Hotel de Valle - Les Coudercous, St. Chelly de Aubrac

Although our last stop was in Laguiole, to visit the knife foundry, we stayed a short 11 miles away in St. Chelly de Aubrac . . . takes 45 minutes to drive tho' because St. Chelly is off the beaten track, a hikers destination deep in the valley, over-the-hill from Laguiole . . . the hotel was fine, clean and modern in a quaint way, mostly suited to the hikers who come thru . . . it may be a sort of Religous destination, too . . . . this marcillac wine comes from a unique grape, Mouret, if I heard my waitress correctly . . . it had a fruity, beaugolais nose, but the flavour was more dry. We were so hungry, nothing to eat since brekky, that we just inhaled the salat de cruditee . . . it was good, no doubt about that, but we were raptured at that point in time . . . my duck leg with aligot à la saucisse (mashed potatoes with cheese, cream and garlic) was just super, the roasted-duck smell filled the whole restaurant like a bakery . . . Mrs had some local beef . . .  very fine, but with chewy bits -- maybe the trimming of the beef was not so haute, but the eating of it was just fine . . .  For afters, we had Laguiole cheese, and some other, soft brie-like . . . they were both well paired with the marcillac wine -- good for us! -- by accident, for us, but not for the locals, if you see how I mean . . . .the mini-blueberry tarte was great, too.

Les Trois Lys, Condom, France

We stayed at the Les Trois Lys in Condom . . . we think it is a very nice hotel, updated but quaint . . . our schedule and the weather prevented us using their very inviting pool. We liked it that the front door is always locked and the parking lot is secure, too. The owner was very knowledgeable and helpful on local directions. The menu was very good. The Foie Gras was butter-creamy and fresh. The Fisherman's Pot was a little bland for our tastes, but delectable and fresh. The local wine Madiran was good enough that I regretted not buying a couple of bottles in the shop downtown (by the cathedral).  Cassoulet was good but too much for Mrs. The lamb shank for moi was unbelivable, savoury, not buttery, melt-off-the-bone good. No dessert, we were so stuffed, but I did have a coffee and armagnac . . . a large pour, for which I was grateful. . . 8^) 

Prague Food Festival 2012

 

last things first, one of my favorite stretches of walking in Prague . . . short tho' it is . . . walking back down from the Castle to Malostrankse  . . .

 

dangit, the first place we ran into was Aromi . . . couldn't pass it by, tho' we eat there so often we shoulda saved our appetite for some new place . . .  the tiramisu profiteroles are just to die for . . .

 

peceny veprova pupek - roast pork belly - draws a lot of homer-simpson-like responses from people . . . me too . . . .

 

panzanella salat z parmice - red-mullet salad drew raves from Mrs, but she's a pushover for fish and salads and fish-salads . . . 8^D

 

The next place Mrs had targeted was Huang He's . . . .we're always on the lookout for a new oriental restaurant . . .

 

NOTHING wrong with the Teleci z ujgurskym (Veal) and baby edame . . . picking the edame up with chopsticks one-by-one is a chore tho' . . . 8^D

 

the veprove uzene vzduchem po gingtiansku tasted very nice also . . . but, BUT, there were small, sharp, troublesome bone fragments embedded . . . Mrs wouldn't eat it . . . I did with cautious pleaure . . . the gingerized cabbage was very nice, too.

 

We finally got to Alcron, still with some enthusiasm and appetite . . . but this seemed a disappointment . . .

 

Mrs says I wouldn't even eat the sepiovy salat kvetakem a redkvickami (sepia cauliflower and radish salad) . . . but neither of us understands the name . . .

 

nothing wrong with the filet dorady kralovske s kasi z kundovuncho lilku (royal dorado fillet with candied aubergine puree), tho' I found the fish rather ordinary and the aubergine puree a little blah . . .

 

hey, a macaroon is still just a macaroon, even if it is pink . . .

 

not fair, I decide, to judge a restaurant under the difficult conditions of the outdoor food festival, but there it is . . .

 

We didn't snack at the Mozaika booth . . . we eat there every other week anyway . . . but the jalapenos sounds interesting, in retrospect, and the burger and caesar salad, does too, in a plain comfort food cooked very expertly way, if you see how I mean . . .

 

We didn't snack at Extenda Delikatesy Andalucie, either . . . but we plan to get over there as soon as convenient, and devote some attention to them  . . . 8^) . . . they had all these samplers for Olive Oil which is an enticement to us . . .

 

we stopped for a while at the Tattinger tent . . . we loved the champagne but it was an embarrassment at how expensive it was . . . it wasn't THAT good . . . but we needed a rest and the do provide an ambient reststop out-of-the-way . . . I wish I had a pic. . .

 

We next stopped at Mlynec, another of Mrs' picks  . . . this was surprising a couple of ways . . .

 

the domaci prazske taliány (I take this to be: homemade prague italian sausage?) with mustard seed & celery puree' . . . kind of overwhelmed we may have been from the previous glutonations, so that this seemed kind of ordinary, when I think it must have been rather subtly wonderful . . .

 

the consomee' left me cold, a little bit, if you see how I mean, a little too gelatinous for me . . .

 

the goat-cheese cheesecake was giddily good . . . I mean, we like chevre, but cheesecake? how cheeky! nummy.

 

the wonderful curry & spice aromas at Le Patio brought us up short, and we finished off there. . . the bio hovezy (bio beef with pineapple) in Indonesian spices was very flavourful. A good way to end up.

 

 

 

 

Osteria del Clara, Prague

Hah! Turns out Osteria is just down the hill from us . . . another good place in walking distance . . .

 

we did enjoy the bread basket . . . superior product . . . 8^) . . . and unusual . . .

 

then we both had mussles for starters . . . muslova polevka . . . so we ate the mussels, then ate the soup . . . and used the bread to soak extra up . . .god, I hope that was alright . . . 8^0 . . . 8^P . . .

 

I was intrigued by the various menu items embellished as "dello chef" ("according to the fantasy of the chef") . . . so I ordered the Scallopine dello Chef, thin slices of south american beef, cooked freelance, if you see how I mean . . . and only the savouriness of the mussels kept me from antsy anticipation . . . a little disappointing . . . the cutlets were breaded, but then braised, perhaps, so that the breading was mushy, if not actually gummy . . . don't get me wrong . . . the pancetta & parmesan along with the veggies sauteed on the beef were just fantastic, and that giant sage leaf was wicked . . . 8^) . . . the side vegetables were just fine, too . . . in particular, I enjoyed the bak choy . . .

 

Mrs' sea bream with fennel, roman tomatoes, rosemary and citrus was excellent . . . in the way of brag-plaining, as our daughter calls it, she had to pick the bones out herself, unlike at Aromi where they do that for you, but this was a minor complaint . . . 8^D . . .

 

last, I don't wanna go off on a rant or anything, or start a controversy, but the tiramisu seemed to be plated a little indifferently, and there was no chocolate . . . now in discussions with others, we see that there are different opinions on how to properly prepare tiramisu . . . this was very finely done, and the marscapone was tres fraiche, but we do like a little chocolate, hmpf, so there it is . . .

 

we'll be walking downhill again, soon . . .

Lunch at Aromi, Prague

now that the sidewalk cafe seating has bloomed all over town, there is no better place for an outdoor lunch than at Aromi on Manesova . . .

 

we started with Onion Soup . . . Czech, rather than French . . . a very pleasant alternative to the cheesy gallic version . . .

 

I forget what they called it but this was luscious, tender beef -- we think of Aromi as mainly a reliable source of seafood in prague, but there pasta is non-pareil, and now we know that the beef follows suit . . . they know what they intend to do, they know how to do it, and they execute it everytime . . . .

 

after such a modest lunch, it seemed allowable for us to enjoy some cheesecake . . . .8^D

 

with cappucino which they allow you to sweeten with a special preparation of sugar and coffee, granita . . .

Siam Orchid, Prague

Just another chance for the Orchid to re-enforce it's position as priemier Thai Restaurant in Prague . .. ane world class status . . . .

 

one of the best Tom Yum Kai/Kungs in the world, of course . . . as we always say, with Magic Healing Powers . . .

 

Mrs had Khai Phad Broccolic . . . no complaints, ecstatic, shuddering, delight . . . 8^)

 

I had Khaeng Phed Kai . . . aesthetically, I'd wish for "redder" curry, but practically, no problem . . .

 

I *think* Shes-so-money had Khaeng Khiao Wan Nua (beef). . . which after consultation with the waitress she had upgraded from 3 to 4 "chilis" . . . satisfactory results . . . Mrs & I just want the pleasant feeling of endorphis surging thru our system, but SMM wants to feel the burn like the long distance runner she is . . . 8^D . . .