Aromi La Bottega

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out

-Frank Sinatra

My dad, a big Sinatra fan, used to take me food shopping on Saturdays when I was growing up. At some point, we'd usually end up at an Italian specialty shop called Razzano's.

It was a wondrous place, with dried sausages hanging everywhere, refrigerator cases full of other meats, salamis, and cheeses. My favorite was the case of prepared foods like eggplant Parmesan, cannelloni, lasagna, meatballs and the like.

Like cannoli.

It all sounds basic, but many people felt the level of quality surpassed similar dishes in many Italian restaurants. Really good stuff.

Sadly, Razzano's is no longer with us.

Happily, New York still has more than a few places like this.

Sadly, Prague doesn't.

In this town, the closest thing to the special Razzano's atmosphere is at the new Aromi La Bottega. I only say atmosphere because, while they have some very nice (and expensive) foods to choose from, it is also a relatively small place and the selection is fairly limited by my standards.

Meaning not enough prepared foods. There are fresh pastas and sauces for sale. There is homemade pesto. There are a number of cured meats. There are many cheeses. They sell wine, olive oil, and lots of other bottled and jarred goods.

What does it look like in there? Well, I don't have pictures from inside the shop. Guerrilla photography is pretty dicey in a retail setting.

However, I can offer something even better than my own pictures. My friend, Pan Cuketka, has fabulous photos of the place and its food on his blog, Cuketka.cz. The only issue, for some, may be that the text is in Czech.

Seeing that blog post inspired me to try some of the same things. I decided my purchases would be the elements of a fast meal I would make at home, including a fancy sandwich.

I did see a sign that Aromi La Bottega will make sandwiches to order, but I did not see a menu. When I was there, the shop assistant was setting up some heating trays, but I didn't find out what they were for.

I started off buying some burrata. This is a mozzarella pouch that contains a mixture of mozzarella and cream inside. The pouch is then tied at the top with a ribbon. This one cost 85 CZK.

It was a little bit messy, but I cut it into slices and put them on a toasted ciabatta. I used a ciabatta I already had in my freezer at home.On top of that, I put some of this sliced bresaola. This package of the air-dried, salted beef cost about 100 CZK. I used about half for my sandwich.On the top half of the ciabatta, I spread some chopped sun-dried tomato I picked up at Delvita.

Then, I put it all together. Nice.

I really liked the burrata, but its not cheap. It made for an expensive, gourmet, homemade sandwich. I calculated the costs of the ingredients I put into it, and it came out to 150 CZK.

As an appetizer, I also tried the pecorino with black pepper. It was a delicious little snack. In fact, I was so hungry while I was toasting my ciabatta, that I ate the whole thing. This little slice cost 58 CZK.

Of course, shopping while you're hungry leads to impulse buys. In this case, I got the house-made tiramisu for 80 CZK.This was very good. Also quite small. Too small for the price, I'd say. I'd only get it again if it was half as much.If you consider the cost of the sandwich, the cheese, and the dessert, then it comes out to a total of 288 CZK. That's a lot.

Still, it was a tasty little meal.

But, much more than this, I did it my way.

Aromi La Bottega
Mánesova 83
Prague 2
Tel. (+420) 222 725 514
Mo - Fr 12:00 to 20:00
Saturday 15:00 to 20:00

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Taormina, Italy

We went to Sicily for an end-of-summer holiday. We stayed on the beach at Giardini Naxos but, one day, we went up to the rarefied heights of Taormina.One claim to fame for this town is that D.H. Lawrence wrote "Lady Chatterly's Lover" there in the 1920s. He was reportedly inspired by an Englishwoman who liked to frolic naked with a Sicilian farmer.

We had a good time, despite being fully clothed. The locals appear to want to encourage this trend. The streets are now lined with high-end clothes shops.They are also filled with crowds of people. Our short visit was rather, shall we say, pedestrian.

We walked around and took in some of the sights as evening approached. It reminded me slightly of Capri.Based on a recommendation from our Lonely Planet guide book, we thought we might eat at Il Duomo. But tables were only available inside, not on the terrace, so we passed on it.There are a lot of nice looking places, and I'm sure the execution and quality differ, but almost all the menus look the same -- the same spaghettis, risottos, pizzas, seafood, scallopinis.

We decided to eat at La Taverna dell'Antiquario because its menu looked a little different. It had a nice terrace.The restaurant looked stylish and modern inside.We started off by splitting an order of risotto marinara. This is actually a picture of a half serving.It is made with mussels, clams, prawns, calamari, freshly chopped parsley, and cherry tomatoes. We had this dish many times during our stay in Sicily, and this was one of the best versions.

However, every time we got this risotto at this and other places, we always asked for lemon to squeeze on top to punch up the flavor.

V got the grilled prawns. She thought they were excellent.I ordered beef cooked in balsamic vinegar. It actually looked like veal to me. It was nice, but there was only the slightest hint of the balsamic and I wished for more.The potatoes on the side were good, and V particularly liked the treatment of the eggplant. I'm not sure how they cooked it, but it was almost custard-like.

We shared a bottle of wine and enjoyed the view of the stony peaks above the town. I think, in the end, the total bill was around 60 euros.

Taormina is an expensive little playground town, but it is possible to have a very nice dinner without it costing you the shirt off your back.

La Taverna dell'Antquario
Piazza San Domenico 2B
Taormina, Italy
Tel. (+39) 0942 24490

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Hanil

Let's face facts. Prague is not a big sushi town.

Sure, there are plenty of sushi places. But, for one reason or another, top quality fish and top talent chefs are lacking. And, no, being far from the sea is not an excuse.

Still, internationalized palates demand a sushi fix. So, we search for the best available options.

I can't say I've got an encyclopedic knowledge of Prague sushi restaurants. I've only been to about seven: Miyabi, Yami, Millhouse Kaitan, Hanil, The Sushi Bar, Myslbek's Sushi Point, and Mashhana. There was one on Nerudova, but I didn't love it and forgot the name.

There have been things I liked about many of them. For example, Miyabi's sushi is OK, but their barbecued eel is what I go back for. Or Sushi Point's all-you-can-eat brunch.

But, when I consider value for money, service, atmosphere, location, and other dishes beside sushi, my regular favorite is Hanil.

The restaurant does both Japanese and Korean dishes. It has a modern, clean-design dining room with blond woods and a sushi bar right by the door. I've seen quite a few Japanese diners eating here.

A meal at Hanil always starts off with a complimentary green salad. I love it. Sure, it looks pretty basic: Iceberg lettuce, cucumber, carrot, radish, and bean sprouts.

But what is really special about it for me is the soy-vinegar dressing. There is something about the sweet and sour balance. I can't get enough of it. I have to confess, I took a sip from the bowl after I finished the salad.

Yeah, I know. Say what you will, but it's just that good.

I asked our waiter how it is made. He made a big deal out of the fact that it is a secret. Then, he told us the secret. It's pretty simple, really, with one ingredient I wouldn't have guessed. If you want to know, you'll have to ask yourself.

We both agreed our waiter, a Czech man with a goatee, is one of the best we've ever had in Prague. His name is Tomáš.

The guy is always there when you need him, but almost always unobtrusive. If your paper napkin gets a little soy sauce on it, he'll slide a new one next to your arm as he walks by. If you decide to share a dish with your date, he's there with an extra clean plate. He's always friendly, but not unnaturally so. He speaks excellent English.

On a recent visit, we didn't go too wild with the sushi. V got a mix nigiri set for 240 CZK. These pieces are not so pretty to look at. They can do better. But it they tasted fine. I will say that the tuna is not always the freshest, though.When tuna is excessively bright and pink, it means it has been treated with carbon monoxide, which is harmless to eat, but preserves the color. And it can hide the fact that the fish (and other meat) is past its prime.

I hate that producers do this, and it has become a common practice. Natural-colored tuna has become the exception. At the fish shop, I'll only buy tuna that has a normal, ruby red color.

I'm a big raw salmon fan, so I got the sake 7+3 set for 365 CZK. It is seven pieces of salmon nigiri and three salmon maki rolls.This looks a little better, and it one of the better bargains for sushi. The salmon was fresh and buttery.

For main course, we went to the Korean section of the menu. V got the champong for 310 CZK. It is a spicy, seafood and noodle soup.There are plenty of mussels and some shrimp in there. V thought it was OK, but I quite liked it and helped her finish it.

I got my usual dish, the ojingo bokum, spicy stir-fried squid for 365 CZK. Every time I order this, Tomáš warns me that it is very spicy. And I always assure him that I know what I am getting into. It is hot, but it won't make you cry.It's served on an iron plate, but it does not come out sizzling, as with fajitas. The squid is cut into long, thin strips, rather than rings. The sauce is on the sweet side, but not cloying. I must say, I do tend to like sweet sauces. However, it did benefit from a shot of soy sauce for balance. I wouldn't mind more of a sour kick.Fried onions are a dominant feature of the dish. They are mixed with green pepper, and zucchini. The rice comes on the side. I have found it is a little awkward to put the rice on the iron plate or put the squid on the rice in the bowl. Maybe I'll ask for an extra plate next time.

V drank white wine, Veltlínské zelené, which was 60 CZK for a .2 liter glass. I drank only Mattoni sparkling mineral water at 30 CZK for a .33 liter bottle.

At the end of every meal, complimentary slice apples with little plastic forks are delivered to the table. I always find it an enjoyable ending to a meal at Hanil.

I've certainly followed a number of Internet debates about what is the best sushi spot in Prague. Some people say it is Nagoya. Some say it is Samurai. The Prague Post just gave a good review to Gozen. I'd like to try Planet Sushi.

What I can say for sure is that, after all the discussion, there is no consensus. And I still don't think any place meets the standard of a sushi restaurant in a major Western capital.

A convenient location is certainly a big part of the equation, but when I have to pick one place to go to, Hanil works best for me.

I know there is a wide variety of opinion here, so feel free to say what's best for you.

Restaurace Hanil
Slavíkova 24
Prague 3
Tel. (+420) 222 715 867

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