El Asador

"When I go out to a restaurant, I definitely order dishes that I know take either a long time to make or are difficult to source. Unless it's a really special steak, there's no reason for me to go out and eat that." Mario Batali

How far would you travel for a really special steak? I faced this question when I heard that a new South American steak house had opened in Prague.

But it is barely in Prague. El Asador is in a small village on the eastern outskirts, near Průhonice. Still, my quixotic quest for quality beef has few limits. I am always searching for cuts to add to my Prague steak list.

Getting there meant a drive of about 30 minutes from the center, unless you want to take the C line metro to Opatov and then bus 326 or 327 to the stop at Hrnčíře.

I drove, but even my GPS system sent me down two dead ends into the surrounding farmland before I found the restaurant.

In this tiny village, a shiny new building houses this steak house.There's a big patio around the back that must be fine for dining al fresco, weather permitting.On this rainy night, it did not permit. It could be fun to sit out there for their Sunday barbecue brunch. They have a special grill menu and buffet that day for 580 CZK per person.

My first glimpse of the interior impressed me. It might not be to everyone's taste, but thought it made a strong statement that this is a high-end place that takes its steaks seriously.It is furnished with heavy wooden and tiled tables, custom wrought iron work, and dark-stained hard wood flooring. At the back end is specially designed wood-fired grill with a chef cooking the meats in full view.It's all a little over the top, but not too far. I think it is certainly more appealing than the Disney-like setting at La Casa Argentina.

A climb up the staircase takes you to the bar area that occupies the entire upper level. The long bar itself stretches almost the length of the room.The wood-beamed ceiling stretches out above an inlaid wood floor and comfy-looking overstuffed chairs.I daresay it is even nicer than the restaurant downstairs.

This made it all the more heartbreaking that I had to drive my car to get to the restaurant. In solidarity, my friend joined me in ordering virgin mojitos (100 CZK).We also had a big bottle of Mattoni mineral water (90 CZK).

On this Saturday night, there was live music. A guitar player and singer, along with a percussionist, covered a variety of Latin classics.They performed them well, which added to the pleasant atmosphere.

We each ordered starters. My friend had the selection of seafood tapas (245 CZK). This sounded good on paper, but the reality brought some real regrets.The calamari was fresh, not frozen, and it was pretty good with lemon squeezed on it. That's the good news. Maybe it's an American thing, but I thought it could use a dipping sauce.

The menu said the tiger prawns were cooked "tempura" style. The medium-sized shrimp were fine, but this was not any tempura I am familiar with. The thick, cake-like batter made the prawns taste like they were encased in a dinner roll.

There was a bowl of fairly ordinary olives.

Finally, there was the gratinated scallop. While I expected some cheese, I didn't think there would be an orange sea of what looked like molten cheddar. It completely smothered the delicate scallop. Luckily, the cheese was easy to scrape away to reveal a perfectly seared mollusk that was much more enjoyable on its own.

I had the ceviche de pescado (170 CZK).The sea bream or dorade was marinated in lots of lime juice and mixed with cilantro and chilies. Then it was buried under a pile of chopped red onion. The chunks of clean-tasting fish were nice enough, but we thought the onion overwhelmed it. I scraped most of them to the side.

The waitress came by to clear the plates and asked how everything was. I mentioned that I thought there were too many onions in the ceviche. She said she was sorry, and shortly afterward, the manager came by.

"I've heard you had a problem with the onions in the ceviche," he said.

"It's really not a big deal. It was just too much for me."

"I can assure you, our chef is from South America and this is an authentic recipe," he informed me. "But if you like, we can prepare it with less onion."

I told him that would not be necessary, but I didn't necessarily accept the indirect word of his expert. Later, I consulted my own source, a man very familiar with this recipe, which is actually Peruvian, and who also tried this dish at this restaurant. He told me that while the manager was technically correct, the authentic version uses much milder and sweeter red onions, making them less dominating.

So we were both right. Except that the strong, sharp onions were, indeed, too strong and not right for the dish.

But enough of this pedantry over the preliminaries. It gets a lot better from here on out.

I had to have a grilled steak. I got the 250 gram Aberdeen Angus rib eye from Argentina (300 CZK).I will state now and for the record that this was the best steak I have had in this country. Each bite of the tender, charred, smoky meat was pure pleasure. You have to like your rib eyes on the fatty side, and I do. It was better than many steaks I've had in the USA. I was amazed.

On the side, I ordered the Isleña sauce, a quite spicy, creamy, chili pepper mix (38 CZK).It was hardly necessary. It would be a shame to let much interfere with the fantastic flavor of the beef.

The chef also does excellent grilled vegetables (55 CZK).The zucchini, tomato, aubergine, and peppers picked up flavor from the grill as well as the particular perfume of fresh thyme.

My friend had the octopus cooked in Sauvignon Blanc (299 CZK). We found this highly enjoyable.The strong flavor of the wine came through the sauce sweetened with honey and seasoned with thyme. The sliced tentacles were fresh and tender. The gratinated mashed potatoes on the side had been placed under some kind of heat, which dried out its outer layer, but otherwise tasted fine.

We had gone from the sad to the sublime. We decided to try our luck with dessert. My friend ordered the Nube de los Andes (95 CZK).It was described as a "chilled mousse with forest berries and egg yolk cream." I'd describe it as an ethereal meringue sitting on top of uncaramelized crème brûlée with blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.

We would both characterize it as an unusually delicious and different dessert. The spun sugar on top actually made it more like a crème brûlée but with some great added twists. Yum.

Predictably, I had the Chocolate Volcano, otherwise know as chocolate fondant (135 CZK).This takes time because it has to be baked to order. But it was worth waiting for. It was a particularly good version with an intense hit of cocoa.However, the vanilla ice cream tasted cheap and was not a worthy partner. A scoop of Häagen-Dazs would have done a far better job.

The bill for this three-course meal was 1667 CZK. I'm sure it would have gone past 2000 CZK had we been drinking alcohol. Despite the misfires with the appetizers, the main courses, desserts, and atmosphere were great. We had no real problems with the service

Someone spent super serious money building one of the Czech Republic's best South American steakhouses in a wealthy but sparsely populated suburb of Prague. Whether that was a wise move, I cannot say. But I seriously wish there was an El Asador in the center of of the city. I wish I didn't have to drive and forsake alcohol to partake.

But it is a special steak that is worth a special trip, so I will certainly drive out there again to go and eat it.

El Asador
Osvětová
149 00 Prague 4 - Hrnčíře
Tel. (+420) 246 067 600

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Baang! Restaurant and Club

"There is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it." Alfred Hitchcock

I hear things. Sometimes, I even listen.

Lots of tips come in, and I can't act on a lot of them. But when several regular readers told me Baang! is a favorite spot in Nusle, I put it on my list.Recently, I gave it a try.

The restaurant is not so hard to get to. The 11 tram, as well as the 139 and 124 buses, stop nearby.

The main restaurant is not large, with only about six or seven tables.There's also a small bar area.The photo is a bit blurry because I had to be fast and didn't use a flash. I didn't want the barman to catch me snapping the picture.

Next door, they've just opened what they call "the second door," a separate restaurant and coffee shop that operates Monday to Friday. It was closed both times I went, so I didn't get a picture. It's non-smoking, and they serve breakfast starting from 8 a.m.

On the first solo visit, I started off with a half-liter of Pilsner Urquell (40 CZK).The first one was not as cold as I'd like. Perhaps it was because I was dining quite early. The second one was better.

I was in the mood for something decadent, so I ordered the dried plums wrapped in bacon (75 CZK).The fruit was marinated in port wine, and a walnut was included with each. The bacon was thick, meaty, fresh, and smoky. The plums were tender. It was a generous portion. I've had this dish a few places around town, and this was one of the best.

The only thing I didn't need was the sweet strawberry syrup or dressing that covered the salad in the middle. That was overkill.

For a main course, I went for the Royal Skewer or Špíz Royal (245 CZK).The hot iron skewer, with a mix of beef, chicken, and pork, was delivered to the table standing vertical. On the side were a cold tomato sauce, a cold garlic cream sauce, and a baked potato with sour cream.

All the meats were tender and freshly prepared.The beef picked up good flavor from the grill. The chicken had a tandoori paste coating, which I wasn't expecting, but was a nice surprise. And the pork was actually thick, smoky, soft, bacon-like pieces without too much fat, depending on how you define "too much." I have a high threshold.

The meat was separated by red, green, and yellow peppers and onions. The baked potato was also very good.

A word of warning: the skewer is quite hot, and when you take it out of the holder, the thin paper napkin at the top doesn't protect your fingers so well from the heat.

The service was always efficient and friendly. The bill for this filling meal was 400 CZK before tip.

V agreed to join me for a second visit.She liked that they have a fish tank built into one of the walls.I was driving, so I ordered a virgin mojito (75 CZK).It was excellent -- not too sweet, and well-mixed with just the right levels of lime and mint. Refreshing.

For a starter, I ordered the chicken wings (125 CZK).The ten pieces had a good, crispy, salty skin. They were piping hot, and only a bit oily.

The wings came with garlic cream sauce and, oddly, tomato sauce. The menu said they came with barbecue sauce, which I preferred. I asked the waiter/barman about it, but he said they come with tomato sauce now.

V tried the shrimp in coconut milk with fresh thyme (125 CZK).The shrimp were small, but cooked perfectly, with a delicate texture. She said she tasted shallots and shrimp paste, but could not detect the thyme.

There was also dried coconut mixed into the sauce. Both of us thought that should have been left out.

For a main course, V got the Penne Picante (125 CZK).The pasta is made with spicy Ventricina salami, red onion, and a cream sauce. The huge portion was properly cooked, and V said she liked it. The Italian salami was too salty for my taste. But she said she enjoyed it again the next day for lunch.

I went for the strip steak "Dijon" (275 CZK).The steak was thin, but large, and very tender. The menu said it was Uruguayan beef, and you can tell that it is a quality steak.

I asked for it medium-rare, and perhaps it was closer to rare, but I didn't mind.The creamy mustard sauce was OK, but I wished it was more to the side instead of drowning the beef. Also on top were four homemade onion rings. They were not completely crispy, and they were too salty.

The steak fries were good, but could have been hotter. Perhaps it was because the chef took the time to build them into a lattice structure on the plate.We found it amusing, but I also wondered how long it took to get them stacked up like that.

I was almost bursting at the seams from so much food, so I could not try a dessert. But they have tiramisu (65 CZK), chocolate "souffle" (75 CZK), and a few other desserts with fruit.

The positive comments about Baang! certainly raised my expectations. And though it's a modest place, I'd say it met them.

The little restaurant has big portions, low prices, good service, and usually tasty, freshly prepared, if not authentic interpretations of international dishes.

It does remind me of Neklid, a favorite place near my flat that I'd describe in almost exactly the same way. And like Neklid, I'd anticipate you'll also appreciate a meal there if you're in the area.

Baang! Restaurant & Club
Nuselská 46
Prague 4 - Nusle
Tel. (+420) 241 000 666

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Dock House

"I am a great eater of beef, and I believe that does harm to my wit." William Shakespeare

So my friend tells me he's heard that the restaurant, Dock House, has some of the best steaks in Prague.
"Tell me more," I said. I listened carefully, even though he hadn't been there himself. He often gives me tips about restaurants Czech business people are buzzing about and that are usually off the beaten-track.

He said it has unique interior that looks like the inside of a ship.The story he heard was that it was built by the previous owners to look like Noah's Ark. I didn't confirm that, but it certainly does. I was skeptical about trying the place, but I found the description intriguing.

Then he said it was expensive. That didn't get inside my head as much as what he told me next.

"It's in Michle."

Prague 4 is one of the areas I've covered least. I've been feeling the need to fill in some of my geographical gaps. The only other place I wrote about in that district was essentially a cafeteria -- The Clubhouse in The Park in Chodov.

I looked on a map and the nearest tram stop, for the 11, is about 500 meters away from Dock House. I later figured out I could take the 139 bus from Vršovice. But that would still mean an uphill walk of about 250 meters from the stop.

Anyway, I was feeling lazy, so I drove over. That made the journey easy, but it meant I wasn't drinking.

At the front of the restaurant is a small bar and cafe space.
In the back was the more interesting space, with beautiful curving wooden beams, custom wooden furniture, and photos of cows on the walls.

One side of the room was taken up by a chef presiding over an open grill.A friendly waitress asked what I'd like to drink.

I asked for their homemade lemonade (48 CZK) and a bottle of Mattoni mineral water (42 CZK).They serve the lemonade in stylish curved glasses.

It was quite sweet and carbonated. I wished for more real lemon tartness. There was some pulp in there, but it didn't taste that different from a lemon soda you'd buy at the supermarket.

I received three kinds of sliced bread with herb butter.It wasn't warm, but the rustic bread in the middle was the best, with its crunchy crust and airy center.

On this day, I wasn't in the mood for a steak, so I ordered the Dock Burger with fries (193 CZK). I had high hopes for a hamburger served at a place that prides itself on minced Charolais tenderloin, cooked over an open flame.I was sorely disappointed.

This was the smallest burger patty I've ever seen in Prague, except for a regular hamburger at McDonald's. The picture doesn't really give good perspective on its size or the lack thereof.

No wonder the menu said the Double Dock Burger was a "chef's tip." The 100 gram single was expensive enough, but the Double Dock goes for 288 CZK -- a dizzying price for 200 grams of meat on a tiny bun.

The beef was cooked all the way through, despite my request for medium, giving it a toughness. I'm not sure how you'd cook such a thin burger to medium anyway. The flavor was not bad, but there was only the smallest hint of the grill. If this patty was made from a Charolais filet, I couldn't tell.

The bun was loaded with toppings - onion, pickle, lettuce, and tomato, along with rather indistinct bacon. I asked for extra cheddar (25 CZK), which was not included on the Dock Burger. It was actually the real stuff -- very good quality cheese. But the whole effect was that all those things drowned out the ground beef.

The plate came with good-quality steak fries, cooked golden and crispy, as I like them.

A disappointing hamburger can make me all kinds of unhappy. But I've found a good chocolate fondant is the best cure. Dock House calls theirs a "chocolate souffle." (144 CZK)It took a while, which is normal because it was cooked to order.

I am happy to report that it was great. Not only was it filled with a generous portion of rich, molten chocolate, but there were even small chocolate chunks in there.So often in Prague, the ice cream that comes with these desserts is low quality and tastes totally artificial. Not in this case. Despite its too yellow color, the vanilla scoop had a smooth, clean and natural flavor that complemented the chocolate well.

I should relate that the diner next to me ordered a steak medium rare. It was delivered medium-well. He pointed it out to the waiter and the improperly cooked meat was taken away. The chef watched apprehensively from across the room. The diner eventually received a properly cooked cut, but had to watch as his female dining companion ate without him.

As for me, I found the service was good. I enjoyed the lemonade, the dessert, and the fries, but I wasn't satisfied. Especially after I paid 500 CZK, tip included.

Of course, I had to come back for the steak. This time I tried to order the mint lemonade, but that wasn't available. So I got the limeade (48 CZK).
This wasn't carbonated. I liked it better than the lemonade, but did wish for more real juice in there.

I decided to check on how they do seafood, so I ordered the "roasted" calamari (189 CZ).
This time, my low expectations were greatly exceeded by the excellent squid, which were sauteed in olive oil.

I savored their fresh flavor and tender texture. They came simply seasoned with cherry tomatoes, black olives, and sliced garlic. It was enough. This was one of the better calamari dishes I've had.

The steaks come in three cuts, Charolais entrecôte, South American hanger steak, and Charolais filet mignon. The sizes range from 200 grams to 600 grams.

I chose 300 grams of the cheapest cut, the entrecôte (393 CZK). I chose the demi-glace sauce to go with it.
Other sauces were chili, mushroom, green pepper, herb butter, cranberry, or bacon and fresh tomato.

Despite the big price, it didn't include a side item. I got the green beans with bacon (65 CZK).The steak was very tender, and there was no question about its quality. It was not very thick, but was cooked as requested to medium-rare.The only issue was the lack of salt. There were some rock crystals on the top, but it needed a strong shot of salt from me to bring up the flavor. It should have been properly salted just before cooking, not after.

The demi-glace, a reduction of veal stock, vegetables, browned bones, also needed salt. However, it was excellent after the saline levels were brought up. It's one of my favorite sauces, and I'm still pining for the amazing version they used to serve at Cafe Savoy.

The green beans were heavily coated in bacon fat. They were not overcooked, but they were rubbery rather than snappy and not as fresh as they should be.

I'd had good luck with the dessert on the first visit, so I went for another one, the panna cotta with milk chocolate (144 CZK).I'd had a really bad, rubbery panna cotta when I had it at Pepe Nero. They should come to Dock House to see how to do it right. It was so smooth and creamy. The waiter poured real, hot milk chocolate over the top. Quality stuff. The chocolate overwhelmed the flavor of the cream underneath, but I still enjoyed every bite.

My tab for this second solo trip was 900 CZK with tip. And there's the biggest problem with Dock House. The prices are up there with or even higher than some of the other top steakhouses in Prague like El Barrio de Ángel, La Casa Argentina, La Bodeguita del Medio, or Crazy Cow.

But given a choice, I'd take the 300 gram rib eye at El Barrio over the Dock House entrecôte, any day.

El Barrio's steak is about 40 CZK cheaper, it's a thicker (entrecôte and rib eye are somewhat similar cuts), and it also gets a better smoky char from their grill.

I really wouldn't mind trying more of the beef at Dock House. And maybe it's the best place in Michle. But I think it was the cost that hurt my wit.

When I looked at the bill, I was not amused.

Dock House
Michelská 59
Prague 4
Tel. (+420) 261 211 590

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