Resto Cafe Patio

**NOTE: In 2012, this restaurant changed its culinary concept to Asian fusion.

"RECONSIDER, v. To seek a justification for a decision already made." Ambrose Bierce

It had to be five years ago that I last ate at Resto Cafe Patio, the restaurant fronting the Le Patio furniture shop on Národní třída.Back then, the food was unimpressive, I didn't find it a good value for money, and I wrote it off.

Recently, I started hearing reports from a highly respected source of very good food there. In fact, it was V telling me about some great lunches there. She suggested we go back for a meal.

The place was much the same as the last time I saw it.It does have a kitschy warmth, with a lot of wood, vaulted brick ceilings, a variety of chairs, and eclectic electric light fixtures. There are several different dining areas.

There are also two levels of Le Patio's furniture store in the basement.I liked sitting in the front of the restaurant, by the window.Busy, gritty Národní, with its clattering trams, does detract from the atmosphere a bit, though. I admit that I like one of the room's dominating conceits -- the prow of a ship with a table perched on top.I never had the courage to sit there.

For a starter, we shared the tiger prawns (175.5 CZK). They were very fresh and cooked just right.The hot crustaceans were bathed in olive oil mixed with ginger and herbs. Rucola leaves and roasted cherry tomatoes sat on top. The prawns were on the small side, but there were 11 of them in the bowl. They did need a shot of salt.

I had a Pilsner Urquell, which was only available from a .33 liter bottle. The price was a rather steep 54 CZK.V had a couple of .15 liter glasses of white wine -- Veltlínské zelené (49.5 CZK). She liked it.

For a main course, I went for the Argentinean entrecote (355.5 CZK). It came with au gratin potatoes and green beans with bacon. There were streaks of a rich, salty gravy across the plate.The beef was excellent and the knife went through it easily, though it was not the most tender I've sampled in town. It was correctly, simply seasoned with salt and had light charring from the grill.

The steak came as ordered, medium-rare.It didn't pick up as smoky a flavor as I like, so I wouldn't rank it ahead of the rib eye at El Barrio de Ángel. But I would put in my top 5 for Prague steaks.

The side items deserve special mention. While this combination is not particularly creative or innovative, the attention to detail was apparent. The fresh beans were lightly cooked and still had their snap. Bacon added a smoked flavor that was decadent but welcome.

The creamy potatoes looked and tasted like they had been freshly prepared just for me. They just needed salt. Their caring preparation was in sharp contrast to the tired and dried out potatoes au gratin I had at Cafe Imperial, overseen by celebrity chef, Zdeněk Pohlreich.

V got the dish she's gotten on almost every visit and which caused her to suggest I try to restaurant -- the seared tuna salad with avocado (216 CZK). I hereby declare this to be my favorite salad in town.First, it is a rare thing indeed that a restaurant will serve fresh tuna in a very rare state without being begged and cajoled. In this case, we said nothing, and yet it came out perfectly red, framed with the lightly seared edges.

The clean-tasting fish picked up some flavor from sesame oil. As good as it was, V said the pieces of tuna had looked better on previous visits.

The sliced avocado half that fanned out on the plate was soft and creamy. I can't tell you how many unripe avocados I've had in Prague. But this one was as they all should be.

There was a variety of lettuce leaves like frisee, radicchio, and rucola, tossed in a sweet and sour honey-mustard type dressing that I liked very much. And on top of that, I really liked the price. Considering the price of fresh fish around these parts, I thought it a great bargain.

I couldn't resist ordering the chocolate fondant for dessert (108 CZK).I liked that it was a little larger than average, and the candied orange zest on top was amazing. On the downside, it was slightly overcooked, and the ice cream was not the best.

During my first visit, I restrained myself from ordering the hamburger, thinking that would be too boring. But I saw one going by to another table, and it looked so good, I decided to come back the next day to try it.

So I went by myself on a Sunday night. And as luck would have it, they were out of burgers. I considered leaving.

Then, I remembered they serve lamb chops, and I'm a big lamb fan, so I ordered them (365 CZK).I have to apologize for the low-quality picture from my little Nokia phone. The battery on my regular camera was dead, and I thought you should have at least some idea of how they looked.

And know this: the quality of these chops was inversely proportional to the quality of the photo. Meaning they were terrific.

Yes, these four babies were small, but I savored every morsel of tender meat and fat on the delicate bones. There was a rich gravy on the plate.

Behind the lamb were chunky mashed garlic potatoes studded with smoked pork and topped with braised Romaine lettuce. I also enjoyed the sweet pearl onions soaked in honey, something I hadn't encountered before.

Since I was in the restaurant during happy hour (4 p.m to 7 p.m.), I ordered a mojito.
It was only 85 CZK, down from the regular price of 140 CZK. A very good one.

A week later I was back with V for the burger. She had a starter of Escargot de Bourgogne (195 CZK).She said the snails were quite hard to get out of their shells, and that they had an earthy, garden flavor, and that they were OK.

I decided to try a frozen margarita, even at the full price (140 CZK).This was a disappointment. The slushy ice was perfect, but it had a cloying, one-dimensional sweetness to it. I could taste the tequila, but barely any lime at all.

V had two bottles of Mattoni mineral water, and I wasn't happy to see that they cost 55 CZK each.

Then, I finally got my hamburger (220 CZK).It was big. The patty was both wide and thick, with a medium, pink center.

It came with lettuce, tomato, red onion, ketchup and mustard pre-installed. It was an above-average burger, but does not quite crack the top 5 of Brewsta's Burgers.

The fries were not so crunchy and a bit chewy, and so they were not as good as I had hoped and expected.

The service was generally good, but it was extra fine when we had what appeared to be the manager taking care of us. He was friendly, efficient, and looked after us well.

But above all, my compliments go to the chef. The menu is not ground-breaking by any means. But you can feel the attention to detail and quality that went into most of the dishes we tried. In an uncaring city, you can tell when someone in the back cares about each dish that goes out.


It's pretty unusual that I'll go to a restaurant three times for a review. But I was happy to do it because I enjoyed it every time.

I used to think Resto Cafe Patio was mediocre. But I've changed my mind.

During my visits, the food was almost consistently excellent. And that's the only justification for reconsideration that I need.

Resto Cafe Patio
Národní 22
Prague 1
Tel: (+420) 224 934 375

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Millème Boulangerie Pâtisserie Café

"I went to a cafe that advertised breakfast anytime, so I ordered French toast during the Renaissance." Stephen Wright

When I first saw Millème, my reaction was "Qu'est-ce que c'est?"I didn't expect to see such a pretty place on this busy street. The eye-catching French café is close to the Jiřího z Poděbrad metro station, just across from The Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord. So you'll always know what time it is.

I went through the doors and saw that Millème was pretty on the inside, too. There was simple, colorful furniture, dark wood flooring, and plenty of light.The walls did look bare, though.

There was a beautiful spread of fruit and vegetables under a water mister.They make regular fruit or veggie smoothies for 80 CZK. The ones made with "exotic" fruit cost 120 CZK.

On my first visit, I got a bunch of stuff to take away. The first treat that caught my eye was the raspberry tart (95 CZK). This was rather exotic. The receipt called it a "Shogun."The berries sat on a green tea cream, held by a chocolate nut crust.

The glazed fruit was, fresh, tart, and sweet, and I really liked the cookie-like base. I was amazed how assertive the green tea flavor was. I appreciated how unusual it was. However, it might not appeal to everyone.

For a second sweet, I went for the straight-up chocolate tart (66 CZK).The rich, intense chocolate filled the same tasty crust as the raspberry version. But it was not quite as good as the chocolate tart at Millème's closest competition, Paul at Palác Flóra.

I also got a pain au chocolat (28 CZK). Very buttery and nice chocolate.I'd say this was as good or better than the one at Paul. However, that one was only 19 CZK. The ones at the pâtisserie, Café St. Tropez, can also be great. They use high-grade Valrhona chocolate, but I don't recall the price.

I went back another time and sat outside on a weekened morning to enjoy the last of the warm summer weather.For my breakfast, I ordered a ham and cheese omelet (75 CZK). It was mostly unremarkable.I liked that omelet was on the runny side. Neither the ham nor the cheese had too much flavor.Uncouth savage that I am, I asked if they had some ketchup. I wasn't surprised that this very French place only had mustard. It needed salt and pepper. It did look lonely on the plate, without any bread or other side items.

A French breakfast was also available (120 CZK). That comes with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, orange juice, a croissant or pain au chocolat, half a baguette, butter, and jam.

There were also several types of quiche available (89 CZK). They also had salads: Caprese(129 CZK), Niçoise (159 CZK), grilled chicken (179 CZK) and goat cheese (189 CZK).

Simple sandwiches were available (69-99 CZK).

I was intrigued when I saw the menu mentioned fresh iced tea (39 CZK). It came in a frosted glass that formed some slush in the tea, but there were no actual ice cubes. There was tea foam at the top, something I'd never seen before.It was OK with some sugar, but I should have asked for a lemon slice. It wasn't bad, but given it's small size, I didn't think it was worth the money.

I sat and read a book for a while in the sun. Then, I decided that a dessert to go with my breakfast would not be inappropriate.

I ordered the Moelleux chocolat with vanilla ice cream (98 CZK). The warm, perfectly formed cake also came with a dish of chocolate sauce.The cake, with its liquid chocolate center was good, though not the best I've had. I didn't particularly like the vanilla ice cream, but the sauce helped.

The cake's shape was so perfect, the interior so consistent, I wondered if it was baked fresh on the premises. But given the beauty of some of their other offerings, I though it very possible it was.

To go with my cake, I got a decaf cafe latte (49 CZK).It was nice to look at, great foam, and tasted just fine, but the latte was only warm, not hot, on arrival. Perhaps the milk was not heated properly.

I'm glad to see the continuing renaissance of food and drink options in this part of Prague.

I'd like to try a few other things at Millème, but it is hard to imagine anything will outshine their cakes, pastries, and other desserts.

I do wish they'd expand their breakfast menu. My humble suggestion would be to offer that simple, lovely creation the French call pain perdu.

That's a breakfast I'd have anytime. But I'd still call it French toast.

Millème Boulangerie Pâtisserie Café
Náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad 4
Prague 2 - Vinohrady
Tel. (+420) 223 002 274

I have to add something to this post. After I published it, V went to Millème and had a very bad service experience. The waiter got first her juice order and then her omelet order wrong, kept her waiting more than 20 minutes for it to be fixed, even though the cafe was empty, and was unapologetic and rude when she complained. I hope this is not an ongoing problem.

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Grand Café Orient

"Create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others." - Orson Welles

We were in the center of Prague on a weekday morning, and we wanted some breakfast. The options are not unlimited.

I suggested Cafe Louvre. I often go for a club sandwich and creamy hot chocolate when I need a comfort food fix.

Not today.

"I'll take you somewhere you haven't been before," V said.

On this bright and lovely day, she led me to the House of the Black Madonna (Dům U Černé Matky Boží).The name comes from the Baroque statue on the facade.

I'd walked by this early gem of Cubist architecture hundreds of times. But I'd never ventured inside and up the spiral staircase.At the top is where you'll find Grand Café Orient. The space, described as Art Deco or Secessionist, first opened nearly 100 years ago, but closed around 1920. It was restored and reopened in 2003.There's a brief history of the café and the building, a former department store, on the website. If you want to know more, there's a good article on the BBC News site and a Wikipedia entry.

The dining room was virtually empty at 11 am. We decided to sit outside on the terrace.We had it all to ourselves and took in the sun as we watched the tourists pass underneath.

The menu was pretty basic and limited.

There were a few croissant and baguette sandwiches with fillings like chicken, tuna, cheese, or smoked salmon (62-135 CZK).

There was a variety of salads including a chicken Caesar (135 CZK), a Greek (128 CZK), a goat cheese (148 CZK), and a Nicoise (165 CZK).

There were also sweet and savory crepes and a fair number of desserts, like cake and ice cream, to choose from.

We decided to stick with eggs. I got fried bacon and eggs (85 CZK). It came with three eggs, the yolks cooked all the way through.The bacon was thick cut and mixed in with the whites. I'd say it was more English-style than American.

I have no great need for lettuce, tomato and cucumber with my eggs.

But in an effort put somewhat healthy food in my body, I did have a few bites of these side items.

V got the ham and eggs (85 CZK). The dish was almost identical to mine. However, the ham was a very ordinary type you'd find at a supermarket deli counter.We both love ketchup with our eggs. I understand that nothing is free in this world of ours, but charging 15 CZK each for two small dishes of the stuff seems excessive.

We received a basket of baguette slices to go with our meal.

They were soft and rubbery, which was a shame. I took one bite of one and that was enough.

V had a cafe latte (58 CZK).

We also had two 0.3 liter bottles of Mattoni sparkling water (35 CZK each).

The total bill was 328 CZK.

After breakfast, we browsed around in the street-level gift shop. They have everything from expensive little Cubist porcelain boxes to furniture.The building also houses the modest Museum of Czech Cubism, which is run by the National Gallery in Prague.

Overall, I'd say the food was nothing special.

But, I'd still recommend at least one visit, especially for out-of-town visitors.

Why?

The prices were not bad for the tourist center of Prague.

There were plenty of tables to be had at mid-morning.

Plus, there's one more unique and identifiable ingredient that will make it worthwhile for some.

Grand Café Orient is a triumph of style over sustenance.

Grand Café Orient
Dům U Černé Matky Boží
Ovocný trh 19
Prague 1
Tel. (+420) 224 224 240


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Bohemia Bagel at Holešovice

“Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.”-Niccolo Machiavelli

Often, I lie in bed and think about my problems. Personal hurdles to overcome. Things like "I need more blog posts about Prague 7 breakfast spots." Heavy stuff.

One morning, the English Patient called. He informed me that the Divine Miss C, and two out of town friends had a craving for bagels.

"Should we go to the Bohemia Bagel in Malá Strana or Old Town," he asked.

"Neither," I replied. "You're coming from Prague 6. The best would be the Holešovice location. Closer for you and probably less crowded." Which was certainly true.

"OK, we'll meet you there."When we arrived around noon, the place was practically deserted.The seating in the main dining area is awkward for groups bigger than four, so we sat in a smaller room with standard tables that could be pushed together.By the time we left, all the tables were full. A lot of late risers in Prague.

I actually arrived before everyone else. I was hungry and thirsty, but I'm not really a coffee drinker.

So, I ordered a "real American" chocolate milkshake (95 CZK).

I didn't think it was so good. It was not thick enough, or chocolaty enough. It was more like creamy chocolate milk.

T.G.I. Friday's at Anděl has many faults, but their chocolate milkshake is far better and cheaper.

The breakfast menu had the creative title: Wake-N-Bake. Funny. I just hope my mom doesn't ask me to explain why.

I was recently disappointed by the Homerun Breakfast at Red, Hot & Blues. So, I decided to try Bohemia Bagel's similar offering, the Charles IV stack (169 CZK).It was two fried eggs, American bacon, sausage patties, two American pancakes, real maple syrup, butter, and a mini-bagel. The Internet menu says either bacon or sausage, but I got both without asking.

The little sausage burgers were tasty, especially with a little syrup. The bacon was big and thick, but on the hard and chewy side.

The pancakes were terrific. Big and hot, and the real syrup made a real difference. Way better than the little, thin ones at Red, Hot & Blue. The Bohemia fried eggs were overdone and not so special.

The English Patient and one friend ordered the Full Monty (179 CZK). It was English bacon, two eggs, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, baked beans and sausage links and mini bagel.He told me he enjoyed it very much, with only one caveat.

He had the same issue with the bacon that I did. He said it was something between English and American bacon. A bit too hard.

I believe one of the visitors had a ham omelet, which came with hash browns and a mini-bagel (139 CZK).The Divine Miss C had a mushroom and cheese omelet. She later told me it was "dry and pasty" but was helped by a quantity of Heinz ketchup. She felt she could make better at home.

I did not taste any of the other breakfasts, but I can tell you that everyone except Divine Miss C raved and said they really enjoyed them.

I now have one less problem to lie in bed and worry about. At the same time, my friends and their guests were, for the most part, more than pleased with my restaurant suggestion.

So.

Am I a Machiavellian manipulator? Or a selfless Samaritan?

As you consider that, just remember that Machiavelli was not exactly known as a "win-win" kinda guy.

Bohemia Bagel at Holešovice
Dukelských Hrdinu 48/Šimáckova 21
Prague 7
Tel. (+420) 220 806 541


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