Prague Food Festival, Part 1– 3500 Calories Later?

I may have eaten a pound's worth of calories this afternoon. Okay, maybe that's a stretch. It's really the guilt from food indulgence talking. Or maybe I'm trying to deflect from the embarrassing amount of money I willingly gave up (I'm supposed to be on a budget!) to play in the gastro-wonderland that's the Prague Food Festival....

I made it down to the Castle grounds after 4pm, but then spent a sweaty twenty minutes (in heels again! I don't learn....) circumnavigating the cobblestones of Hradcanka Namesti, Loretanska and Uvoz streets, and back up the Radnicke stairs before I ended up right where I had started—the entrance to the food festival. I had completely missed it the first time around!

And there was a long line that wasn't moving. I was irritable, and debated leaving. Then a festival-map distributor walked by. I asked if the event was sold out. She said the gates would open again at 5:30. (To keep the festival from getting crowded organizers sometimes stagger the flow of entrants.) I busied myself studying the map and made note of the restaurants/stations to visit. (The booklet highlighted each restaurant's signature meal.) I didn't have to wait very long. I was inside a few minutes after five.

Entry fee: 400kc. 250kc of which gave me 10 Grand points. No cash-for-food transactions are allowed in the festival. When you run out of points you have to find a “festival bank” and buy another set of 10 points for 250kc. Non-refundable. I ran out of my first 10 points within two food stations. I had barely cracked a quarter of the map. This was going to be an expensive day.

I gambled 4 points at the Ambiente station. A “gamble” because I decided to take a risk and try an item I previously never would have thought to eat—Beef Tartare. Raw meat. And at an outdoor festival? 1) Ambiente is a very good restaurant group here. 2) The tartare portions were small enough that if after the first bite I was immediately turned off it wouldn't feel like a big waste. AND 3) The chefs wore gloves while preparing the meal. (Don't get me started on how many times I've seen people handle food with bare hands in this city. It boggles my mind that it's not a health code violation.)

As it got closer to my turn I almost had a change of heart.

“I've never had tartare before,” I said to the manager at the counter.

“Don't worry,” He reassured me as he took my 4pts. “You'll love it!”

After the first two bites, it occurred to me that the hump one probably needs to overcome to try tartare is the raw meat smell. My sampler tasted great. By the third bite and after, I let the strong flavors of the [pickled?] onions, garlic and spices take over my palate, and I barely smelled the meat. Was I now a tartare convert? Well, I didn't see it become my favorite meal going forward. But I would be willing to try sampler portions in the future.

Next stop was Vikarka. Never heard of the restaurant before. It was the meal listed in the map that caught my attention: Rosemary braised neck of lamb with Zucchini pancake.  I ordered a plate. 7pts. Are you counting? Because I wasn't. Completely forgot that I had spent 4pts at Ambiente. So the chef hands me my portion and then the error of my math dawns on me. Ouch.

Embarrassed, I apologized profusely and promised to return with another point. The chef didn't look convinced—he looked irritated actually—but gave me the food anyway.

It was delish. Loved the smoky, gamey taste of Vikarka's treatment of the lamb, which was also tender and well-marinated. I don't remember much about the zucchini pancake—or more precisely, I didn't concentrate on it because I ended up in a conversation with S., a friendly exchange student from Vancouver, who I had randomly spotted twice before. Couldn't miss/forget her red leather jacket. She had also stood behind me when I came up short at the counter, so she graciously loaned me a point to pay off my debt to Vikarka (a relieved chef), and let me repay her after I found a festival bank.

Speaking of dwindling points, I topped up at the bank to the tune of 20 points—500kc. Did it hurt? A teensy weency bit, but I got over it quickly. I love to eat, and there were 32 more food-drink stations to check out! I certainly could not have called it a day right then. That would be criminal. Ha!

Next to Vikarka was Chateau Mcely. Mcely is actually a luxury spa and green hotel outside of Prague owned by an American, James Cusumano. (I heard him speak at a business school seminar a few months ago, and found his background fascinating—a 50s teen rock'n'roll recording artist, a scientist, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Then falls in love with a Czech woman and moves here to run a five-star eco-hotel. In a nutshell at least. Read extended summaries about him here and here.)

I liked Cusumano's story (and he was a warm speaker) and wanted to give his restaurant my patronage: 2pts for a warm chocolate ginger cake with hazelnut caramel sauce. Pleasantly moist. Addictive sauce. My first sweet tasting and also the start of a ginger-themed afternoon as it would later turn out.

(Part 2)