Aromi Revisited

"Decadence is a difficult word to use since it has become little more than a term of abuse applied by critics to anything they do not yet understand or which seems to differ from their moral concepts." Ernest Hemingway

Yeah, right.

I understand decadence all too well. You might say it is the moral concept of this blog.

Case in point: On a recent weekend, V and I dropped by Stonehouse Massage Studio in Vinohrady for a joint rubdown.

Feeling relaxed, and, okay, a little decadent, we glided a few meters down the street and stepped through the doors of Aromi, one of Prague's best Italian restaurants.We hadn't been there since last summer, but as I wrote in my post back then, we enjoyed it.

As we walked in, they were preparing long tables for a party.I've occasionally walked by and seen large groups here, and once saw the whole place taken over for a company event.

The interior has a warm, rustic feeling with dark wood floors, wooden cases filled with wine, tasteful funiture, and brickwork accents.A large table stood in the middle of the dining room. It was covered with various liqueurs, chilled champagne, and opened bottles of wine. Very tempting.The waiter dropped by and dropped of some wonderful bread. It had a crunchy crust and a medium-dense interior that tasted almost like sour dough.It went well with the strong olive oil and spiced nuts on the table. The late hour for lunch and our massages had sparked a serious hunger, so we consumed a good portion of these.There was an amuse bouche. A little bite of a cracker.The waiter asked us about drinks. We only wanted water -- sparkling for me, still for V. I was a bit annoyed when he came back with two large, open bottles of San Pellegrino and another pricey brand.

"We didn't want that much water. Don't you have small bottles of Mattoni?" I asked.

"Yes."

"We'll have that."

I got a lot of vitriol in comments about our last visit because I ordered beer with dinner and V ordered wine by the glass. Aromi has a nice wine list, but we were not in the mood for alcohol after our massages.

So, please, no grief about the sad, missed oenophilic opportunities.

For a starter, I had vitello tonnato con insalata di patate or veal tonné with potato salad (285 CZK).Confession: I did not know what this was before I ordered it. Contrary to the expectations of some readers, I do not possess comprehensive culinary awareness. I know what I like, and I like what I know.

I just figured I like veal, and I like potato salad. Why not?

The meat was moist and tender, if a little bland. The potato salad came with rucola and great cherry tomatoes. It was nicely dressed with a good balance of oil and vinegar.

What I didn't fully understand was that tonné meant tuna. I felt a little ignorant, so I read more about this dish later in someone else's blog post.

The tuna is mixed with mayo, anchovies, and capers. The combination had a strong, fishy flavor and, I'll admit, I didn't love it.

But hey -- my bad. Ignorance is not always bliss.

For a main course, I tried something that sounded very intriguing -- ravioli di parmigiano fondente e tartara di manzo (265 CZK).The pasta was filled with liquified parmagian cheese, and the center of the dish was filled with raw beef.

The waiter recommended eating each ravioli whole, along with some morsels of meat. I did and understood why. Each spoonful turned into a tart cheese explosion in my mouth.

I tried cutting one open, but this didn't work. The buttery, liquified parmagian ran out of the ravioli onto the plate.

The tartare was not typical. The beef, about room temperature, was coarsely chopped and dominated cracked pepper.

It was relatively bland compared with the strong cheese and added more texture than flavor when combined. I thought it could have used a dash of vinegar, a shot of lemon, or perhaps some salt. Something.

V ordered the coda di rospo ai due cavolfiori (475 CZK). That's seared monkfish with two kinds of cauliflower.She liked it very much, but felt the buttery coating on top was not necessary. I thought the fish was a good, but a little on the bland side.

We both liked the cauliflower puree underneath, and we both thought the fried iteration was a little too much like typical Czech fare.

We weren't in the mood for dessert, but we were treated to two complimentary glasses of chilled limoncello.

A sweet way to finish.

I know Aromi has become a big favorite among Prague foodies.

Phil Carmmichael, the chef at Maze by Gordon Ramsay, said recently that the restaurant impressed him.

So, if I didn't order the right dishes or drink the right beverage or demonstrate the right level of Italian cuisine expertise, please hold back with the terms of abuse.

I didn't love everything about our lunch, but I did enjoy it. And I saw many nice and interesting-looking dishes going by our table that I'd like to try.

So, we'll be going to Aromi again. That's all you critics need to understand.

Aromi - Enoteca con cucina
Mánesova 78
Prague 2 - Vinohrady
Tel. (+420) 222 713 222


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La Bodeguita del Medio

“Cuba ought to be free and independent, and the government should be turned over to the Cuban people.” U.S. President William McKinley

Ah, Cuba. The more things change, the more they stay the same. And that's my feeling about the restaurant, La Bodeguita del Medio.We used to go to this Cuban spot in Old Town fairly often when it opened some years back.

Mojitos were all the rage, as they still are. But there was also good food that, while not cheap, seemed fairly priced. For some reason, we hadn't been back to this restaurant in more than a year.

The small bar area was always packed back then, as it was on our recent visit. It can be hard to move around, much less find a seat.There was live music on a raised section next to the bar.

It got quite loud, but I didn't mind too much. They played well, especially the guitar player, and covered some of my favorite Cuban tunes.
There is a dining area upstairs, but I don't like eating up there as much. It feels too cramped to me.Reservations are a good idea, especially on weekends.

We ate early and there were plenty of tables downstairs around 7 p.m. They filled up as the evening progressed.At the back end of the room was another bar. It was something of a mojito assembly line. The turned them out fast.In front of the downstairs bar area, there was also live Cuban music, but it doesn't usually start until after 8 p.m.

On one wall, there were photos of Czech celebrities who have eaten at the restaurant. V pointed out one of the actors as the voice of the Czech version of Bart Simpson.They used to let people write their names on the walls with marker pens, but that tradition was gone downstairs. The graffiti was painted over.

We started with some favorite appetizers we always used to get. I had the goat cheese and spinach salad (180 CZK).It was just as I remembered it. The goat cheese was cooked in a phyllo-type shell. The spinach was coated with a relatively sweet balsamic dressing. There were also a lot of fried red onions and bacon, along with some pine nuts.

The one disappointment also remained the same -- the sad white toast bread straight from the supermarket.

V ordered the tiger prawns "Cayo Largo" (258 CZK). There were six shrimp on a mixture of peppers, garlic, and olive oil.She didn't enjoy it as much as a similar dish she used to order. The shrimp were good, but nothing special. She felt there were too many peppers, and not enough of anything else.

The old version used to come out sizzling in an earthenware pot, but the new version was less exciting and blander. Again came the white toast.

For a main course, I had the fillet mignon de solomillio a la parillia (430 CZK) and the Mojo potatoes (45 CZK). We both agreed this was the winning choice for the night.The meat had great flavor from the grill. The sauce was really delicious. It was described as a chili sauce, and it was fairly sweet. I thought it had an onion base to it. The new potatoes were a good match.

Some minor points. I'd asked for medium rare, and it came out more rare, but it is difficult to get a thick cut like this right. The meat was not incredibly tender, but not tough either.

V got the grilled octopus and calamari with black risotto and wild rucola salad (485 CZK). This was OK, but relatively disappointing.In the four compartment dish, two were filled with the octopus, calamari, cherry tomatoes and olives. It was only slightly warm and the seafood was a little dried out. The risotto has a very nice flavor, but again, should have been hotter.

I don't know what was "wild" about the rucola, except for the fact that it was naked. No dressing. It was edible after V squeezed of lemon on top, but that's all we had.

Some other notes: On the menu, there was a beautiful picture of baby lamb chops next to the lamb offering there. V almost ordered the lamb. I stopped her, pointing out that it said it was leg of lamb. We asked the waiter why there was a picture of lamb chops if they were not actually on the menu.

"Yes, that confuses some people," he said.

I'd also express my displeasure at one thing that did not stay the same. They used to have a black pasta with six big tiger shrimp that was not too expensive was one of my favorite meals in Prague. That wasn't on the menu.

In the end, I decided to have desert and ordered the chocolate cake with vanilla mascarpone and strawberries (165 CZK). The cake was similar to a fudge brownie. The mascarpone had more of a tangy flavor than you'd find in tiramisu. But it worked.

I thought they missed an opportunity to make the dessert really great by heating the cake. This one was served cold.

And finally, I'll talk about the real main course at La Bodeguita del Medio -- the mojito (169 CZK).We always get the "European" mojito, which is made with crushed ice. So much ice that it takes up most of the space in the glass.

Even though there was so much crushed ice, they were quite strong and fairly sweet.

They put a lot of brown sugar in the bottom of the glass, along with the mint, limes, and soda water. The Cuban version comes in a smaller glass with cubes instead of crushed ice.

By my second mojito, I was feeling it. By the third, which I had upstairs at the bar, I was salsa dancing. Or conga dancing. No one could be sure.

Another reason to call this a main course -- the price. With dinner, we had five between the two of us.

That adds up to 845 CZK.

The total bill for our dinner was 2408 CZK. Which is more than we usually like to spend, but the purse strings had come undone since it was my birthday.

Looking back, I'd say I'm a lot like La Bodeguita del Medio. I've changed a bit since last year. Some for better. Some for worse. But, basically, I'm still the same.

La Bodeguita del Medio
Kaprova 5
Prague 1 - Old Town
Tel. (+420) 224 813 922


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Prague Castle - Independence Day Celebration

"[It is] a pleasure to stand in the window of a castle, and to see a battle and the adventures thereof below: but no pleasure is comparable to standing upon the vantage ground of truth.” Francis Bacon Sr.

Every October 28th, a few thousand of the Czech Republic's leading citizens are invited to the Independence Day ceremony at Prague Castle.

On that date in 1918, Czechoslovakia became a country, emerging from the shadows of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

After a televised speech by the country's president and the awarding of medals to Czechs who have done great deeds, the great halls of the castles are opened to the guests who partake in food, drink, and schmoozing.

And guests of the invited elite. Like me.

There was a certain magic to the evening. I've lived in Prague a long time, but I am always impressed as I approach Prague Castle, especially at night.As we walked through the courtyard, St. Vitus Cathedral glowed above.

The castle windows blazed with light and the well-dressed guests could be seen walking by or standing with a drink, engrossed in conversation.A red carpet covered the long, imposing staircase in the entrance hall. This part of the castle is not generally open to the public, so I'll take you along on a tour.At the top of the stairs, was another large hall, with a statue of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Czechoslovakia's founder and first president.I arrived in time to hear an all-girl saxophone band serenade the former prime minister, Jiří Paroubek, with the tune, "Jesus Christ, Superstar."The same group appears in the same spot every year.

In the next hallway, there was a cake in the shape of the Czech Republic and other nationally themed desserts. This is a blog about food and drink, after all.Then, I entered one of the grandest rooms in the castle, the Spanish Hall.It was overflowing with VIPs -- government ministers, ambassadors, and leading business figures.The Spanish Hall is the room the parliament uses to select the president.

It was also famously given a modern lighting system by Vaclav Havel's friends, The Rolling Stones, in 1995.The tables were spread with platters of food, mostly Czech specialties.I was not familiar with some of the offerings, like nut-crusted, very dry meatballs on a spoon with mushrooms. There was a pastry cup filled with a pate I did not like. I had a salty mini-shrimp salad. The best thing I had was a tiny sandwich with prosciutto.There were also platters with mini-fruit cakes and mini-tiramisus, but I wasn't much in the mood for those.There were also more traditional Czech desserts, little cakes called koláčky.In another room, there were chefs serving hot dishes from heating trays.I tried the carved roast beef. It was OK, but fairly tough. Domestic beef, I'd say.There was a little stand serving ice cream.The beer for the event was Krušovice. I had a few of those.They were perfectly drawn from the taps.

There was also wine available. Moravian, of course.If you felt like something sparkling (and I did when I arrived), there was Bohemia Sekt.After getting a good picture of the food landscape, I wandered freely down the halls of the castle.There were many pieces of art glass created by Vaclav Havel's friend, Bořek Šípek.At the end of a long, modern design corridor, there was a beautiful golden-framed doorway.This was also part of the renovations carried out under Havel.

On the other side of the door is a small space where foreign dignitaries are sometimes greeted by the president. I didn't see the evening's host, President Vaclav Klaus. But I've run into him in past years.After this, I passed through of the most beautiful castle apartments.There were light refreshments available there, as well.They are beautifully restored. It felt like walking through the apartments of Versailles.One of the windows was open to let in fresh, cool air. There was a wonderful view of St. Nicholas Church and Malá Strana below.The rooms were sparsely furnished. The chairs, tapestries, clocks all appeared to have some history behind them.The floors had gorgeous wood inlay. There were golden-framed mirrors everywhere.

On the way out, I sampled a piece of the Czech Republic cake.It was Black Forest, one of my favorites.And a pretty good version.

The cherry on top of the evening was rubbing elbows with Vaclav Havel, who helped bring about another form of independence back to Czechoslovakia -- the end of Communist Party rule.After that, it was time to head off down the stairs and into the misty air of autumn.

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