“Imitation is at least 50 percent of the creative process” Jamie BuckinghamI first heard about Ristorante Porto almost a year ago, when "Christine" recommended it in the comments to my post about Osteria Da Clara.
She told me the Italian/Mediterranean restaurant in the up and coming Karlin neighborhood was very good, and she'd love to know what I think of the place.
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More recently, I read a few positive reviews on Expats.cz, and they reminded me about the place. I didn't know these people personally, though I knew "Charlie" as a regular poster about food.
So I passed word to my friend, Hana Montanová, who works in Karlin. She had lunch there a couple of times and gave it a thumbs up. That was the tipping point. That, and the fact that Prague 8 is sorely underrepresented among my postings. Cloud 9 Sky Bar & Lounge was the only other place there I'd done.
Jersey Girl, the Englishman met V and I for dinner at Porto on a Saturday night. We walked in and were greeted by two musicians I'd seen many times before around town.
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The restaurant has a modern, artsy look with silver print wallpaper, stylish lighting accents, white tablecloths, and comfortable, cream-colored chairs.
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"It looks like Mirellie's menu, but with fewer choices," she said.
True enough, like other Balkan-run Mediterranean restaurants in Prague such as Mirellie, Kogo, and Giardino, the menu covered many of the same styles of salads, pastas, seafoods, meats, and looked quite familiar. The most noticeable omission, compared with those other places, was the lack of pizza.
We started off with some excellent bread.
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We ordered some sparkling mineral water for the table and received .75 liter bottles of San Pellegrino (80 CZK each).
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Jersey Girl started with a green salad (70 CZK).
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I had the bruschetta con caprino -- baked goat cheese on toast with salad (150 CZK). The warm, tangy cheese was perfectly browned.
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V got the octopus salad with celery, red onion, parsley, and olive oil (250 CZK). She considers herself a expert on this dish, ordering it whenever she sees it on a menu.
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As a counterpoint, I thought the tenderness of these particular tentacles deserved a kind mention. But I'll counter my counterpoint by saying the serving was not particularly large. I looked up the octopus salad prices at other places we've been, and Porto's was the most expensive.
The service was mostly efficient and attentive throughout. Between courses, there was a little show. The waitress put something that looked like a big, white antacid tablet in a dish. Then, she poured water over it. It then expanded and turned into a moist cloth for cleaning your hands.
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For her main course, Jersey Girl ordered the Tagliatelle all Pescatore (250 CZK).
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I got the Risotto di Mare (220 CZK). I had all the same quality seafood in my rice that Jersey Girl had.
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But I've also had many better versions recently, including the one I had a few weeks ago at Pepe Nero Ristorante & Pizzeria.
V had what I thought was the best dish of the night: the tiger shrimp grilled in lemon (325 CZK).
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I loved them, and V agreed they were excellent. But she also lamented that the shrimp were on the small side.
The Englishman ordered the sea bass baked in salt (320 CZK). V recommended this cooking method over the grilled version, and he was very pleased.
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Joking he wanted to have "fish and chips," he also got a side order of fries (45 CZK). He liked that they were not greasy at all.
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After she had sipped way some of the crema, Jersey Girl gave a good rating to the espresso (35 CZK).
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The meal officially ended with complimentary shots of chilled limoncello and grappa. Nice finish. The bill for the four of us, without tip, was 2115 CZK.
Looking back at this meal, it's fair to say that Ristorante Porto imitates about 50 percent of the menu of other Mediterranean restaurants in Prague. As for what comes out of the kitchen, I'd only rate it at about 50 percent successful.
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The Porto staff seemed like nice people. I hope they improve and find success.
But for now, for me, they're only half-way there.
Ristorante Porto
Urxova 10
Prague 8 - Karlín
Tel: (+420) 222 313 926