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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Lokal Blok

"One who never fell, never climbed." Unknown

Back in the day, my friends and I used to scale the beautiful, sheer cliffs near New Paltz, New York.

I have fond memories moving up the Shawangunk Conglomerate, warmed by the summer morning sun, looking out upon the forest canopy below.

So when a reader recommended Lokal Blok on the Czech Please Facebook page, it got my attention.This place in Anděl-Smíchov is unusual. Not only is it a restaurant, but it also has rock climbing walls in the basement.If you want to work on your lean back, overhang moves before you eat, this is the place to go. I don't do that anymore, but I knew I had to check it out.

The restaurant upstairs is quite large.There are three different dining sections, plus a big garden deck in back. On one early evening, the place was jam-packed with an exclusively young crowd.

Throbbing rock music blasted over the sound system. I sat with a friend in the front smoking section near the bar.It was very smoky. Another Facebook reader told me the restaurant will be all non-smoking starting June 1st.

I started off drinking sparkling water. It was my least favorite, Bonaqua (28 CZK).One reason I don't like it is the small .25 liter bottle it comes in. I prefer quenching more of my thirst with a .33 liter bottle of Mattoni.

During the meal, I had a half-liter glass of Pilsner Urquell (36 CZK). At the end, I had a Jack Daniel's with a little ice (75 CZK).

I was having a hard day.

My friend wasn't too hungry and ordered the cheddar and jalapeno quesadilla (125 CZK).This was a decent snack, but it didn't reach any great heights. The salsa, with freshly chopped tomato, was bland. I also thought that plain white rice didn't partner well with a quesadilla.

I wanted to order a standard hamburger, but the menu caused me some confusion. On the first page under "Big Sandwiches," one came with grilled hamburger meat. So I ordered that one (105 CZK).It turned out to be an actual sandwich, with sausage-shaped ground meat served on a long, chewy roll.

Fancy lettuce, tomatoes, and a sweet mustard sauce were spilling out of the bread. The bigger, regular burger, served on a proper bun, was listed a couple of pages later in the "Meat" section (135 CZK).

The seasoned meat tasted a lot like meat loaf. I was told that this is because the ground beef is mixed with buckwheat. It wasn't bad, but you really have to get yourself in a meat loaf sandwich mood to enjoy it.

It tasted nothing like a classic burger patty. I didn't like the cold, chewy roll that was too small, or that it was slathered with such an intensely sweet mustard.

However, I was still in the mood for something sweet at the end of the meal. I ordered the ice cappuccino (48 CZK).It was the kind made with ice cream, which I usually like. But this version was mostly froth and was lacking in flavor. It wasn't even very cold. It needed much more ice cream.

To go with it, I got the Apple Crumble (45 CZK). This lifted me up a bit.The finely chopped apple, served warm, was topped with cake crumbs, and powdered sugar. It was very sweet, but here, I minded less. There was a barely detectable amount of rum. It was something like an apple strudel without all the dough.

I came back alone for another visit on a beautiful spring afternoon and headed straight for the garden in back. I was very lucky and got one of the last tables.It wasn't a forest, but I was surrounded by a lot of green. Several diners were turned away after I got there.

I sat near a window looking into their clean, large, well-organized kitchen.While checking out the drinks menu, I saw something I hadn't noticed before. Lokal Blok was serving unpasteurized Gambrinus from a tank. I've seen Pilsner Urquell served this way all over town, but never its weaker, 10 degree SABMiller brewery mate.

I ordered a half-liter (28 CZK).It was very good, maybe the best version of Gambrinus you'll find. But this beer just doesn't taste as good as Pilsner, which they also have on regular draft.

For a starter, I decided to try the roasted eggplant and pepper tartare (75 CZK).It was attractively, yet awkwardly presented, with bread stacked up on the plate. But the taste counts the most.

I liked it a lot. It was more salty than tart, but the flavors of the cooked red, yellow, and green peppers, mixed with the eggplant, balanced it out well. The bread also soaked up the good pesto and balsamic vinegar that swirled on the plate.

It was advertised as mildly spicy, but it was barely so. My only criticism was that the thick, cold bread could have been better or perhaps toasted.

For my main, I was in the mood for pork. I recently had a rather disastrous pork neck/shoulder at Kulaťák, and I thought it would be good to see how they compare. So I ordered the Krkovice (155 CZK).Lokal Blok's was better in every way. This pork steak was bigger (two pieces!), looked great, the seasonings were on the mark, the porcine flavor was just right, and it was 24 crowns cheaper than Kulaťák's.

It got dryer toward the less fatty parts in the middle, but that's about it. There was a big dollop of ajvar on top to help moisten it up.

Even better, the thinly sliced new potatoes underneath were plentiful and delicious. They were cooked with whole-grain mustard, and it was slightly sweet.

I still liked the pesto and balsamic on the plate, even though it was rather repetitive after having it with the starter.

I have to say, my first visit to this restaurant left me feeling disappointed. I thought it fell flat.But my second visit was so much better in almost every way. In fact, on a warm summer day, Lokal Blok has climbed to the top of my list of places to go in Smíchov.

Especially if I can get a spot in the garden.

Lokal Blok
Náměstí 14. října 10,
Prague 5 - Smíchov
Tel. (+420) 251 511 490

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Kulaťák

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

I've been to plenty of Pilsner Urquell Original Restaurants around Prague.

Some, like U Vejvodů, have more of a unique style. But others, like Kolkovna, Celnice, Olympia, and Deminka, and the new Malostranská beseda appear to have been stamped out by the same franchise-sized cookie cutter.

So when friends told me another Pilsner pub called Kulaťák had opened at Vítězné náměstí, I wondered if it was worth the trip.One said he liked it, and the other told me it was always crowded and almost impossible to walk in without a reservation. So I had to go see for myself if it was anything special.

My first visit was a solo effort. The layout may have been different, but the interior had that very familiar PUOR look.There was lots of copper, including a copper hood over the bar, dark wood, uncomfortable chairs, and a green theme.

It took a long time before a waiter came over, acknowledged my existence, and delivered a menu. There was another long wait before he came back to take my order.

I was driving, so I couldn't sample the Pilsner on this visit. Instead, I ordered sparkling water. I was unhappy they serve Bonaqua, which is filtered tap water in tiny .25 liter bottles for a large price (39 CZK).I much prefer Mattoni in .33 liter bottles.

For my meal that evening, I ordered the 150 gram, chef-seasoned beef tartare (229 CZK).They also have a 300 gram version (450 CZK). They also serve it unseasoned with the condiments on the side, and you can do it yourself.

It took 25 minutes from the time I arrived until I received my meal. Those minutes go by slowly when you are by yourself and hungry. The meat came with four "topinky" -- Czech bread fried in oil with raw garlic cloves served on the side for rubbing on it.It came out hot and crunchy.

The flavor of the raw beef was pretty good. It was correctly salted, and the taste of mustard dominated. I also detected some ketchup, finely chopped onion, and perhaps a hint of Tabasco. A quail egg sat on top.

If I was going by flavor alone, I'd like it. But what really turned me off was the texture. Perhaps some like it this way, but the meat was puréed into a near liquid state that I really don't appreciate. I prefer some semblance of meatiness to my raw meat.

The check for this simple meal was 268 CZK.

I came back a week later with Jersey Girl. This time, we got a table in the no smoking area.She ordered a .5 liter glass of Kozel's dark beer (39 CZK).She said it was not cold enough for her taste, but otherwise OK. The Pilsner Urquell (39 CZK), which is unpasteurized and served from tanks, was as good as you'd expect.

We shared a starter of homemade pâté (149 CZK). This meat was also whipped into a fine cream. But in this case, the flavor and texture worked better.It comes with slices of toasted baguette. Perhaps because the pâté didn't taste strongly of liver, Jersey Girl enjoyed it as much as me. That's quite something because she is generally a fish-eating vegetarian, but she's not strict about it and has few qualms about tasting meat now and again.

I saw on the menu that they had homemade lemonade served in a .7 liter carafe, so I ordered that (60 CZK).It was not as good as I'd hoped. The flavor was rather watery. It only had a light amount of sugar, which was good, but the flavor of the lemon was rather weak as well.

Also, it had an odd, brownish color, which led me to think it had been sitting around for a long time.

For her main course, Jersey Girl ordered the Norwegian salmon steak marinated in lemon juice with potato, sautéed vegetables and herb butter (199 CZK).She described it as very well-prepared. The fish was fresh, juicy, and light. I'm not a big cooked salmon fan, but thought it was quite tasty. The vegetables were very plain peas, carrots, and potatoes.

For my main course, I was torn between the koleno -- pork knee/knuckle, the Moravský vrabec -- pork pieces with sauerkraut and dumplings, or grilovaná krkovice -- grilled pork shoulder/neck.

The first two options were tempting, but I just wasn't in the mood for that much food. So I got the 200 gram krkovice (179 CZK).There are also 300 gram and 400 gram versions. Mine came covered with whole peppercorns, and potatoes au gratin.

I don't know if this dish was representative of the rest of their Czech dishes, but it was just plain bad. The thin cut of pork was way overcooked. It was tough, dried out, and had an odd, overseasoned flavor. What that seasoning was, I could not say.

I've had some great krkovice recently -- the one at Neklid comes to mind. Kulaťák's didn't even come close in quality or preparation.

The potatoes were bland and unremarkable. And the sauces on the side also bored me.There was a tartar sauce, an oddly seasoned ketchup, and a creamy mustard sauce which was the best of the three, but that's not saying much.

To go with my meal, I got the fried onion rings (99 CZK).These were very much in the Burger King style, which is not necessarily a bad thing, in my opinion. Perhaps they were not prepared in-house, and they didn't taste too oniony, but they were a step above BK's quality-wise. They came with a very mild blue cheese sauce that tasted more like mayo.

After two visits, I wasn't very happy with Kulaťák. The service was generally poor, some food was OK, some was bad, but nothing I tried was above average.If you've had better dishes or think this place does something better than the other Pilsner Urquell Original Restaurants, feel free to let me know.

For me, even though Kulaťák is pretty new and appears to be a welcome addition near Dejvicka, it was really just more of the same.

Kulaťák
Vítězném náměstí 12
Prague 6 - Dejvice
Tel: (+420) 773 973 037

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