Before we left on our journey, I thought I would not blog much about our dining adventures. My impression has been that there is less interest in non-Czech related posts. I decided I would only do a post if there was something exceptional to write about.
We did find such a place in the town of Jackson, Wyoming. In the land of steaks and barbecue, we discovered a great seafood spot, Old Town Grill & Fish Market at 155 West Broadway. We had:
- Baked clams. The clams under the lemon-buttered bread crumbs were plump and fresh.
- Seared scallops on a bed of corn, bacon, and leek.
- A special -- Grilled Caesar salad with blackened shrimp and scallops, that knocked our socks off. They actually grilled the romaine lettuce slightly. It was then topped with what the chef told me was a South American grain (it looked a little like barley), which was mixed with chopped mint, cilantro, pinenuts, and dressing. Wow.
In Durham, North Carolina, I went to The Cheesecake Factory with my mother and had a very nice crabcake sandwich, though the bun was fluffy white nothingness. Mom had the Asian chicken salad. We had a starter of egg rolls filled with avocado and sun-dried tomatoes. It is a kitschy chain, (the dining room looked like an ancient Egyptian palace), but I've always like the food.
We ate many other great meals on this trip, but those listed above are the only ones I have pictures of.
In order to make this post a little more interesting, I decided to put together a little photo-video montage of our travels and meals across America.
Tu Vuo Fa L'Americano:
The sign out front actually says Chorvatsky Mlýn (The Croatian Mill), though the website only says Restaurace Mlýn. The dining room has a somewhat rustic interior. It was fairly empty when we were there about a month ago. I was told that Mlýn is something of a favorite with embassy types and business people. We did see a couple of Japanese tourists there. I've been told it is nice to eat outside there in the summer.
I have to admit that since we ate at the restaurant quite a while ago, I don't have very detailed memories of the food. What I do have is pictures of almost everything.
I had the beef carpaccio for 150 CZK -- A fairly basic version with good quality sliced beef, ruccola, shaved Parmesan, lemon wedges, and fresh cracked pepper.
V ordered something she'd never tried before: Monkfish carpaccio (Carpacio z Mořského ďasu) for 160 CZK. It comes with lemon wedges, garlic, and olive oil.
Let's run through the main courses. Jersey Girl had the grilled sea bass (Mořský vlk) for 507 CZK. She liked it.
The seafood is priced by weight. They use a somewhat complicated formula that, I think, requires a calculator. They start with a base price for either 100 or 200 grams. Then, for each 10 grams over the base, they add a specified amount of money.
I had the risotto frutti di mare for 350 CZK. It was studded with tiger shrimp, grilled calamari, and mussels. I liked it, but my favorite version is still the one at 
V had the grilled octopus (Chobotnice "Pod pekou") with potatoes and vegetables for 420 CZK. This is one of her favorites and she really enjoyed it.
We shared two bottles of 
We had quite a few other things, including half liters of Pilsner Urquell for 45 CZK, a mixed salad for 60 CZK, "American" potatoes (Americké brambory) for 40 CZK, espresso for 35 CZK, and cafe latte for 55 CZK.
