The finale at La Finestra – Prague Part 6
February 2, 2012
Before I said good-bye to Prague I had to cross just one more restaurant off my list, La Finestra in Cucina. The restaurant features an open kitchen where you can observe Chef Tomáš Černý whip up some classic Italian dishes. He also offers cooking and sommelier classes which if I had more time I would have loved to try. Instead, I enjoyed buttery tender short ribs. No knife was needed and the mustard sauce that accompanied it offered the perfect tang to undercut the richness of the meat. Besides mastering the short rib, La Finestra also makes a mean crispy fried zucchini. When you bite into it there is still a slight crunch and the batter doesn’t fall off (a big pet peeve of mine with fried food).
My trip to Prague was an unforgettable experience filled with good food and company. Thank you for checking out my trip!
Slowed cooked beef ribs with gratinated pecorino onions and mustard sauce
Hradčany
Crispy fried zucchini
Statue of Saints Norbert of Xanten, Wenceslas and Sigismund on Charles Bridge
Organic breast of chicken cooked in sousvide with parmesan - egg yolk potato mash and morel sauce
Prague sky
La Finestra's open kitchen
Cooks in the kitchen & Prague Castle
Chocolate muffin with berries
Prague at sunset
A fairytale afternoon – Prague Part 5
January 31, 2012
As the clock struck 1, two Jewish princesses from New York City stared at the Old Town Hall’s astronomical clock and tightly gripped their Nikons as they sped off to the Francouzska Restaurace. Gold chandeliers, sparkling crystal glasses, and fresh flowers embellished the interior of the most beautiful Art Nouveau building in all of Europe. As the piano played in the background, they dined on smoked duck, veal tenderloin carpaccio, roasted scallops, and grilled beef tenderloin. The afternoon ended with warm molten chocolate cake and two white knights a AAA cab, driving the princesses back to their castle the Czech Inn.
Municipal House & Roasted scallop with fine Bourdin noir, caper-raisin jam and sauce of sparkling apple cider
Smoked duck breast
Bridge of Legions
Alfons Mucha painting & Veal tenderloin carpaccio with foie gras shavings and hazelnut oil
Green field salad with smoked duck breast, orange dressing and Comté shavings
Grilled beef tenderloin with potato confit in thyme flavored olive oil and black truffle sauce
Interior of St. Vitus Cathedral
Chocolate cake with melted chocolate, mango coulis and cacao sorbet & Stained glass
Taking a dip in the Charles’ Bath – Prague Part 4
January 28, 2012
I was lucky enough to meet up with my best friend’s boyfriend, Martin, at U Pinkasů restaurant. This traditional Czech pub is just a few steps away from St. Wenceslas Square and serves up some belly filling food. The type of food that warms your soul and gives your love handles some extra love. After eating the biggest meal it was only appropriate to head over to the biggest club in Central Europe, Karlovy Lázněl, also known as Charles’ Bath or the 5 Story Club. We danced the rest of the night away in attempt to sweat off all the potato dumplings and duck fat.
Dancing & Roasted pork ribs, in honey marinade with mustard and horse-radish
Old Bohemian riveted plate – smoked neck, baked pork neck, sausage, a quarter of duck,variety of dumplings, red ´n´ white cabbage
Karlovy Lazne & Cucumber salad with wine dressing
Kicking the cold at Kampa – Prague Part 3
January 26, 2012
More from Donna D…
Having gone to school in upstate New York and growing up in Massachusetts cold temperatures had always been a way of life for me. So when I saw that it was 23 degrees outside I figured NBD. But after about 15 minutes of being outside without any gloves I quickly remembered how much I disliked winter so I opted to spend the day “site-seeing” from a heated interior, Kampa Park. The restaurant is located on Kampa Island and overlooks Certovka canal, the Vltava River and Charles Bridge. I spent hours staring outside watching the city go by while feasting on Rudolf I mean reindeer, halibut (best I’ve ever had and cooked absolutely perfectly), and chocolate fondant. The food was pricey but nonetheless amazing and the view was magical.
Saddle of reindeer with pumpkin soufflé, topinambur, cranberries and cardamom sauce
Marek Raditsch - Executive Chef of entire Kampa Group
Reindeer
Vltava River
Olive oil poached halibut with black truffles, crispy bacon, potato mash with French mustard, and vegetable foam
Charles Bridge
Pumpkin soufflé
Chocolate fondant with beetroot sorbet, dark bread ice cream, and toffee espuma
Foie Gras & Floyd – Prague Part 2
January 25, 2012
More lovely photos from Donna D’s travels..
It has been said that Prague’s lifeblood is not beer, but music, which is why I traveled across the Atlantic to see the Australian Pink Floyd band perform at the Tesla Arena. Well not exactly. Those of you who know me know I’m less of an English Rock and more of a Hip Hop type of gal. But my trip to Prague was all about doing things I wouldn’t normally do like eating foie gras and rocking out to the The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. In order to fully embrace Prague’s music scene I headed over to the music themed Hotel Aria, which I think is the only hotel in the world with a musical director, to dine at Coda. The food was flawless and the service was unreal. I felt like music royalty. My waiter, George, even brought out his camera and a surplus of lenses for me to use. Coda truly delivered on its name as it was the perfect meal to conclude the day.
Smooth Cream of Fennel with Roasted Pancetta and Milk Foam
Tuna Tartar seasoned with Lemon Rind and served with fresh Ginger Salad
Velvety Foie Gras Terrine with home-made Apple & Ginger Chutney
Seared Scallops served with Mango & Thai Basil Salad and home-made Chilli jam
Molten Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Liquid Centre topped with a home-made vanilla bean ice cream and berry coulis
Donna D. A Vegetarian No More – Prague Part 1
January 24, 2012
Another feature story from Donna D. Read about her week of travels as she ate her way through Prague…
After 15 years of vegetarianism I decided to relinquish my duties as a plant eater and jump face first into the land of Beer and Meat – Prague. I started my journey at Lokál for some traditional Czech cuisine and made on-site beer. The interior was reminiscent of the 80’s, long wooden cafeteria benches and child-like doodles sketched onto the walls. The food and unpasteurized beer was tasty, filling, and cheap. It was the perfect spot to kick-off my 5 day meat eating and beer drinking gluttonousness adventure in Prague.
Prazdroj Beer
Homemade Bread & Wall Art
Goulash from Beef Cheeks
Prague Ham
Lokál
All You Can Eat Potato Dumplings
Saint Vitus Cathedral
Special "Talián" Sausage by the Dolejší Family, Horseradish, and Mustard
a camera in the kitchen 