The great surprise of a recent three-day weekend in Prague, was the quality of some of the Czech wines. Usually, when we choose our travel destinations, quality of food is top of mind, but this time our primary motivation was to see the city, which is every bit as beautiful as people say.  We stayed at the Four Seasons and had a room with an incomparable view, overlooking the famous Charles Bridge and encompassing the historic castle. It was unseasonably cold and rainy, but we donned our raincoats and walked the cobble-stoned streets taking in the museum-quality buildings and the enchanting ambiance of this fascinating place.                                                                                                                                     It was a good thing our culinary expectations weren’t high because the opportunities to eat first-rate food were few and far between. Perhaps the food system suffered for too long under Soviet scarcity but if pride of place is reflected in Prague’s top-drawer cooking, I missed it.  The best restaurant by far is Allegra,  Italian-inspired and in the Four Seasons Hotel.  An elegant, fine-dining experience, it is considered by many to be the finest restaurant in Eastern Europe. Certainly, it is the only one to posses a Michelin star. But I really wanted to be dazzled by local specialties and came armed with information on a cutting-edge chef who was supposedly putting a contemporary spin on traditional Czech dishes. Unfortunately, on arrival, I discovered his restaurant had recently closed.  Instead we were directed to an establishment that visiting celebrities frequent along with the locals.  Alas, it delivered on every Czech food cliche. The food was heavy and flavorless and the meat was overcooked.  The traditional potato and wild mushroom soup seemed to be sweetened with sugar. However, the apple strudel in flaky philo pastry and sprinkled with fresh sweet walnuts was good.                                                                                                                                   On a quick perusal, it seemed to me that part of the problem is poor ingredients. I wasn’t in Prague long enough to get a good sense of the food scene, but I could tell from the taste of what I ate that the meats were not naturally-raised.  Nor did I have any confidence that they hadn’t travelled a great distance before being cooked….possibly an explanation for the heavy sauces that finish most dishes.  Only once did I see a reference to  free-range chicken on  a menu and many higher end restaurants advertised that they served Argentinian beef. I suspect there is a lot one could do with Czech classics, but a focus on producing quality ingredients would be a good first step to reviving the cuisine.                                                                                                   Perhaps because terroir has been traditionally associated with wine, we fared quite a bit better in this department.  Our best experience was while dining at Allegra, where the sommelier recommended the wines of Jaromir Gala and Jan Jerie, owners of the Gala Winery in Moravia.  Gala worked as a wine maker in Austria and Canada, as well as in  his homeland before opening the winery in September 2007.  Wine making is in his blood. Both his grand-fathers were wine makers, as was his father, whose career was curtailed by the Soviet regime. Ecological sensitivity in the age-old tradition of his ancestors characterize his approach.  We had the privilege of sampling two of his first offerings, a blend, primarily of Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir.  Both were excellent and bode well for the future of viticulture in the Czech Republic.  Let’s hope the food system takes note and follows suit.

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