#2 Restaurant in Praha

To escape our foggy and jet lagged minds, we began our adventure in Praha with a long walk.  Our first culinary stop was a #6 rated restaurant called Vino di Vino.  We were not prepared with reservations, so we were turned away.  A bit disappointed, but not surprised we continued on our mission to clear our minds.  We stopped at a hotel for a snack and some wine and the food was atrocious, so disappointed again we continued our journey.  It was a beautifully warm evening at about half past nine and as we were walking along the river we see Bellevue Restaurant hidden in a building across the boulevard.  Bellevue Restaurant in Praha is rated the #2 restaurant in the city, according to Trip Advisor.  We muted our excitement as we walked in the door and asked if we could have dinner.  After a few minutes, we were seated at one of the best outdoor tables facing the Praha Castle.  

Our server was kind and gracious and when we told him that we just walked in, he was dumbfounded.  A walk in table at the #2 restaurant on a Friday night?  How is that possible?  We we questioning whether we should have divulged that information, but it all worked out and the Domaine Lafond, Roc-Epine, 2009 Lirac began flowing.  This wine came highly recommended by our server and although it is not an expensive wine, it is a beautiful, lighter Southern Rhone Blend which will pair well with most meals.

First up, a cool tomato soup amuse-bouche.  Cool and refreshing to the mouth with subtle flavor.  Next course was lobster risotto and carbonara ravioli.  My favorite of the two dishes was the homemade ravioli Carbonara.  since we are always looking for the perfect carbonara, I wondered, how exactly do you make a carbonara ravioli?  This dish was a complete surprise.  The carbonara sauce was injected in the raviolis and had the dish had pancetta scattered on top.  The creamy, salty carbonara sauce with handmade raviolis won my heart over.  I could rest my quest to find the best carbonara, at least for now.  However, our intent for dining at this restaurant was to try the traditional Czech food.  Next up, a traditional dish of Crispy roasted duck, accompanied by a honey-lavender sauce, homemade sunflower seeds dumpling, and a red and white cabbage.  Growing up, my mother often made traditional Czech meals combining pork, homemade dumplings, and sauerkraut.  This meal at Bellevue reminds me of those dinners at home, but this dish with the homemade sunflower seed dumpling and the honey-lavendar sauce demonstrates an exquisite way to construct that traditional meal.  The duck was crispy and juicy, the dumpling was flavorful and nutty, and the cabbage (which i normally do not enjoy) was slightly tangy and sweet.  

We ended the culinary treat with some sort of chocolate cake, but all I could really remember at that point was the wine.  All in all, a magnificent meal at Bellevue with a lovely castle view in beautiful Praha.