The Tavern

"There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern." Samuel Johnson

Once a year, I make a list of all the burgers I've had over the last 12 months. I'm near the half-way point on it now, taking copious notes for the big round-up.

But it's worth mentioning here and now that a noteworthy new player is on the scene.

I'm talking about The Tavern, a little burger and cocktail joint across from Riegrovy Sady on the border of Vinohrady and Žižkov.

It's a modest place in certain ways. There are only about 8 or 9 tables in the cramped dining area.

There are also a couple of seats at the bar (my favorite spot).

Outside seating is in the works for the summer.

As of now, they are only open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening. They've had limited hours because the perfectionist owners, Dean Selby and Lori Wyant, want to make sure everything is just right.

They've been methodically building out the kitchen, testing recipes and suppliers, and getting staff in place. It's been a slow process. The restaurant has been open since the start of 2012, but it is still not clear when full-time operations will commence.

The couple was the force behind the popular LokalBurger, a traveling food stand that popped up anywhere from a farmer's market to a cocktail bar. I enjoyed their product when I tried it in Bukowski's last year.

Now with their own roof over their heads, they've kept the menu simple. It's really mostly burgers and variations of things you can put on a bun.

Since I'd already had the LokalBurger, I decided to try their LB Tower of Power. It's a LokalBurger with two patties instead of one.

I'll begin with their "butter buns.". They are custom-made, brioche-style masterpieces. The lightly sweet bread is steamed to a soft state, but they still manage to maintain strength and integrity.

The grass-fed, free-range beef is top quality, with a fine flavor brought up by just the right amount of salt.

The patties are cooked properly under lids, and remain beautifully tender.

On top there is lettuce, tomato, melted Gouda, and their "special sauce," which is a ketchup-mayo mixture. It reminded me of California's legendary In-N-Out Burger, which I had last September, only bigger and better. Seriously.

I thirsted for a cocktail to wash down this mighty beast. I ordered the Bourbon Sourball.

It's a mixture of Jim Beam, lemon-lime mix, and fresh orange. Yes, there was pulp in there. It was the strong punch to palate I was looking for.

This was a weighty meal already. And yet I ordered another round of food -- the Blue Smoke Burger.

This includes smoked ground beef, blue cheese, caramelized onions, sun-dried tomato mayo, and pickles (not mentioned on the menu) on a grilled bun.

Wow. I mean, wow.

I'm not a big blue cheese on a burger guy, but I loved it. The smoky, juicy 115 gram patty was something special. Maybe there was a tad too much onion and mayo. It was sloppy to eat and you will need extra napkins, but it was a rich, glorious mess.

I had only planned to eat part of it, thinking I wouldn't have room for it all. I really didn't, but I ate it all. It was that good.

I returned after I heard they added a bacon cheeseburger to the menu (185 CZK). This one included English cheddar, pancetta, ketchup, mustard, mayo, pickles and onion.

Combining their excellent beef and bun with a generous amount of quality pork strips and cheese was the marriage of my dreams. Although they call it pancetta, it was a close cousin of the lightly crisp yet still pliant and smoky American-style bacon I crave.

I'd give minor demerits for putting the cold toppings on the bottom and too many sauces. But if you are looking for perfection, you'll never find true love.

They were still experimenting with the fries on this visit. I had a mix of their curly fries, cross-cut fries, and regular fries. The first two were crispy, crunchy delights the likes of which I've rarely seen in this city.

The regular fries were not so crisp and didn't thrill me. I was told they were changing to a different style of fries.

I also tried their "Tav Sauce" (20 CZK), which is mix of mayo, barbecue sauce and garlic powder. It didn't sound too exciting, but when I tasted it, I was surprised how much I liked its smoky flavor.

I sampled the Tavern Wench cocktail (110 CZK). It's Absolut Vanilla, Kahlua and cream.

This is a very sweet drink and is suitable for dessert.

On my next visit, I went for the pulled pork sandwich. This was amazing.

They wood-smoke their own meat, cooking it for hours into a terrifically tender state. Then they put it on a butter bun with plum-brandy barbecue sauce and top it with red cabbage slaw.

This is one of the few places in this country that you can taste a real American version of such smoky tender greatness. The pork just melts in your mouth. I enjoyed this pulled pork much more than the version served at the Hard Rock Cafe.

My only critique here is I think they put too much coleslaw on the pork. For me, it distracted from the beautiful porcine flavor. Even if it goes against American barbecue tradition, I'm getting the slaw on the side next time.

I had a beer to go with this. They serve Ježek (36 CZK/.5 liter).

It was cold and crisp. They also have interesting-sounding bottled beers like Easy Rider Pale Ale (55 CZK), though I didn't try any.

I followed that with a margarita.

The Tavern does theirs with a mix of fresh lemon and lime, Cuervo Gold, and triple sec. Well done.

On my final visit, I had a hard time. I badly wanted to order one of the burgers mentioned above. Instead, for the sake of the vegetarians out there, I ordered the Urban Garden Burger (125 CZK).

The patty is made with lentils, brown rice, and mushrooms. It's topped with caramelized onions, grilled tomato, and sun-dried tomato mayo.

I was shocked. I liked it. I'd even say it was the best vegetarian burger I've ever had (although, to be honest, I've probably had three in my life).

The patty had serious heft and a meaty texture. Sure, it's mashed beans, but the important thing is it tasted good. I detected a slight crunch and was told there are also hazelnuts in there.

I enjoyed their sweet, fried onions, and it made for a substantial meal. Again, there was a little too much mayo for me, but my enjoyment was undiminished.

The last cocktail I tried was the Cranberry Brusinka Zinger (115 CZK).

This is ginger spice vodka, cranberry, fresh lime juice, homemade grapefruit mandarin syrup, triple sec and grenadine. Again, this was another sweetie.

I'd never met the owner, Lori, who works the bar and makes sure everyone is happy. She was super nice, friendly, and helpful. I didn't meet Dean. He was busy in the kitchen cooking. The food came out unbelievably fast and piping hot.

I believe critics can and should find something to criticize. There's always room for improvement.  But I'm finding it hard to come up with any big complaints.

The best (or worst) I can do is quote a couple of friends. One told me his burger patty was overcooked and hard in places. And a British friend had never had a steamed bun before and didn't like it, saying it was "soggy."

Maybe the cocktails were a little sweet for my taste, and they went a little heavy on the condiments. That's all I got on the downside.

On the upside, I can give you my highest recommendation. The Tavern is run by Americans doing perhaps the best burgers and pulled pork you'll find in this city.

As of now, they don't have a phone number and accept reservations via email at info@thetavern.cz

You will need to book. With very little publicity, the place is perpetually packed on the evenings they are open.

I think that will continue. The Tavern is producing a lot of happiness.

The Tavern
Chopinova 1521/26
Prague 2

Read the full post

Summary only

Cloud 9 Sky Bar & Lounge

"The brightest sunshine of success is not without a cloud." Samuel Johnson

Cloud 9 Sky Bar & Lounge first floated onto my radar screen at the 2009 Prague Food Festival. The beef satay from their stand was a little dry, but I had a feeling they could do better on their home turf.

More recently, I checked out the internet menu of this relatively new cocktail spot on top of the cube-like Hilton Hotel, which is not to be confused with the Hilton Old Town.There were a lot of tempting items, and I thought the cocktail prices looked relatively reasonable for such an upscale place.

And I was curious. Despite many years in Prague, I'd never set foot in this Hilton, which boasts a top-end restaurant. Something about the location and the architecture put me off, even though it's pretty close to the Florenc metro station and bus stops.

The other night, I walked into the atrium and eventually found the special mirrored elevator up to the roof. I came out into a dark black marble hallway.When I turned the corner, there was a corridor that looked liked the entrance to CONTROL headquarters in "Get Smart." Lights around each section blinked on and off in succession, bidding you to follow.Just before entering the cocktail lounge, I passed one of the terraces.There was a somewhat distant view of Prague Castle, sitting above a much closer insurance company office building.I turned right past a well-dressed, well-muscled door man and walked into the purplish-hot pink seating area.I discovered they can alter the colors and the lights came down more later on. Techno-style music, which fit the decor, was played at an acceptable level. But it was not exactly my favorite style.

A bevy of attractive hostesses descended upon me as I sought out the optimal place to sit. I walked with them over into the second section of the lounge, but there were only four-seaters there.

So, I went back to where I started and sank down into a comfortable chair at a two-top. V was out of town -- I was going to have to manage solo once again. I was surrounded by, from what I could tell, were mostly hotel guests. There was a spread of age ranges. A fair number of Americans.

They started me off with some chips and nuts. They may not look like much, but these were some of the best cocktail snacks I've had.The chips, which were a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors appeared homemade. The waitress told me they were all potato, but they all had different flavors, from slightly sweet to salty to spicy. There were also slightly sticky sweet and salty almonds.

For a start, I ordered one of Master Bartender Roman Uhlíř's "Signature Cocktails," called a Mystic (160 CZK). It was vodka, lime, homemade ginger syrup, and brown sugar.It was quite sweet, with a hint of lime-like bitterness. I was disappointed the ginger flavor was not more obvious. The Mystic wasn't bad, but I'd prefer the similar, but rum-based Jamaica Mule served at Bukowski's.

Even though I'd already eaten earlier in the evening, I felt it was my duty to eat again. I had to try that peppered beef satay (260 CZK). I was impressed by the very tender, top quality meat.It was exactly the kind of beef a place like Essensia at the Mandarin Oriental should be using, rather than the chew toy they served on our recent visit. Cloud 9's beef, with its soy marinade, was just a tad too salty.

On the side, there was a sesame oil mayo. I wish there was a better accompaniment. I could hardly taste any sesame, and mayo is far from my first choice of beef condiment. That part just didn't work for me.

Still, I was enjoying it and was down to my last couple of bites when the waitress came to take my finished drink away. Unfortunately, she spilled the crushed ice from the glass all over the table and some into my lap.She apologized and cleaned up quickly as I cleared the ice from my chair and checked that my mobile phone survived. I didn't realize until she was gone that she had whisked away my unfinished bites of beef.

I didn't feel like complaining and asking for a replacement or discount over so little, but I wasn't terribly happy about losing some food, either.

For my second drink, I ordered the New Classic Margarita (250 CZK). The drink was made with 100% agave tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, and agave syrup.The price was eye-popping, but I hoped it would buy me something special.

Thankfully, it was excellent. It suited my taste, not too sweet, just the right sourness level from the lime, and it clearly packed a smooth punch. I was only slightly disappointed it came in a fairly small martini glass.

To go with this drink, I ordered the tuna tartare (290 CZK). It looked small in the picture on the website, but I thought it was a reasonably generous portion.The tuna was sandwiched between very light crackers. I could taste wasabi and ginger mixed in. Really good. It said it came with avocado, and there was a dab of green stuff on each cracker. But I wouldn't have known it was avocado unless someone told me.

The menu mentioned tomato, but I didn't see or taste any. Perhaps it blended in too well with the red tuna. The wasabi cream on the side was pleasantly sharp and a little sweet, but I used it sparingly. The batter-fried onion strings on the side weren't bad, but very messy and awkward to eat.

While not perfect as a whole, the tuna itself was so nice, I thought it worth the money.

For my final cocktail, I ordered something called an Elise (160 CZK). As if it wasn't embarrassing enough, I had to repeat the name three times before the waitress understood what I was asking for. I'm still asking myself why I ordered this strange concoction.It is made with gin, limoncello, peach liqueur, mango, grapefruit juice, and orgeat syrup.

My initial thought was this cocktail would be too frou-frou. Then, I thought I shouldn't be so closed-minded. Essentially, I only ordered it because I love limoncello.

It was cloyingly sweet, but with the bitterness of grapefruit. I picked up a hint of mango, but I really couldn't taste the limoncello at all. The orgeat is supposed to give it an almond flavor, but I didn't notice it, either.

This drink might work for someone else, but I really didn't like it.

I ordered one more round of food and had the bruschetta with port-marinated duck foie gras and fig marmalade (290 CZK).The marmalade was extremely sweet, but it balanced out on top of the buttery, smooth, creamy liver. The bread was good quality, but could have been toasted (or better toasted).

It was simple, but a satisfying dessert of sorts. I know foie gras, even from ducks, isn't that cheap. True, it was a rich few bites. But the plate looked pretty empty, and it felt unsubstantial for the money.

I had a fairly favorable opinion of the bar during the first visit, but things got a little more hazy after the second.

On that one, they still had the nice almonds, but the chips had changed. These were all the same -- almost black in color and appeared overcooked.They didn't taste burnt, but didn't have the most pleasant flavor, either.

I decided another "signature" cocktail was in order. I got the Black Pearl (165 CZK).It was made with premium Vodka, Chambord, Grand Marnier, cranberry and fresh lime juice. It had a great color, with great blackberries and raspberries as garnish, but that's the best I could say about it.

It was just too sweet. I could taste the cranberry and chambord very clearly. But I missed any sense of tart balance from the lime or orange flavor from the Grand Marnier.

The food menu tempted me once again. The teriyaki duck in rice paper rolls were delivered to my table (240 CZK). These cool, tightly-wrapped rolls, had the right look and some heft to them.There was a chili sambal on the side that was very spicy, peppery, and slightly too salty.

What I found inside was disappointing. It was all very fresh, but sadly bland. I could barely detect any teriyaki flavor. The duck was so flavorless, it could have been chicken.

There was some crunch from the greens inside. The texture was right, but not the taste. There was no basil or cilantro (coriander), as far I could tell, which would have seriously helped.

Then I got a mojito (160 CZK). I've had many great ones at a number of different bars around Prague. This was not one of them.It was too sweet, and there was still a lot of undissolved sugar at the bottom. It did have plenty of mint, which was good. But again, the sour notes were really lacking. Not enough lime.

Finally, I continued my quest for something sublime with lime. I got a Gimlet (140 CZK).This is one of my favorite cocktails, but it was not sublime. It was subprime. It was super-pucker sour, tasting like pure lime juice and gin.

A classic Gimlet is made with Rose's lime juice, which is sweet. There was nothing sweet about this drink. And to top it off, it was a very ungenerous pour. The small martini glass was more than half-empty.

Cloud 9 Sky Bar & Lounge is not the type of place I usually like to hang out. It was pretty stylish, but the clientele does give it something of a hotel feel, however upscale.

It did have a good view, comfortable chairs, some enjoyable dishes with not completely insane prices. That's relative, of course.

My total bill for the first visit came to 1410 CZK, not including tip. If V was with me, it probably would have been closer to 2500 CZK. The second trip cost me 705 CZK.

If you'd have asked me after my first visit, I'd probably recommend the bar for a date and a few little bites to eat. But after the second visit, my opinion changed.

There were just not enough shining moments and too many dark clouds raining on my cocktail parade.

Cloud 9 Sky Bar & Lounge
Prague Hilton Hotel
Pobřežní 1
Prague 8
Tel. (+420) 224 842 999

Read the full post

Summary only

Bukowski's Bar

"I don't like jail, they got the wrong kind of bars in there." Charles Bukowski

I was supposed to meet G-Man for a drink. He texted me that some of his Czech colleagues wanted to go out. And they wanted to hit their favorite cocktail bar.

So, we ended up at Bukowski's in Prague's Žižkov neighborhood.It was pretty empty at 8:00 pm on a Friday. We scored a table near the bar.It's a cozy drinking establishment with some interesting style points: fold-down chairs from a theater, a chandelier and other light fixtures made from bottles, and something a little unusual for a cocktail bar in this town -- carpeting.

There's a bigger main room in front and a small space in the back.That turned into a clubhouse for a couple of groups later in the evening.

For my first drink, I had my usual -- a gin gimlet. A pretty good version with a lime twist.G-Man's colleagues tried it and liked it enough that they were ordering them later in the evening.

Don't ask me what this drink or any other cost. Bukowski's has no website, the tab was written by hand at the end of the evening with drinks counted by hash marks, and I didn't look carefully at the menu. It's safe to assume the cocktails cost less than in the center.

I sampled G-Man's drink, something I'd never heard of before. It was a Jamaica Mule.It is made with rum, lime juice, ginger or ginger beer and sugar or syrup. He liked it. I thought it was tasty and interesting. I'd order it again.

Someone had a Cosmopolitan. A good version.The drink is still as popular as Sex and the City reruns on TV.

There was also some kind of chocolate-flavored martini on the table.I expected it to be completely horrible. That said, it wasn't that bad, perhaps benefiting from low expectations. There was just a very slight hint of chocolate to it. However, it is not something I'd ever order.

G-Man hadn't eaten, was really hungry and needed something to soak up the alcohol. However, Bukowski's has little food to speak of. Just some spicy nacho chips from a bag. We had three rounds of those.

By 9:30 pm, the place was really getting packed. I'd say it was mostly expats in the mid-20s to early 30s range.The cute waitresses still got to our table to take our orders. But the crush caused something of a meltdown behind the bar. Quality declined rapidly.

I ordered a mojito.It was the worst I've had in a long time. It had one positive aspect -- plenty of rum. Otherwise, it tasted like alcoholic ice water with a hint of lime. The sugar rested at the bottom, mostly unmixed.

Feeling tired, I ordered a Cuba Libre for a sugar and caffeine boost.Yes, it is a boring and simple drink. But I've enjoyed it more at places like Tretter's, where they juice it up with an extra infusion of lime. But Tretter's is often a crowded, yuppie meat-market, and I haven't been there for ages.

Bukowski's Cuba Libre had just a couple of squeezes of tiny lime slices and was little more than rum and slightly flat Coke.

G-Man ordered a Whisky Sour. I don't think I'd heard of anyone ordering this drink for 20 years. I don't know what a good one is supposed to taste like. If you like lots of whiskey and little sour, this is for you.

Someone ordered a Mai Tai.It was quite sweet. Sort of a Hawaiian Punch with rum.

Toward the end of the evening, we ordered a round of Gimlets for our table. We were sitting next to the bar, and the bartender asked me to pick them up, since the waitresses were so busy.

The drinks were in lowball glasses filled with ice cubes. I was confused.

"Are these Gimlets," I asked.

"We ran out of martini glasses so I had to put them in something else," he said.

"Why are they full of ice cubes?"

He just gave me a half-smile, a shrug, and turned to other pressing matters. At this point in the evening, the cocktail's finer points didn't seem all that important, anyway. Explaining the situation and relating the conversation did get a laugh back at the table.

Finally, even the waitresses started to snap under the strain. G-Man ordered a final Jamaica Mule and was very unhappy with it.

"This doesn't taste like a Jamaica Mule," he told the waitress.

"You ordered it!" she shouted above the din.

"Yeah, I know, I just wanted to be sure it was what I ordered."

She told him it was. He figured in the end that she was right, and that it was just poorly made.

Here's the thing about Bukowski's. It really did have a cool, lived-in neighborhood bar style. If you like hanging with expats with some Czechs mixed in, it could be a blast. There was a real house party atmosphere.

But if you go there on a packed out Friday night looking for precision mixologists who will consistently blend you the perfect cocktail, you're in the wrong kind of bar.

Bukowski's
Bořivojova 86
Prague 3-Žižkov
Tel. (+420) 774 530 689

View Larger Map

Read the full post

Summary only

ZanziBar

Me, I'm just another face at Zanzibar
But the waitress always serves a secret smile
Billy Joel

We were wandering around Mala Strana, and V decided to reveal another one of her secret watering holes.

By secret, I mean I didn't know about this particular cocktail bar or that she'd been there many times.

Maybe it sounds strange, but I'd never heard of ZanziBar.I say strange because it has been around a long time, and it's an area I've walked through hundreds of times, near the Charles Bridge.

To be fair, it is tucked in an alley called Saská, and it is hard to see the sign, so it is easy to miss.

I'd think it could get very touristy because of the location. But on this weekend evening at 8:00 pm, it was almost empty.The few taken tables in the back were filled with Czechs.

I did see an unmanned DJ station, so I could imagine it could get a bit more lively later in the evening.

After a few minutes, a waitress came over and took our drink orders. I requested a Gimlet (130 CZK). I forgot to specify that I wanted the classic version with gin.

This one was vodka. It was very good, so I didn't bother to return it. At Buddha-Bar, when I ordered a Gimlet, the waiter immediately asked me, "Vodka or gin?"

A martini glass without a stem was placed in a little bowl full of crushed ice.On the one hand, sipping from this glass felt kind of ridiculous. On the other hand, it did keep the cocktail nicely cold.

Frou-frou but functional.

V got a Kir Imperial -- Creme de Framboise and champagne (120 CZK). It was not very good -- fairly flat and not cold enough.After we finished our first round, we sat waiting a long time for service. There were two waitresses sucking the straws on their own cocktails behind the bar.One was sharing the story of her recent engagement. Riveting stuff.

We were the only ones in this room, sitting in clear view of the bar. It was one of those mystical, mystifying Harry Potter-like moments.

We could see and hear them, but they couldn't see us.

V, the poor lamb, was overcome by thirst and began waving her arms back and forth over her head -- the internationally recognized distress signal.

Just then, the barman walked back into the room and alerted the waitresses. One came over. She looked unhappy that our cloak of invisibility had been lifted in the middle of her story.

She took our order with a sour look on her face. V explained politely that we had been waiting quite a while to order something else. This just seemed to annoy her.

While we were waiting for our order to be filled, two shots arrived at our table.

It was a gift from the bartender, who had saved us from our alcoholic exile and sought to make amends.

It was an unusual but tasty potion -- vodka, almond liqueur, and lime cordial, I believe. I liked it, but I do have quite a sweet tooth. I drank my shot and my spirit was filled with the warmth of forgiveness.

For my next drink, I decided to keep with the lime theme and tried the mojito (130 CZK).Very good. The price was fair, too. At La Bodeguita del Medio, they cost 169 CZK.

A problem with many mojitos in Prague (the town's most popular drink), including La Bodeguita's, is that they aren't mixed well. You get a big pile of brown sugar at the bottom of the glass, and the limes aren't well-squeezed. ZanziBar's was well-mixed.

V decided to have a glass of Czech white wine (45 CZK).Nothing special, but also a decent price, especially for a cocktail bar.

The bill for our four drinks came to 425 CZK. I liked my cocktails, and I liked the prices.

I'd like to go back some time at a later hour to see what the atmosphere is like and what kind of people this place pulls in.

I just won't expect a smile from the waitress -- secret or otherwise.

ZanziBar
Lázeňská 6
Prague 1 - Mala Strana
Tel. (+420) 257 530 762

View Larger Map

Read the full post

Summary only