Cestr Prague

Well, this was our 2nd visit to Cestr . . . so I didn't take as many pictures as I would've normally . . . now I can't find that first post . .  . this place is the lineal descendent of the Ambient Living restaurant that we favoured so much . . . this is a pretty impressive re-incarnation, with lots of little innovations that we enjoyed . . . the first visit they used the traditional czech carp knives as cutlery, but there must've been too many objections . . . more the pity . . . and last time they donated a little amuse bouche of a beer sampler that was creamy smooth, but we didn't get it this time . . . so . . .  we ordered our own . . . my Lupe-mode sampler was the bone marrow . . . totally different than I imagined, and very, very good.

then for our mains, I had the filet mignon, as always, with a dill horse radish sauce; Mrs had rib-meat-off-the-bone. . . when she tried to NOT order potatoes with it, the waiter got rather exercised, to our amusement, as he excitedly explained that it was NOT barbecue (so she SHOULD have potatoes!), but she stuck to her guns, and got the tomato salad that we always wish we'd ordered two of . . . I got the asparagus, for which there was a choice of green or white, and I let the waiter talk me into green to calm him down . . . 8^D

Mrs says now she was a little disappointed in the ribs, but  I couldn't have been happier with my filet.

Prague Food Festival 2011

From Aromi - one of our very most favorite Prague Restaurants, a seafood soup (can't read the dang menu below), which was excellent as to be expected, but the beef morceau was unexpectedly delish, too . . .

From the Radison, a very bodacious veal roll with a prawn foam . . . less succesful, but that could be because Mrs & I had to share it . . . 8^) . . . if you see how I mean . . .

Then from the then-as-yet-tested Kampa Park -- now we have been there, in no small part due to the excellence of the samples -- very, very excellent duck foie gras with orange preserve . . .and halibut with cauliflower. 

from Le Grill, a knee buckling combo of salmon grilled in beechwood wraps with fennel and grilled eggplant with mozzarella and tomato pesto.

it seemed to us that the Buddha Bar's sushi offering was better this year than last year, but it could have just been lack of competition . . . we didn't go to sushi point's kiosk . . . their sushi isn't so special that we go out of our way and they didn't have the miso shiru polevka . . . 8^) . . . at any rate, the sushi was very good, even if still over-priced (IMVHO), and the crab cake was excellent, also . . .

Le Moules was a bit of a disappointment . . . not all the mussels had opened up which would be a bad sign . . . and some that did open had a very definite past the prime-time look about them. The ones I did eat were fine . . . the pizza was better, oddly enough, and the raspberry ice was very nice.

Lehka Hlava

One of very favorites in Prague . . . totally vegetarian, but not vegan . . . standard order is either Sylvanske Zelena or Veltlinske Zelena vina; PI voda, maly Lehka Hlava or velke Lehka Hlava, and a starter, such as guacamole . . . I am simply amazed I've never blogged the place before . . . we eat there more than anywhere else . . . on this trip, tho', Mrs got fried cous-cous and I got a bean burrito . . . the ambience there is just so comforting . . . either in the front room recently redecorated with aborignal dream time motifs, or the back "starlight" room . . . I KNOW I've posted a picture of that ceiling before, it must be on IJUSTTHINKITSFUNNY, tho'....

Cosel Palais - Dresden

The CoselPalais in Dresden caught our eye as an alternative to the much beloved Carousel Restaurant, on the Trip Advisor . . . I mean . . . an ok source but not the final arbiter, if you see how I mean . . . I was surprised when I ordered a dark beer that I got Krusovice, the czech favorite . . . but then again, why not?

Mrs took Poached Salmon with white asparagus in white wine sauce. . .. the little potato fleurettes were pretty good, to me . .. Mrs doesn't normally eat any potatos she is served . . . 8^). . .  I had Pheasant breast with bacon on morel cream sauce . . . . the menu doesn't even mention the wonderful little gnocci, if you like such things . . .

Sansho - Prague

Sansho does very little by the book, or rather by their own book.  . . . large table seating . . . unusual food -- asean fusion -- and even the water is a little outre'. . . 8^D . . .  it was very deliscious water flavored by the cucumber & mint . . . mmmmmmm.
as first-timers, we just "settled" for the degustation menu . . .

we pacified ourselves with a bottle of prosecco

First was Salmon Sashimi . . . this was parada . . . excellent and exciting ...

then Sansho Frito Misto (deep fried calamari, prawns, & white bait), easily the equal of the fried bait fish I had in Barcelona . . .

Pork Belly with watermelon salad . . . even Mrs had to admit she liked this . . . and she disdains pork belly as much as potatoes... 8^D , , ,

Chicken Satay . . . I'll just say this was our least favorite for now . . . the chef Paul Day -- a very personable and amiable sort, one must say -- came by our table to ask how we were getting on and we told him then, that the satay was our least favorite.

Duck & Hoisin sliders . . . were good enough, but a little lightweight . . . we wanted more . . . .

12 hour beef rendang . . . they make the sauce in the jar, which we were going to steal, but they came and took it away to another table before we could . .  . it is awesome . . .

a rather plain & ordinary facade that hides it's location . . .

 

after the beef, we had no room for dessert . . .
out of the 6 dishes, we would say that 3 were home-runs, 2 were doubles, and one was not, the satay . ..
I've read other food blogs talking about how it is done by an unusual technique that makes it look pink - not cooked -- but it really is . . .
the quality of the other dishes makes one hesitate before any criticism,
but the best we can say is that we didn't care for it, and the worst is that it made us ill.
We will go back, we just won't have the satay . . .
but right after this visit is when the German E coli brouhaha broke out, so maybe it was the cucumber water that we enjoyed so much that made us sick -- who can say? we can't say anything other than we loved most of the dishes, and we will go back but we will not have the satay again.
I hope this seems fair.

Chagall's - Prague

Chagalls 
So: we enjoyed a very fine Degustation Menu . . . starting with a couple of glasses of Prosecco . . .











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Tartare of Sea Bass accompanied by Savignon Blanc




















Green Pea soup with Mint and Jamon

















Homade Fusili with tomato & basil

























Art on the wall from Gallery 33























And special attention to the art from Gallery 33, where needed . . .























Asparagus Risoto with Scallops



















Roasted Monk Fish with fruits & cilantro



















Chateau Peyredoulle Bordeaux
























Lamb chops with artichoke --




















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Ravanal Reserva Cabernet Savignon























Selection of French Cheeses



















Czech (moravian) Gewurztramminer























Strawberry Consomme with frozen yogurt, orange, and almond


















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2011- 05 - 15
We have returned for another visit, to enjoy the Pea with Mint soup, again




















Vegetable salad with mozzarella
































A very fine Moravian dry Ryzlink

and the Scallops, again


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
and the Lamb chops, again

we still had room for dessert with port & armagnac . . .
 

















molten chocolate cake with almond ice cream . . .

words at a minimum because the pictures speak for themselves . . . consistent excellence in a very pleasant ambience, with attentative-but-not-fussy waiters . . . no, not quite Le Degustation quality, perhaps, in some people's opinions (those that matter, apparently), but faultless, in our opinion . . .
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 9/3/2011

I think I have to let this lamb shank speak for itself . . . 
I would speak to the excellence of the soup but dont remember even what kind it was . . . but the soups at Chagall are uniformly & consistently excellent.