When traveling in Europe, I think half the thrill is experiencing good food and good drink with good friends.  Over the years, I’ve developed this uncanny knack for searching out and finding cool little places to eat and drink.  My rule is always go for the local stuff.  To do that, you’ve often got to get out of your comfort zone, venture sometimes into the unknown, and even be willing to accept embarrassment or ridicule… but the pay-off is most always worth the effort.

CZECH REPUBLIC – Czech food is heavy.  Couple that with a pint or three of their fine pilsner and you’ve got way too much to fill your belly!  Honestly, you’ve got to plan your eating strategies when dining on traditional Czech fare.  I was in Prague recently and I sat down to lunch on a dreary, rainy day at restaurant U procvaznice, which literally means “the rope maker” in the Czech language.  This was the second time I had eaten lunch at this traditional establishment.  On this particular day I was in the company of Andrea, a local Prague guide, who had shown me and my group around Prague.  After four hours of touring we were ready to eat, and man was this the place to fill up!

Just look at the stuff on my plate in the photo.  Roasted pork, potato dumplings, more potatoes, cabbage, all covered with gravy.  I bet there was 4000 calories on that plate but believe me, they were fittin’ calories.  Here is a sample from this restaurant’s main course menu:

  • Tenderloin with cream sauce
  • The True Master’s Goulash
  • Two Wiener Schnitzel
  • A Quarter of Roast Duck 
  • Old Prague Plate for Two
  • Roasted pig’s Leg with Horseradish and mustard
  • Pig’s Leg of Bertha the Beauty (Roasted in Beer)
  • Piquant Ribs waiting to be Picked Clean
  • Fried Trout in Almond Jacket

Click on the link to the U procvaznice website for a complete run down of the restaurant, the history, and the atmosphere.  This place is off the normal tourist path, although it is listed in several guide books.  On the occasions I’ve eaten here my friends and I have been the only speakers of English. That’s a good recommendation!

-David

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