La Fabrika - Prague Burlesque

"The difference between burlesque and the newspapers is that the former never pretended to be performing a public service by exposure."
-I.F. Stone

G-Man called me up. He asked if I wanted to go with his wife and another couple see a new burlesque show. I said yes.

I'd read about this the Prague Burlesque performance in The Prague Post.

The article, "Bring on the Dancing Girls," talked about performer and producer David Jahn's efforts to bring burlesque back to Prague for the first time since 1910.

Jahn's goals? Fun and profit. This was one of the first shows, but the article said they want to make it a monthly event.

The show took place at La Fabrika. It's an art gallery and performance venue in the Holešovice neighborhood of Prague 7. It has a modern style that reminded me of places I'd been to in Los Angeles and Atlanta.

La Fabrika is not so close to Prague's tourist center, but you can get there by trams 1, 3, 5, 12, 15, and 25. The stops are Dělnická or Maniny.

There are other theatrical performances there, but I think they are mostly in Czech.
After walking through the big steel doors, we checked our coats. It was 200 CZK for advance tickets and 250 CZK at the door.

Inside, there's a big, warehouse-style interior with a bar on one side, against a brick wall.On this night, the bar was filled with Prague's Czexpat crowd. There was a fairly big turnout for the show.

The poster for the event called for a 1920s and 1930s dress code. A few did show up in an approximation, with hats tilted to one side or fishnet stockings. One woman wore some balloons.The mostly young crowd lined the walls, along with a variety of art exhibits.I don't know about food, but there was drink. They served Pilsner Urquell and Gambrinus. A beer cost around 35 CZK, though I can't remember for which brand.I needed something with caffeine, so I ordered a Cuba Libre. It was not cheap at 89 CZK, but I seriously needed an energy boost, and I can't stand Red Bull.

G-Man kept buying more rum and Cokes for me because he owed me money, and I kept forgetting to tell him to stop.

It was obvious the bar was running out of ice. The second drink had very little. The third one had none and came in a much smaller glass.In a big open space next to the bar area is a performance area. There were only a few tables in there. We got in early and were lucky to get one. For the rest, it was standing room only.The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines burlesque as "theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous often earthy character consisting of short turns, comic skits, and sometimes striptease acts."

I'm not a big expert on the subject, but I also read a little about the British burlesque scene in a Guardian article I came across, "Anything Goes."

This Prague show had a little bit of humor, provided by the campy host and one male dancer.

Some very attractive women portraying various characters danced and teased to an eclectic soundtrack that spanned a variety of styles and decades. They did take off some clothes, but there was no full nudity. Pasties was as crazy as it got.

Performers go by the names Demonica Coca, Monique La Fleur, Lina Von Sturm, Rebeca Del Rio, Crystal Desirée, Hrabě Koroptieff, Bruno Ferrari.

In the interest of public service, I do have some highlights from the event.And in the interest of a modicum of propriety, there's plenty I left out.

There's some skin exposure, but nothing you wouldn't see on the beach.

Still, given the nature of the dancing and style of dress, you might not want to watch this at work.

Or, depending on your nature, not at all.

But if you want to see more, go to the next show, whenever that will be.


La Fabrika
Komunardů 30
Praha 7


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Chez Marcel

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times."
-Charles Dickens

This is a tale of two dinners. One was the best of dinners.

One was... I won't say the worst. But it was not good.

Both took place at Chez Marcel in Old Town.I had been several times before, but not for a few years. I remembered it as a decent French bistro, but nothing too special.

The very French looking interior was perhaps the most memorable aspect. They call it Prague's most authentic Parisian-style brasserie. The first, more recent dinner was a happy gathering of friends and a visitor from London. The Divine Miss C, The English Patient, and the VIP were all in a good mood. Carafes of house wine (235 CZK for a half-liter) helped in this respect.

TEP ordered the duck breast with mashed potatoes, drizzled with balsamic syrup (250 CZK). I thought it was the best duck I'd tasted in several years. I also thought the price was delicious.It was served rare. It was tender. The layer of fat and skin along the top had absorbed a wonderful smokiness. The balsamic added its tart sweetness.

TEP wasn't too hungry, so I ended up eating half of his dish. The mashed potatoes were just OK.

DMC and VIP both got what the menu called tuna sashimi (290 CZK). It was actually very lightly seared, with a black and white sesame crust. The fresh fish was served in six big chunks.I thought it was a generous amount of tuna for the price. As a main course, you might want to consider ordering an extra side dish.

There was a strong soy sauce in the middle of the plate for dipping. The plate also came with pieces of fresh pineapple.

I had steak tartare with frites (320 CZK). It was a good version. The chopped raw beef had a smooth texture, studded with chopped onions.It was well-seasoned by the kitchen, with just the right tang and a good balance of salt.No extra input required.

The frites were such a hit with my fellow diners that we got an extra order.

They were very hot, right out of the fryer, with a bit of salt. They all disappeared fast.

VIP and I decided we wanted dessert. He ordered the tiramisu (90 CZK).It was a cake-like version, the layers well-soaked in espresso. He's a veteran consumer of tiramisu, and he declared it very good. I agreed.

I ordered the fondant au chocolat (150 CZK). I find these hard to resist when I see them on a menu.This one disappointed me. One reason was that the outer shell of the cake itself had a rubbery texture. I'd never experienced one like that before.

The second reason was that the liquid chocolate interior didn't have a strong enough chocolate flavor. It was bland.

At the end of the meal, TEP and VIP were in such a good mood, they each declared that they would pay for the whole dinner tab. Neither would yield in their insistence.

VIP cleverly whispered to a waiter, and the bill for 2510 CZK was delivered to him.

Suddenly, a drama errupted. TEP demanded the bill. VIP refused. A foot chase around the restaurant ensued. I kid you not.

TEP threatened VIP with bodily harm. VIP laughed and dared him to try.

To make a long story short, when VIP was momentarily distracted, DMC stole the bill and handed it over to TEP.

VIP gave up the fight. And that was the end.

But I enjoyed the dinner so much, I decided I wanted to go back with V a few weeks later.

On this night, I avoided wine and drank Velkopopovický Kozel dark beer. I had one while I waited for V to meet me at the restaurant. When she arrived, she thought it was a good idea and ordered one, too.

We decided to share some appetizers and got the Assiette "Marcel" (210 CZK). This plate includes baked goat cheese, Parma ham, and red, yellow, and green marinated peppers.By themselves, the goat cheese with pesto and the ham were very salty. But when put on the fork with a piece of soft, sweet pepper, the flavors balanced out.

For a main course, V ordered one of the specials, the mussels. They came in a thick cream sauce. The mussels themselves were top quality, with firm but tender flesh. The sauce, however, was incredibly salty. The mussels were fine after the sauce had run off of them. But we tried dipping bread into the sauce, and it really was inedible.

I got the duck again, but it was not the same as my first visit. This time, it was cooked to at least medium, which gave it a drier texture and a less pleasant taste.The fowl still had the nice smokey flavor in the fat and skin, but was so much better rare.

For dessert, I ordered the profiteroles (130 CZK). V walked away for a while to make a call. She missed the arrival of the three pastry shells filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce.It was not good. There was something seriously wrong with the chocolate sauce. It was very sour.

I didn't see the waiter or V for a while. I got bored, so I ended up pulling the tops of the profiteroles and eating the bottoms.

V finally came back. She tried the chocolate sauce and agreed there was a problem. The waiter came by, and we told him about it. He went to the kitchen and came back.

Something, indeed, was wrong. He said they usually use port wine in the sauce, but they had run out and tried using sherry instead. And they had used way too much.

He had tasted it in the kitchen and agreed it was bad. He offered us a different dessert, but we were full and didn't want more food.

When the bill came, it still had the profiteroles on it. It would have been nice if he had taken it off. But I had eaten about two-thirds of the dessert, so I didn't feel on solid ground to argue about it.

Looking back at these two meals, I'm amazed at how different they were. One was the most enjoyable I'd had in a while. Good atmosphere, good service, good prices, and almost all good food.

The other was a great disappointment.

Perhaps there was a revolution in the kitchen between visits. Whatever happened, I think some heads should roll.

Chez Marcel
Haštalská 12
Prague 1
Tel. (+420) 222 315 676


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Café de Paris at Maltézské náměstí

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."
-Ernest Hemingway

It was a sunny Sunday, and we felt like getting out and having a nice lunch. Café de Paris in Malá Strana was a place we'd been wanting to try for a long time.This restaurant should not be confused with another Café de Paris in the Hotel Paříž (Paris) at Obecni Dum.

This one is at Maltézské náměstí, just across the street from U malé velryby (Little Whale), where we had a party a few months ago.

Café de Paris is a very small place with just a few tables.The main menu is also small, with just a few options, plus an extra page of several special offerings.

I started with onion soup (39 CZK). It had a yellow broth, rather than the variation made with red wine. The soup had melted cheese in the middle and plenty of onions.There were no big surprises in this bowl, but it tasted good. The soup had a perfect balance of salt and didn't require any seasoning adjustments.

It was served with a few warm baguette slices. They were airy and light.

For a main course, I ordered the entrecôte with frites and a red wine sauce (259 CZK). It can also be ordered with the "secret recipe" Cafe de Paris sauce or a Bernaise sauce with taragon.The beef dish came with a small salad, which came out first. The red leaves were heavily dressed, with a strong, mustard-based dressing.The steak and frites were served on two platters that were placed on holders with candles underneath to keep them warm.The waiter had already taken some off of each and put the food on my plate before I took a picture.

The steak was very rare and very tender. I like it this way, but they did not ask how I wanted it cooked. They seem to know what I wanted at least as well as I did. More on that later.

The frites were excellent. They were thinly cut, obviously housemade, nicely crispy and salty, and cooked in fresh oil. They were served very hot.

After one bite, I realized that the entrecôte did not have red wine sauce. Whatever it was on top, it was very good. But I thought I should have a word with the waiter (who also appeared to be the manager).

"Excuse me. Can you tell me what sauce this is? I ordered the red wine sauce."

"That is the Café de Paris sauce. Do you like it?" He asked in return.

"Yes, it is very good."

"Then it's OK, then?"

"Yes, sure, I like it. I'll keep it. I just thought you should know I ordered something different."

"Ah, well, the chef really thinks the Café de Paris sauce is the best. I'm glad you like it. You can try the red wine sauce the next time."

An odd exchange. The comment about the chef had us shaking our heads in bemusement.

It wasn't that big a deal. I really liked what I got. But we both thought a small mea culpa comment would have been appropriate.

Later, I asked what was in the Café de Paris sauce. The waiter said it was a very old recipe made with 35 different ingredients, including a number of herbs. But he wouldn't even give us the smallest idea what was actually in it. That's a secret.

V ventured a guess that it had capers in it. He would only say no. We really couldn't figure out the flavors.

V ordered the Caesar salad with shrimp (179 CZK). It came with three very large, plump, butterflied shrimp.

V said they were, without question, the best shrimp she has had in Prague. This is high praise, indeed. We've eaten a boat load of crustaceans in this town over the years.They were cooked in a very nice olive oil. Perfect simplicity. And the price for such good quality was really fantastic.

They reminded me of the great grilled shrimp we had at the restaurant, Le Casabianca, on the very isolated Plage d'Arone in Corsica. That was one of my all-time favorite holidays. A nice memory to bring back.

There is a little sad news, though. The dressing was watery and bland. Several times, the very thin liquid spattered on V's sweater as she cut the Romaine lettuce and put it on her fork.

The salad did have a lot of shaved Parmesan, which really helped. We both thought more cheese in the dressing itself would have helped.

But the shrimp alone guaranteed that she would order it again.

V had two glasses of Bohemia sekt (55 CZK each). I had two bottles of Mattoni sparkling mineral water (39 CZK each).

Now, more about the service. They tried hard and smiled a lot, but it was pretty confused.

Silverware was taken away and not replaced. A plate was taken that was needed for the steak and then brought back after the main courses arrived.

There was a lot of running back and forth while we waited for what we needed in order to eat. There was also the entrecôte sauce mix-up.

There were a few other offerings on the main menu, including grilled vegetables and salad (249 CZK) and foie gras terrine (145 CZK).

On the special offer menu, they had rolled crepes with cheese and smoked salmon (179 CZK), grilled eggplant with potato and a tomato puree (139 CZK), and raclette, which came with electric table-top heaters for melting the cheese.

The prices were very reasonable for the center of Prague. The final bill was 665 CZK.

We didn't have dessert, but I was very tempted by the chocolate soufflé with hot cherry coulis (95 CZK). V was intrigued by the thought of a chestnut crème brûlée with a shot of strawberry consommé.

We had to say no. We were full, almost immovable, if you will.

The waiter suggested we try the desserts on our next visit. Despite some odd moments and dishes with room for improvement during this feast, I do believe there will be a next visit.

Café de Paris
Maltézské náměstí 4
Prague 1
Tel. (+420) 603 160 718


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