Showing posts with label czech republic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label czech republic. Show all posts

5.14.2015

Prague - Cafe de Paris

A walk through the colorful streets of Prague.

Sometimes I feel like I'll never get caught up blogging about my travels. I love being able to share my photos and experiences, especially as processing the images and writing about what I did allows me live it all over again. Still, I have never been a fast writer, putting words to paper (or web page) will probably always be slow going for me. What I'm trying to say is that the events pictured here happened a while ago. I was in Prague last fall and I'm just now back from 12 days in Paris. I ate and enjoyed steak frites in both cities. First at Cafe de Paris in Prague, then at Le Relais de l'Entrecôte in Paris.

A foggy view up a fall hill in Prague.
Through a shop window.

At Cafe de Paris there's only one thing to order, Steak Entrecôte. You can start with some foie gras or onion soup, but the set menu of salad, bread, steak, and fries is more than enough for the average human. Out first is a generous salad, nicely dressed in a mustard-y vinaigrette, a small plate of sliced baguette on the side. Then, in no time at all, two platters arrive. Steak and fries served in abundance. Your waiter will portion both precisely onto your plate.

Interior
A very pretty salad.
Steak Entrecôte and Frites


Periodically he'll swing by to refill your plate with more steak, more fries, and most importantly, more sauce. It's a lot of food. The beef and fries are good, not great-the beef just a touch chewy, the fries a bit too crisp. Their real task is to serve as vehicles for the secret (as my waiter made sure to inform me) sauce. Rich with butter and loaded with shallots and herbs, it could make an old shoe palatable.

A bubbly bottle of cranberry juice to go with my meal.
I bet I know what they'll order.

It's a comfortable little restaurant. The dining room is intimate yet modern with smartly dressed waiters in waist coats and bow ties. I arrived to an empty restaurant just after opening, around noon, but the small space filled up quickly. By the time I was done every table was full and there was a group waiting. Bring cash! I had read that it was a cash only restaurant during my research, but it completely slipped my mind until I arrived and, thankfully, saw the sign on the door. So I wandered around for a good twenty minutes hunting down an atm to fund my meal.

Mmmm saucey steak and frites
A second serving


Stuffed and happy I headed back out into a foggy Prague to check out the view and library at Strahov Monastery. A few photos for now, I'll leave the rest for a future entry.

A tram in Prague.
Mint & snakes
Good morning.
arches + babies
tram tracks
Books in Strahov Monastery's Theological Hall
The grand Philosophical Hall at the Strahov Monastery
The epic view from Strahov Monastery, hindered a bit by the fog.
From the top of the hill.

2.25.2015

Good Morning, Prague

Sunrise over the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic
My first full day in Prague started with a misty early morning walk across the Vltava. The fog felt so appropriate, shrouding the Art Nouveau facades and pastel exteriors in a bit of mystery. The subtle beauty of the city revealed slowly, quietly the closer I explored.

Biking across the Region Bridge over the Vltava.
A window into Prague's Cafe Savoy.
An elegant breakfast at Cafe Savoy in Prague.
Espresso with milk and water at Prague's Cafe Savoy.

I stopped for breakfast at the lovely Cafe Savoy. All of the servers wear smart white collars, black vests, and bow ties lending an instant elegance to the already stunning interior. Soft boiled eggs are never on the menu in my part of the world. But I wish they were. There's something so satisfying in process of their consumption. Toast soldiers to dip, then a tiny spoon to scoop.

Cafe Savoy houses its own patisserie, check it out downstairs.
The generous bread basket at Cafe Savoy.

Alongside the egg there was sliced cheese and prague ham, plus a barely sweet wedge of nutty marble cake. And a generous bread basket with butter and two jams. And hot chocolate. How could I forget about the hot chocolate? All supplemented by an espresso served in the most beautiful little china cup. In Prague, espressos are often served with a miniature pitcher of steamed milk and a glass of water, it's such a thoughtful touch. Make sure to take a bathroom break before you leave, if only to peek into the pâtisserie where the pastries and breads are made each day.

A misty morning over the Vltava River in Prague.
The oh so elegant, Cafe Savoy in Prague.
The Memorial to the Victims of Communism in Prague.
A bridge to bridge view, Legion to Charles in Prague.
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