next night with another Departing Friend.DF wasn't hungry and ordered the scallop at my recommendation.

To start things off, I had a half-liter of Gambrinus (35 CZK).I felt the need to check out something from an odd section of the menu called "Chinese from Vodičkova Street." I asked the waiter to explain. He told me the Czech chef was a cook at one of the first Chinese restaurants in Prague after the revolution.

I ordered the orange chicken (78 CZK).
I asked if it came hot or cold and he said "cold" but I could have it hot if I wanted. I took it cold, but looking back, hot might have been better.

The meat was fresh, but had a cold stiffness to it. The spicy sauce did have fresh orange peel. But again, it was too sweet. I would have rated it higher with less sugar. I actually added salt, and I thought that improved it a lot.

Then, I had the "beefsteak" and green pepper sauce with potato cake and asparagus (459 CZK).The steak had a moderately good, beefy flavor, but it was not very tender. It had grill marks on it, but didn't have much of a grill taste.

The asparagus was fresh and had a good snap. The sauce, with whole green pepper corns, didn't impress either of us favorably. It had a seasoning we couldn't identify, but perhaps it was rosemary, because the receipt mentioned that herb with the steak (but the menu didn't).

Finally, a word about the service. Waiters were often missing in action, leaving diners out in the garden sitting high and dry. There were long stretches between courses. I also had something of a "who's on first?" conversation with the waitress to explain that medium-rare falls between medium and rare.

The biggest stumble came with the scallop order on the second visit. It wasn't delivered with the appetizer. And when it didn't appear with the steak, we asked the waitress what happened.

"Oh, I forgot!" She was very apologetic.

At this point, the hunger pangs had grown a little, so DF ordered the double scallop order. A full 15 minutes later, the waiter brought out two double orders, so four scallops all together. Informed that only two were requested, the other two were taken away (DF loved them, by the way).

Those two tardy bivalves did appear later on bill. Given the error, taking them off the tab would have been the right thing to do.

Zelená Zahrada certainly has a number of imperfections to get past.

But it is also a very good-looking restaurant with one of the best back gardens in town. Some dishes fail, but a few are real winners.

Should you try it? I'd say it's worth the risk. It's the kind of place that could payoff in more ways than one.

Zelená Zahrada
Šmilovského 12
Prague 2
Tel: (+420) 222 518 159

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Cowboys

"Don't interfere with something that ain't bothering you none." Cowboy Proverb

Years ago, just after it opened, I went to Cowboys a couple of times for steak and cocktails. The Kampa Group restaurant, on Nerudova below Prague Castle, left me unimpressed.I thought the food was just OK, the service was weak, and the prices were high. The negatives were somewhat offset by the great terrace.

In other words, not terrible, but not value for money.

I never went back until last week. My soon-to-be-departed friend, Flash, invited me to join him there for dinner. Though dubious, I didn't question his choice. He's been a good friend, illuminating my world on everything from African authors to how to communicate with women.

The reason for his choice? He had a 500 CZK coupon.

We walked in through the street-level passage to the reception desk.Despite the threatening weather, we wanted to go to the roof terrace. We told the greeter girl that we knew the way.

It was only 6:30 p.m., but the main restaurant was empty.It's a nice looking space, a little dark, but atmospheric, with vaulted brick ceilings and cowhide seating.It was also empty there when we left, but perhaps that could be ascribed to the deluge of rain that poured down later.

The terrace is one of the nicer ones in the city, with a view that includes Malá Strana's St. Nicholas church (just out of frame).Many of the tables have canopy-like umbrellas to ward off the rain. But there is also a stylish, two-level wooden structure for greater shelter and warmth.Flash ordered a .3 liter glass of Pilsner Urquell (55 CZK). I had a Mojito (165 CZK).Both glasses were small for the price. His beer was fine. The cocktail was both intensely sour and sweet, but still drinkable.

Homemade focaccia style bread was chewy and satisfying (but on a second visit, it was hard and stale).It was soaking in olive oil in the bowl. I would have preferred to pour it myself.

I got the grilled octopus starter (365 CZK). There was one long, meaty tentacle on top of eggplant "caviar" and underneath rucola.The octopus did not have much flavor from the grill, but was very tender and tasty. It had a tangy flavor from a marinade.

The pesto, with the strong essence of basil, was balanced well by the more neutral eggplant. I liked it, but I much prefer the more generous and much cheaper octopus at Giardino - enoteca con cucina.

For his dinner, Flash got the charbroiled Cowboys sirloin burger (345 CZK). It comes with good bacon, melted cheese, chopped pickles, tomato slices, and mixed, leafy lettuce.Flash pronounced it a "damn good burger" and complimented the large American-style bun. The salty meat had a good texture, it wasn't over-seasoned and had the right charbroiled flavor.

It came with excellent, crispy, homemade French fries.We liked just about everything about this burger and fries except the price. But with his coupon, Flash wasn't too bothered.

I went for the 250 gram rib eye (375 CZK). Everything with the steak was extra. I also had the mashed potatoes with spring onions (45 CZK) and the red wine sauce (25 CZK).On the plus side, it had a wonderful flavor from the flame grill. However, the meat itself did not make for easy cutting.

The menu says the cut is "the most marbled for more flavor." But marbled meat should also be tender. This one wasn't, and there was also a vein of very tough gristle though the middle. The beef was cooked medium-rare, as requested.It didn't say where this meat was sourced from, but it was not nearly as good as the North or South American cuts I've tried elsewhere in Prague.

The chunky mashed potatoes reminded me of the potato hash you sometimes get with breakfast at a New York diner. They just needed more salt. The sauce on the side was sweet, and tasted like red wine barbecue sauce, and I'd understand if that doesn't sound appealing, but I loved it.

If you didn't do the math, the whole plate, with sauce and potatoes cost 445 CZK.

I couldn't resist ordering a chocolate fondant for dessert (215 CZK). It was baked to order and came straight from the oven to the table.I'd rate this one as average. There was too much sugar, which gave the exterior a sticky, crunchy texture. The chocolate was good, but more cocoa intensity would be better. Vanilla ice cream around Prague almost always falls short for me, and this one was no exception.

The meal for two costs 1755 CZK before tip.

I felt the need to return one more time, so I came back the next evening. The downstairs restaurant was empty again.The buildings on the terrace had about 12 tables occupied, upstairs and downstairs, mostly by couples.It seemed like date night and, indeed, the room had a romantic feel.

I ordered a Sea Breeze (165 CZK).It was heavy on the grapefruit and very sour. It needed more cranberry juice.

On this visit, I started with the goat cheese salad (245 CZK). I'd say this is one of the best versions I've had in a long time.The cheese itself was a perfect thickness, heated all the way through, but maintaining a light, ethereal quality. I thought that putting it on top of a piece of date bread was a masterful idea. The sweet, cake-like bread and the salty-tangy cheese went so naturally together.

The rucola was heavily dressed with balsamic vinegar, but I thought that worked well in the mix. There was also what I believe were roasted pumpkin seeds (though not mentioned on the menu description). The strawberry was a good addition, but there was just one, sliced into five pieces. One more berry would have sufficed.

Finally, I got my main course, the pork ribs (285 CZK). This seemed like the biggest bargain on the menu. It came with corn on the cob, and a baked potato with sour cream.The menu said it was supposed to come with barbecue sauce, but I got a serving of tomato salsa. I asked the waiter for the right sauce and received it quickly.

But that wasn't the only thing wrong with dish. Some of the ribs, which had very little sauce on the exterior, were very fatty. Overall, they were just boring and ordinary. I pulled off pieces pork and dipped them in the bottled, hickory-flavored sauce. That was OK, but I expected something more exceptional. I didn't finish them.

The side items were disasters. The corn had a char on it from the grill. But I took one bite and found them watery, mushy, and tasteless. The potato had decent flavor, except that it was served at room temperature. There was no heat in it at all.

In my long ago visits, I had problems with the service, and I've seen some complaints about it online. That said, the service on both my visits was top notch. It was efficient, friendly, and occasionally charming.

On my second visit, a tall, young, and good-looking waiter was so nice and helpful to a couple of attractive Danish girls sitting near me, they invited him to go clubbing (he politely declined, citing the need to finish his shift).

So, after all these years, has Cowboys or my opinion of it changed? The answer is yes, but not much.

There were some bright spots. I liked the food a little more. It's not the worst choice a visitor could make while being herded down the tourist trail.The people dining with me on the great terrace seemed to be enjoying themselves, the atmosphere, and the view. I wouldn't want to interfere with that.

But my biggest issue with Cowboys is the same as it ever was. Great location and view aside, if you really care about value for money, I wouldn't bother.

Cowboys
Nerudova 40
Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Tel. (+420) 296 826 107

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Sushi Tam Da

"That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest." Henry David Thoreau

Sushi in Prague is too expensive. Cheap sushi is hard to find. ThaiOishi, which I wrote up recently, was one of the few relatively inexpensive places I've found.

I've heard some speculate, "Well, Prague is far from the sea. That's why it's expensive." Which is nonsense. Paris is far from large bodies of water, and I've found plenty of Asian shops there with nigiri for 1 euro each.

So when I find another cheap sushi place just a 10 minute walk from my flat, I have to stand and applaud. Or sit and write. I thank "Crispy" again for tipping me off.

I'm talking about Sushi Tam Da on Perunova, not far from Vinohradska.The non-descript exterior is matched by the non-descript interior.There's just one room, and it ain't too pretty.But I'm less picky about where I eat than what I eat.

My favorite sushi is unagi, or freshwater eel. In Prague, it is usually one of the most expensive things on a sushi menu.

So when I saw Tam Da's sushi menu, I couldn't believe my eyes. It offered four California rolls (surimi, avocado, cucumber) with each roll topped with unagi. And it was only 88 CZK.For some perspective, at Miyabi, just one piece of nigiri with this fine flesh will set you back 100 CZK. One unagi nigiri at Samurai costs 140 CZK. At Sushi Bar the same order is an astonishing 249 CZK. Tam Da gives you four pieces of unagi with a roll underneath for a fraction of that.

But is it better?

It's certainly better than the cold, rubbery unagi I had recently at Hanil. Maybe the eel is better at the other places I mentioned. I wouldn't know. Except for my Hanil experience, I've always considered unagi too expensive to order and enjoy in this country.

Tam Da's were tender, tasty, and served cool. The roll underneath was less successful -- the surimi didn't have good texture and the avocado was not ripe. But all I cared about was the eel -- the rest was just an inoffensive platform for it.

I always order tuna nigiri (38 CZK) and salmon nigiri (34 CZK).The pieces may be slightly smaller than average, but the prices were at least half of what you'd pay elsewhere.

Tuna nigiri at Sushi Bar is 149 CZK and their salmon is 99 CZK. At Samurai, the prices are 90 CZK and 80 CZK, respectively.

I was happily surprised the Tam Da's tuna tasted so fresh, with no fishiness. The buttery salmon glistened. The rice was also not too cold, and had a sweet tang to it. Perhaps there was too much rice vinegar in there for some, but I liked it.

I also tried their tuna maki (64 CZK) and salmon maki (58 CZK).It was just fine, with the same good fish.

The menu has a bad habit of calling many different kinds of maki "California rolls." I tried the one with salmon, avocado, and cucumber (68 CZK).The salmon was good, but again, the avocado wasn't ripe. Still, it was a filling portion for a fair price.

The sushi was served with a very sweet and spicy kim chi, along with Kikoman soy sauce.I was drinking Mattoni with my meals.The beers available are Kozel, Gambrinus, and Pilsner Urquell.

What about the non-sushi offerings? Tam Da does have a larger menu that covers those familiar Czech-Vietnamese interpretations of Chinese, Thai and other Asian cuisines.

On one visit, I went for the cold spring rolls.They were filled with omelet, lettuce, red pepper, cucumber, shrimp, and unflavored noodles.They were very bland, and would have much benefited from the insertion of mint or basil. There was a sweet dipping sauce on the side.

I tried Tam Da's version of Tom Ka Gai soup (34 CZK). The spicy, sweet coconut broth had some of the usual ingredients like cilantro and lemon grass.Despite the sweetness, it was bland and needed some balance. I asked for fish sauce in Czech and English, but the owner didn't understand. So I said "Nam Pla" the Thai word for it, and he got it.

There were also less usual ingredients like eggplant, basil, tofu, and sliced banana. Banana? That's right banana.

What the soup did not have was chicken. I found this amusing because the translation of the words "Tom Ka Gai" is "Soup Galangal Chicken." For the record, the menu, which is only in Czech, called the soup "Tom Khaguey."

Finally, I went for the "Thai-style rice noodles," which I assumed would be their version of the classic dish, Pad Thai (74 CZK).It looked like Pad Thai. It has many of the expected ingredients. It just didn't taste much like anything close to an authentic version.

The first thing I noticed was the dominating, disconcerting flavor of Czech soy sauce. The noodles were overcooked and gloppy. It was quite salty. I didn't like it. But I asked for some lemon, and then poured the rest of my sweet kim chi into it. After that, it was much better.

The bright spot with this dish was the chicken. Unlike many other restaurants which cook the Phad Thai meat into dry, leathery chunks, this one had buttery, tender, and savory chicken pieces. It's another cheap meal, but just be prepared to season it yourself.

I spoke to the owner and he said business was best at dinner. But he said they are doing a lot of take-away business throughout the day. He said the location is not great for foot traffic, but things are slowly building with word of mouth.

And the words from my mouth are these: Forget about the rest of the menu, but go for the sushi. It is not world class and not even top Prague class, but it is better than you'd expect, considering it is perhaps the cheapest sushi place in the city.

Too often in Prague, eating sushi in Prague can be disappointing in terms of quality. And you walk out feeling financially filleted.

But Sushi Tam Da can be a nice, cheap pleasure.

Sushi Tam Da
Perunova 13
Prague 3 - Vinohrady
Tel. (+420) 602 476 871

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