I thought I’d start a new thread here based on a recent trip, since most of the discussions of Bohemian Europe are several years old. So, I’ll begin with:
PragueWe opened with two restaurants perilously close to the touristy Old Town Square. Nevertheless, the first,
Mincovna, met all of our positive expectations with a simple but spacious interior and friendly service, and a variety of interesting offerings based on Czech classics. Some of the most memorable flavors here (and elsewhere in Prague) were found in the potatoes accompanying the meats, in this case a buttery puree surrounding my beef ribs and my wife’s chunky bacon-y mash to support her moist pork tenderloin. Unfortunately, the second of these restaurants,
V Kolkovně, was one of the few disappointments on our trip. Although my rabbit was well-cooked and the dual paté opener more than sufficient, the wild boar in the ragout was as tough and tasteless as if it had been sitting in the freezer exposed for too long, a fact that the overly vinegary, tomatoey sauce could do little to disguise. The tastelessness of the bacon dumplings (and “tasteless” and “bacon” are two words that should never be paired) and the “Prague” ham (no better than the “Chicago” ham found in our local Jewel) persuaded me that, although the kitchen was probably competent, considerable cost-cutting had been taking place among the ingredients. For our final night in Prague, we went to the more upscale
U Modré Kachničky II. This is the sister restaurant of “The Blue Duckling I,” and although slightly more casual than its dowager sibling (for a true taste of Imperial dowdiness, Modré Kachničky I is the place to go), the food was just as carefully cooked and presented, with duck—in a multitude of guises—being the specialty and the thing to order. We also had a sampling of some terrific sausages and beer at
Lokal, and although this Czech version of a brewpub was uncrowded at lunch, it might be wise to reserve for dinner.
Restaurace Mincovna,
Staroměstské náměstí 930/7 ,
+420 727 955 669
V Kolkovně
V Kolkovně 910/8
Phone:+420 224 819 701
U Modré Kachničky II
Michalská 434/16,
Phone:+420 224 213 418
Lokál Dlouhá
Dlouhá 33,
Phone:+420 222 316 265
ViennaWe arrived in Vienna late on a Sunday evening, so our choices were limited, and we wound up at
Artner auf der Wieden, which I recommend highly for its steaks (both for quality and value) and other grilled meats, which are its specialty (there also seems to be a lot of interest their hamburgers). But when in Vienna, I particularly enjoy the Austrian version of the neighborhood gastropub, the beisl, and we’ve now added
Gmoakeller to our list of favorites. My first night there, I was not especially blown away by the food (the versions of pike and wild garlic soup we sampled later at
Meierei, in fact, were superior), although my wife did appreciate her Easter ham in pastry, but the general atmosphere here was so pleasant and accommodating, we reserved for a second night (and reservations are recommended, since customers were still pouring in when we left at 10:00 on Monday); our faith was rewarded by an excellent steak in Madeira sauce (a pub rather than steakhouse preparation) and perhaps my best opener of the trip, a simple Matjes herring, accompanied by potato and beet salads, that will now be my standard for all future herring openers.
Meierei, known primarily for its breakfasts and light lunches, and beautifully designed with an overlook of the City Park and the Vienna River, is an offshoot of the Michelin two star Steinereck. The good news here is that it probably uses the Steinereck kitchen for its limited dinner offerings. The bad news here is that it probably uses the Steinereck kitchen for its limited dinner offerings, and perhaps may not be given top priority when the dinner orders are placed. In short, we had to wait a considerable time for our excellent versions of pike and pork tenderloin, leaving us with insufficient time to sample their excellent selection of cheeses—which had drawn us there in the first place. But still a highly recommended venue if you’re looking for a light scenic meal and have plenty of time to wait for it.
Artner auf der Wieden
Floragasse 6,
Phone:+43 1 5035033
Gmoakeller
Am Heumarkt 25
Phone:+43 1 7125310
Meierei im Stadtpark
Am Heumarkt 2A
Phone:+43 1 713316810
BudapestIn Prague and Vienna, we accompanied our meals mostly with beer, and certainly did not regret the choice. In Budapest, we switched to the local Hungarian wines, many of the vintages with a connection to the establishments where we were dining. The Tokays, of course, were quite good, both the before and after dinner versions, and my wife discovered a worthy competitor to her favorite grappas in some of the local pálinkas. But the real revelation for us were the Cabernet francs, the best of which we found at
Doblo, a wine bar in the Jewish quarter, which also supplies excellent cheese and charcuterie accompaniments. Of all the restaurants we visited,
Aszú probably had the most varied wine list. I would also give it high marks for its friendly service, moderate prices, and elegant atmosphere (particularly if you’re fond of live music), and its foie gras, but, unfortunately, I was hoping here to be served a quintessential chicken paprikash (all the elements seemed to be in place), and received rather a substandard block of dry chicken breast with just a hint of paprika sauce (more like a congealed lining to the chicken). From my observations of the dishes other people were ordering, it seemed that the kitchen was enthusiastic about its more elaborate offerings and gave far less attention to the traditional Hungarian items that may have been placed on the menu for the benefit of us tourists. Aszú ‘s dreadful paprikash was balanced by the excellent pork version I had at
Zeller Bistro, with hints of pork-fat and onion in the abundant sauce where succulent chunks of of pork floated among the braised cherry tomatoes and splotches of sour cream. Here the wild boar ragout was also fresh and satisfying, with sauce and spaetzle fortifying the flavor of the meat rather than hiding it; in addition, the duck breast smoked at the family farm and the local salamis and cheeses that opened our meal were fine starters. This is a small, extremely welcoming restaurant, and very popular, so reservations are essential. Our final meal was at the
Bock Bistro, also a popular restaurant where reservations are advised. Here we decided on pheasant soup (with dumplings), a selection of foie gras “sushi,” a duck breast in vegetable cream, and a venison stroganoff with duck foie gras, all tasting as good as they sounded. I decided not to try the “bizarre ice cream selection (tobacco, goose foie gras, sausage),” but most of our desserts, pastries and the like, were confined to the wonderful cafes—too numerous to mention—we visited during the day in all three cities. (One further critical note for Budapest: The huge Cenrtral Market is often mentioned in guidebooks, but unless you’re fond of meat and vegetable/fruit stalls, along with flea/souvenir markets, it’s not worth a special trip in my estimation. But if there are any “fairs” scheduled with collections of Hungarian street food stalls, go.)
Zeller Bistro
Izabella utca 36-38
30 651 0880
Bock Bistro
Erzsébet krt. 43-49
Phone:+36 1 321 0340
Aszú Étterem
Sas u. 4
Phone:+36 1 328 0360
Doblo Wine Bar
Dob u. 20,
Phone:+36 20 398 8863
As a final note, I would like to recommend the hotels we chose for all three of our destinations. Reasonably priced, in proximity to (but not in the middle of) the center, with easy access to public transportation, all three were in walking distance of most of the above-mentioned restaurants. They are:
Hotel Clement Prague
Klimentská 30, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic
Phone:+420 222 314 350
Hotel Am Konzerthaus
Am Heumarkt 35-37, 1030 Wien, Austria
Phone:+43 1 716160
MaMaison Residence Izabella Budapest
Budapest, Izabella u. 61, 1064 Hungary
Phone:+36 1 475 5900
(This last is a suite hotel, particularly useful, if nearing the end of a trip you want to opt for some in-house meals. Breakfasts are available in the Residence, but a good café—Eco Café—is also nearby for cheaper, less substantial breakfasts.)
"The fork with two prongs is in use in northern Europe. In England, they’re armed with a steel trident, a fork with three prongs. In France we have a fork with four prongs; it’s the height of civilization." Eugene Briffault (1846)