Anthony Bourdain in Prague

Did you catch the episode last night?  I sure did!  It was bittersweet for me because even though I thoroughly enjoyed watching and recognized most of the places he went to, I wanted to be there myself.  I wanted to be his tour guide! 

Let's recap where Anthony went:

Cafe Savoy - love it.  In a few day's time I'll take you on a "cafe tour" as I like to call it.  One of my favorite things to do is Prague is to go from cafe to cafe.  Not only are the interiors breathtaking, but they are just so full of history...you can imagine sitting there 20, 30, 40 years ago.  This particular cafe has been around since 1893, and like most historical cafes in Prague, Savoy was a favorite haunt in the era after the Velvet Revolution (think very, very smoky).  It was refurbished in 2001, and it's Art Nouveau interior is stunningly beautiful. Will tell you more about it when we go on our "cafe tour".

Pivovarsky Klub - you know, I don't think I've ever been here *gasp*.  I'll have to check it out and let you know what I think.  Am sure I'll love it though... who wouldn't like home-brewed beer with a side of koleno?
Now I'm a Pilsner drinker (love a good pilsner!) but I think here I'll just have to sample the banana beer or the sour cherry beer...maybe even the coffee beer, which I hear is very popular amongst their female clients)

La Dégustation Bohême Bourgeoise - yet another place I need to visit.  It seems to be a modern take on classic Czech food.  I adore classic Czech food, so let's see how well they've done preserve those dishes in their modern way.  I do like the fact that they get their meat & produce form Czech organic farms and small Czech producers.  Gotta support!  Hmmm, seems there's no smoking in the restaurant, only at the bar... I wonder what the Czechs think about that?!

Wenceslas Square (Sausage Stands) - all I can say is Mmmmm yummy.  Mmmm fried cheese sandwich.  Mmmm kilebasa.  Mmm parek (Czech hot dog...tastes absolutely nothing like the ones we know in the States).  Case in point... here I am with my friend enjoying not only a delectable parek, but shots of Slivovice with the ladies working behind the counter (yes, they had the Slivovice, they offered Slivovice, we thoroughly enjoyed Slivovice.  Na Zdravi!)

PS...speaking of parek, there's something even better and it's called a Euro Dog.  I'll get you one when we go to the Prague Castle because my favorite EuroDog vendor is located nearby.  Mmm delicious!

Restaurant & Hotel U Medvidku - This is a great place, a true Czech pub (ie, smokey with the smell of cigarettes and beer).  But under all of that smoke is a place full of character & history as well.  This is where you'll find locals enjoying an original Budvar (original Czech Budweiser) and X-beer (Medvidku's own beer that is brewed in-house).  U Medvidku is a great place to relax and enjoy some homemade Czech dishes and good beer. 

Pivovar Kout na Sumave - When Anthony went to Pivovar Kout na Sumave I gasped...how could I not know about this place?!  This place embodies all that I am.  As you get to know me you'll learn that I love love love love love off-the-beaten path places and live for charm, history, and authenticity.  So for me not to have been to Pivovar Kout na Sumave yet is painful, and thus has moved up to my #1 thing to do in CZ.
I checked out the website and it seems that there are 2 places in Prague carry their brew...The Dancing House (which I'll take you to later) and The Slavic Lípy (which we'll go to just to sample the beer).  This is good news for those of you who don't have a car/want to travel to the country, but for me I need to see this place with my own eyes.  I need to touch the old stone walls that house this brewery and smell the hops. 

From the website I learned that "Koutský brewery was probably founded after the demise Ryzmberk during the Thirty Years War." and that "the brewery changed hands several times, and from 1924 until the end of World War II belonged to the genus Schönborn."  Interesting...

There's another small hidden-gem-of-a-brewery located about 30 minutes outside of Prague in a quaint little village...if you're good I'll bring you there too.  This should hold you over for now...

Sapa Vietnamese Market -  This is Prague's "Little Vietnam", and although I've never been there personally, I like a good Pho just as much as Anthony does, so let's add it to the list of places to see/things to do in Prague.

Dox Center for Contemporary Art - Remember when Anthony & the artist David Černý were admiring his latest project, Entropa?  Well, that exhibit was supposed to come down on January 4th, but you're in luck because it was extended and will be on display until April 30, 2010.  And remember the name David Černý because I'll point out his works as we tour Prague.

Zabijačka - And who could ever forget the Czech pig killing ceremony?  Every single part of the pig is used and feeds a family for a very long time.  I am sure lots of viewers were squeemish when they ate blood soup, but trust me it's delicious!  All I'm going to say is goulash, jitrnice (white sausage), blood sausage, tlačenka (Czech head cheese), and škvarky (basically fried fat & skin... was a favorite of my brother's when he was a wee lad).  Let's just say I was drooling.


PS...If you watched the show I'd love to hear your thoughts!


Happy Name Day, Nela!

Today we honor, Nela.  Happy Name Day, Nela!

Nela is of Latin origin, meaning "horn".  It's a girl's name most commonly used in Czech and Spanish cultures.

Hromnice Day (Groundhog Day)

Today, February 2nd, is also Hromnice Day in the Czech Republic (Groundhog Day in the States). "Hromnice" comes from sanctified "hromnice" candles that were lit on the night of February 2nd if there was a thunderstorm (thunder = hrom).  The traditions are the same...the groundhog comes out of his hole today after his long winter sleep and if sees his shadow he'll go back to his hole and alas we're stuck with 6 more  more weeks of winter. If the day is cloudy (as it is in both Prague and NYC today), he will stay above ground expecting spring.  Woohoo Spring is near!!!! 

There are several Czech Hromnice sayings that remind us that although we're starting to think about springtime, winter is by far not over (and may not have even reached its peak - yikes). Some of these sayings are:

Jihne-li na Hromnice, přilož do kamen; mrzne-li, po zimě amen.

If the snow is melting on Hromnice, add more wood to the fire; if it's freezing, the winter is over.
Jest-li o Hromnicích teplo, staví medvěd boudu; pakli o Hromnicích zima, bourá medvěd boudu.

If Hromnice is warm, the bear builds himself a shed. If Hromnice is cold, the bear tears down his shed.

This one's not very nice!:
Na Hromnice má sedlák raději vlka ve chlévě i ženu na marách než slunce.
On Hromnice, a farmer would rather have a wolf in his barn or a wife dead than the sun in the sky.