Czech Please

"All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." -Ralph Waldo EmersonI love discovering and trying new restaurants. Of course, there are risks. But, the benefits of living such a life on the razor's edge far outweigh the disappointments.Recently, we got a tip that a Croatian restaurant...  

I have written about Fraktal before. They do have pretty good hamburgers. But what I really like most is their Saturday-Sunday brunch menu.And what I like most specifically about their brunch is their "breakfast enchilada." It doesn't seem to fit the classic definition of an enchilada -- no corn tortilla --...  

"Men of the South! It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees!"- Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919) R.I.P. PicanteI'd heard the complaints about the fluctuating prices. I'd heard the complaints about fluctuating quality. I could even do some complaining myself.But now, with the news of Picante's...  

Prague is full of beer gardens, great and small.In the great category, there are two that divide the loyalties of Praguers and expats who love outdoor drinking, hot summer socializing, watching internationally televised sporting events, and observing lightly clad men and women partaking in all of the...  

"Chocolate is a perfect food, as wholesome as it is delicious, a beneficent restorer of exhausted power. It is the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits."- Justus von Liebig (1803-1873) A tip for all you chocolate lovers.I noticed a new shop under construction in an upscale building on Italská,...  

This rather ordinary looking building, not far from the center of Brno, is actually quite special. There are two reasons for that.First, in the 1970s, it housed the maternity hospital where V was born.Second, it is now the home of Ristorante Rialto, which prepared the best meal we have ever had in Brno.The...  

"Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. There's, um, shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There's pineapple shrimp and lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and...  

"My salad days, when I was green in judgment..."- William Shakespeare, "Antony and Cleopatra"Back in in the early days of Czech Please, I wrote a post about the relatively new Yessi Café. I've been back a few times, and I have a few more things to add.For summer, they've added an outdoor eating area. On a...  

"To play billiards well was a sign of an ill-spent youth."- Herbert Spencer, English philosopher and political theoristBad childhood? Want to shoot some pool, have a drink, and maybe a quick bite?One option is Harlequin Billiard Club. It has a convenient location, not too far from Wenceslas Square.There are...  

We first started going to Staročeská krčma (Old Bohemian Grill) back in 1999. The place next door, which is connected, is called Bar Fontana. We loved it for its great meat, great cooking, and casual, rustic atmosphere.Then, several years ago, the cooking and quality went down hill, and we stopped going....  

Before we left on our journey, I thought I would not blog much about our dining adventures. My impression has been that there is less interest in non-Czech related posts. I decided I would only do a post if there was something exceptional to write about.We did find such a place in the town of Jackson,...  

In a previous post, I discussed some of the dining options at Ruzyně Airport's Terminal 1.Now, it is time for a brief look at Terminal 2.The main and most visible choices are on the departure level, near the check-in desks. It is a glitzy little corner that tries to be all things to all people --...  

In the same week, I got two recommendations to try Restaurace Mlýn (The Mill Restaurant). I looked at the menu online, and I liked what I saw.It specializes in seafood and Mediterranean cuisine, which are big favorites for us. It is reasonably expensive, but the prices are not as high as many other top...  

"It's all about the journey, not the destination."-Paris Hilton*My friend A and I were on a journey to somewhere else. City Cafe Bar Club was not our destination. But we were thirsty. I was hungry. We made an unplanned stop.What drew us down the stairs was the nicely done interior, with exposed brick and...  

"Oh, well, of course, everything looks bad if you remember it."- Homer SimpsonThe concept for Beer Factory seems like a winner. Pour your own beer. Drink it. Repeat. The principles of mass intoxication on an industrial scale. I like it.I just don't like Beer Factory very much.It's a drinking and eating...  

"The secret point of money and power in America is neither the things that money can buy nor power for power's sake... but absolute personal freedom, mobility, privacy. It is the instinct which drove America to the Pacific, all through the nineteenth century, the desire to be able to find a restaurant open...  

Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours. -Swedish proverb A number of people say they won't tell me their favorite restaurant, fearing that they will be overwhelmed by the crowds who read this.I usually...  

It's rarely mentioned in any books, but St. Wenceslas is also known as the Sausage King. He is the patron saint of the klobása.In his honor, every day and night, there is a sausage fest on Wenceslas Square. Top to bottom, on every corner, you will find crowds of people gathering around sausage stands and...  

I've lived in Prague for years, and I still love it for many reasons. But sometimes, you just need to get out of town. Change the scenery. Leave it all behind.But where?Round up the usual suspects: Český Krumlov, Telč, Mikulov, Lednice-Valtice, Rožmberk nad Vltavou, Český ráj, Šumava.All these...  

"Hawaii has always been a very pivotal role in the Pacific. It is in the Pacific. It is a part of the United States that is an island that is right here."-U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle speaking in Hawaii, 1989To put it kindly, Prague restaurants can have their own special kind of quirky eccentricity. Sort...  

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Fuzion and some its sandwich offerings. They were OK, and it is a nice place, but there wasn't much that really grabbed me.However, V told me that their veggie wrap was very good, especially given the dearth of quality and healthy lunch options in the Wenceslas Square area. She...  

Sur le pont d'AvignonL'on y danse, l'on y danseSur le pont d'AvignonL'on y danse tous en rondAvignon wasn't always packed with tourists. Just since 1309. Things changed a bit after Pope Clement V set up house.On our first night in the walkable old city, we hoped to avoid the crowds. V and I wanted to go...  

After some thought, I decided to create an email address for this blog. You can find a link for it on the profile page.I didn't include it originally because I wanted to encourage comments rather than one-on-one communication. However, I recognize that communicating only through comments can be awkward, in...  

I do love Venice.There is something special about watching the gondoliers as they glide along, poling through the dark waters of this ancient city, ferrying tourists down the Pegnitz under the shadow of the Kaiserberg.Hold on. I'm confused. This is actually a photo from our brief stop in Nuremberg. Sorry for...  

“The traveller's-eye view of men and women is not satisfying. A man might spend his life in trains and restaurants and know nothing of humanity at the end. To know, one must be an actor as well as a spectator.”- Aldous HuxleyIn Prague's main railway station, Praha hlavní nádraží, the options for...