Prague Food Festival 2010

"In love, as in gluttony, pleasure is a matter of the utmost precision." Italo Calvino

For me, the Prague Food Festival is a "must do" event.

It offers a unique, yearly opportunity to sample the creations of a wide range of restaurants all in one place, usually for reasonable prices.

That said, I almost didn't make it. My plan to go on Saturday got derailed at the last minute, and I lost most of the day on Sunday.

I finally showed up at 6:30 p.m Sunday night. I was glad to see that most of the restaurant stands were still fully operational.

This year's location, Prague Castle's gardens, worked well. The garden itself is beautiful, but there are also fantastic views of St. Nicholas church and the city below.There was plenty of open space. I heard that lines for food on Saturday were usually not too bad at peak times, with waits of about 5 to 10 minutes. It was the same when I was there.However, a friend said the main entrance gate was closed for at least 90 minutes early Saturday evening because organizers thought there were too many people inside. It sounded very frustrating.

Last year's festival location, on the river near the Charles Bridge, was too small, which caused frustrating crowd bottlenecks. I liked the 2008 festival's location on Žofín's island (Slovanský ostrov) as much as this year's because it also had more elbow room and the view of Prague Castle from the river.

For my first taste, I decided to skip the mostly simple sushi offerings from Sakura right by the entrance, and headed to the Ambiente Restaurants stand.I was disappointed they had sold out of the 50-day aged Czech beef. That sounded interesting.

Instead, I had their beef tartare.It cost 4 Grands (100 CZK). All food must be purchased with tickets called Grands, worth 25 CZK each. With the 400 CZK entry fee, you get 250 CZK worth of Grands. On top of that, I purchased another 500 CZK worth.

The beef was pristine on the freshly fried little pieces of bread. Very good quality. The dominant flavor was that of pickle and/or pickle juice. It was simple, but I really liked the clean, clear flavor. I was glad it wasn't overloaded with other condiments like ketchup, mustard, and egg yolk.

Then, I checked out the offerings from the Rickshaw Restaurant at the Corinthia Towers Hotel. I got the beef masaman (125 CZK).The sauce was more like a thin curry broth. The portion of beef was generous, but some chunks were tough, while others were tender. There was wilted broccoli. It also came with rice.

Later, I regretted eating all of it. I had come to the festival hungry. Too hungry. And finishing a big, unsatisfying dish was a strategic mistake.I headed over to see what they had from Le Grill at the Hotel Kempinski Hybernská. I chose the grilled flank steak with sweet potato purée, creamy white asparagus and pumpkin oil (150 CZK). It looked very nice on the plate.The beef had a rich flavor but was not very tender. The sweet potato was disappointing. It had its natural flavor, but was bland. In contrast, the quality of the asparagus, which is in season, stood well on its own.

I stepped over to see what Buddha-Bar was up to. They were serving my favorite dish from my visit to the restaurant: Buddha-Bar Chicken Salad (100 CZK).The person in front of me got the last portion, and they told me to come back in 20 minutes.

Twenty minutes later, I had my salad, and it was worth the wait. It was as good as I remembered, with a sweet and creamy sesame-soy dressing, Chinese cabbage, and crispy noodles. The portion size was generous, and I saw many other diners happily munching away.

At the stand for Essensia at the Mandarin Oriental, I was tempted by the beef cheeks glazed with pepper sauce, but it had one of the highest prices of any dish. So I got the lacha porota (100 CZK).The perfectly delicate dough was filled with tender tandoori chicken and vegetables in a spicy gravy. A tangy yogurt sauce spread out on the side. It was filling (maybe too much so), but not too expensive, and another favorite of the festival.

I had been so focused on food, I forgot to drink anything. Fortunately, a Potrafena husa stand was nearby. I much enjoyed my glass of Leffe Brune (25 CZK).I headed down to a lower garden and found some other high-end restaurants had stands down there.It was late, the festival ended at 9 p.m., and I hovered in front of the Mlynec chef, trying to decide if it was worth my last Grands.

While I stood there, he put together a plate of marinated cod in sashimi sauce with potato purée and a hint of wasabi (100 CZK).Then, he handed it to me and said, "Don't worry about it. It's free." The festival was ending soon, so he was happy to clear some of his extra stock.

I love cod, and this fish was absolutely delicious. It was fresh and delicate, and every bite was a pleasure. The mashed potatoes did have a nice wasabi flavor, but the texture was too smooth for my taste.

It was cold, and I still had those extra Grands. The pancakes with real chocolate sauce at Le Grill looked tempting, but I was too full for such a heavy desert.

So I went back to Buddha-Bar and asked for their small, delicate chocolate-sesame bars (50 CZK).And there, the woman won't take my Grands and tells me it's free. Even though I didn't pay for these either, I have to tell you the truth: they were great.

The chocolate was smooth and creamy, while the sesame side gave it a salty-crunch counterpoint. I barely resisted the temptation for ask for more to take home with me.

But there I am, completely stuffed, and can't get rid of my last five Grands (125 CZK).

The best I could do was order another Leffe Brune and sip it while I took in a performance of a very talented Spanish guitar band.The audience was small, and it was a pleasing contrast from the thumping synth music and big crowd that was in the same tent when I arrived.

Of course, one person can't do it all at an event like this. Not even close. For another perspective on the festival, with many more pictures and a lot of different dishes, you can find it on the new foodie blog, Knedliky, etc. The Prague Post also had a preview/overview article.

As for me, I really wish I could have tried more dishes. There were plenty of restaurants I was interested in, but I had no stomach room left. I needed to be more precise with my gluttony.

Perhaps I did not always eat wisely, but for the most part, I did eat well.

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Céleste Bistro (Closed)

"If you have no critics, you'll likely have no success." Malcolm X

When it comes to restaurant talk, I don't just dish it out. I'm an insatiable consumer. I read everything I can about the Prague scene.

Unfortunately, there aren't many people writing regularly in English about the city's restaurants anymore. The Prague Spoon blog has ceased. The Czech Business Weekly is no more. On the bright side, there is a fun new food and drink blog that just started called Knedliky, etc.

I'm also a fan of one of the few others left out there, Claire Compton, a restaurant writer at The Prague Post. Her reviews have creative but brief opens, straightforward, unpretentious descriptions, and lots of useful information.

In last week's review, she gave the food at Céleste Bistro a rave for quality and value, so I bumped it up to the top of my to-do list.The Old Town restaurant is in the same space as the defunct, Asian-fusion spot, Angel, which I quite liked.The interior design and furniture have remained the same, as has the ownership. It has the same owners as Céleste, the restaurant at the top of the "Dancing House."

I still like Céleste Bistro's lighting and the coordinated beige/brown themes.The golden, branch-like chandelier is a favorite feature.But the wide-open space of the small room isn't conducive great atmosphere because the tables are just too close together.

In her article, Compton said that on her weeknight visits, the restaurant was almost empty. Perhaps because of the good review or because it was Saturday night, the restaurant was half-full was there with my Good Friend. We shared close quarters with two other diners.

Our waitress brought us bread and butter.There were baguette slices on the plate along with walnut bread. Both were cold, a little dry, and neither impressed me. The butter was cold and hard to spread.

I ordered a .75 liter bottle of Mattoni sparkling mineral water (75 CZK).I'm always glad when restaurants have this Czech product on the menu, especially when it is fairly priced.

We received an interesting little snack or amuse bouche from the kitchen: a plate of sliced radish coated in salt and olive oil.It was a refreshing and unconventional palate cleanser.

For my starter, I had the terrine of goose foie gras with black cherry marmalade and homemade toast (290 CZK).Compton's description of it as tasting like "a grown-up version of peanut butter and jelly" is pretty hard to beat. I had the same impression.

The foie gras was salty, but unlike peanut butter, it was silky smooth.

The cherries were intensely sweet. These exotic components did balance each other, but I daresay it was too simple for me.

I found myself wishing for another dimension -- perhaps a sour note, or a hint of wine with the cherries. I also wanted for more toast. The two small triangles I received were not enough.

Good Friend got the grilled king prawns with garlic butter and roasted peppers (245 CZK). I'm trying to use my flash less these days, so I'm sorry about the blur. The shrimp tasted like they had just been cooked in the shells and then removed just before serving. They had just the right texture. I thought they were great.

The crustaceans sat under a very butter sauce, but it did not taste strongly of garlic.

The peppers were roasted into a very soft state. They didn't offer much beside a hint of their natural flavor.

We decided to have red wine with dinner. Céleste Bistro has a nice list, with selections from France, Austria, New Zealand, and Moravia. They offer a wide range of prices.

Good Friend chose the 2007 Dominique Laurent Bourgogne Passetoutgrain (495 CZK).It was smooth, and light with a mild fruity note. A good wine for the price.

For the main course, I ordered the Moravian organic lamb with aubergine, chickpea and tarragon sauce (385 CZK).The one double and two single chops were meaty. The lamb was super tender and melted in the mouth. The sauce paired well with it.

On the other hand, I didn't think the chickpeas cooked in the shape of French fries worked well with this dish. The pureed aubergine underneath seemed like an afterthought and offered little excitement.

I'd rate the dish as good, but I'd put it in third place for my favorite lamb in Prague behind the chops at Resto Cafe Patio and Argument.

Good Friend had the beef entrecôte with strong red wine sauce and homemade French fries (395 CZK).The red wine sauce was pungent, savory, and terrific. The fries were piping hot, golden and crunchy.However, the steak itself was not the best-tasting or the tenderest piece of meat. In fact, it was a poor quality cut.

I don't mind fat on my beef, especially on an entrecôte or rib eye. But this one also had a fair amount of gristle. Several portions of the steak were inedible. Sure, you can cut around it, but it was disappointing.

I decided to go for dessert and deviated from my usual chocolate craving to try a different and intriguing offering: the French toast with pears poached in cinnamon syrup (135 CZK).It was beautiful-looking piece of egg-dipped, fried bread. But it didn't meat my expectations. It was too bready. I'd hoped it would be more on the eggy side. I also had trouble detecting much cinnamon flavor at all.

By itself, it was too dry. Fortunately, it came with some deliciously decadent whipped cream. The slice pear looked nice, but mostly provided another sweet angle and different texture. A lot of the natural flavor had been cooked and sugared out of them.

The bill came to 2065 CZK. Not too bad when you consider a bottle of wine in there, but maybe a just a little overpriced in my book for the overall quality of the experience.

Yes, I found flaws in the food at Céleste Bistro, but want to be clear: I don't mean this as a criticism of The Prague Post's review.

If I hear that a restaurant's food is near perfect, I think it's fair to give it extra scrutiny and look for imperfections.

The other point to consider is that a restaurant can be quite different depending on the day or the week or the dishes ordered.

That said, I think Prague needs more restaurants like Céleste Bistro. And if I'm critical, it's only because I'd like to see them find success.

Céleste Bistro
V kolkovně 7
Prague 1 - Old Town
Tel: (+420) 773 222 422

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Knedliky Etc...

There's a new food and drink blog on the Prague scene called "Knedliky Etc.."I think it's great.

I am a ravenous consumer of food info, and I am also pleased that it is a sort of a photo blog similar to mine. It's very hard for a written description to surpass a picture of unposed food in its natural setting.

The author, Knedlikova, has already written up a bunch of places I've never been before. Very useful.

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