Prague Adventures Part III

Another giant Easter Egg

 We started the morning early with Capuccino (that were quite large for regular capuccino... or maybe it's just because everything is smaller in Italy lol). Endira got a croissant but we somehow accidentally ordered apple strudel with ice cream, not exactly my ideal breakfast (especially since I never eat breakfast). There was definitely some kind of mis-communication. But it was a delicious mis-communication. We ate quickly and ran off to do a castle tour.
Of course, there was no castle tour that morning, because there were only 2 of us and they have a 4
person minimum. I suggest making friends at your hostel to make sure you can do the morning tour.
So instead we went exploring on the other side of the river and we did a little light shopping on Charles Bridge on the way. We saw some modern and contemporary art in a park/garden and then we went in search of the Lennon wall.  It was challenging to find but absolutely worth it.  The Lennon wall is a graffiti wall dedicated to Lennon, the Beatles and peace in the world.  I don't know if Lennon had any particular connection to the city, but the wall is beautifully bright and colorful. There are phrases from Beatles songs and mirrors, dedications to the Boston marathon bombing and 9/11 too.
It is a gorgeous and worth trying to find (I suggest asking people... a lot). The maps are not quite clear enough. Ours really only gave us a general sense of where it was.
Right after we stopped for lunch at the John Lennon pub. Delicious but I'll write a separate review of it as

well since I enjoyed it so much.
Then we went to catch the castle tour at 2.  It was great. We had a hilarious tour guide who did a great job improvising as various hilarities and problems turned up. The castle was beautiful and very interesting as it wasn't what I typically imagine when I think of castles. From a distance, yes, close up no. It had a lot of different structures that encompassed "the castle" including a gorgeous cathedral, half of which was constructed in the 12th century and the other half in the 19th and 20th centuries. It's gorgeous and gothic and almost seamless between the 2 halves. I especially loved the gorgeous colors of the stained glass.

The monastery brewery

When we were done with the castle, we almost separated from our tour guide but he promised a spectacular view and as a bonus he took us to a local brewery, aka monastery. The monks brew their own special beer and it's delicious.
Then we wandered back down the hill for our 7pm ghost tour in the catacombs below the clock tower. It was quite atmospheric and far more creepy than our night walk. Our tour guide definitely had the right tone of voice to go with his stories. We even dragged one of our hostel friends with us and he enjoyed it as well.  We walked through the catacombs in the dark with little lanterns. It was quite atmospheric, especially with the cold air gathering around us and the lamps casting odd shadows in the corners.
Afterwards we decided to grab our last restaurant dinner at a restaurant in center called La Bohemia. It was really good so I'm glad we let the guy out front convince us to go in and sit down. I finally got to try my tradition Czech roast duck.  It came with a sweet sauce and traditional gravy. It was also

supposed to come with sauerkraut but I've never really been a fan so I asked our waiter to switch it for mashed potatoes. The waiter did argue a bit and said that the sauerkraut would have gone better but in the end he brought me my plate with mashed potatoes (and a mini serving of sauerkraut hidden underneath the duck) so I was quite pleased. The mashed potatoes were relatively bland but really worked with the sweet sauce, rich gravy, and juicy duck. I was quite the happy camper.  Endira enjoyed her steak and potatoes while our new friend tried the traditional goulash for the first time. Oh and you know that we got some beers to go with our meal as well.

And then finally we were back in the hostel where I packed our bags and pulled an all nighter because we had to leave the hostel at 4:45am.  Sleeping seemed quite pointless to me so I just made friends in the hostel.  And then at the airport I had some apple juice and a tasty double chocolate muffin for energy to stay awake till lift off.
And then we were back in Rome. It was a short trip, but I've definitely fallen in love with Prague. It's a gorgeous city with so much to see and do and it feels amazingly comfortable to me.

Prague Adventures Part I
Prague Adventures part II

First Night out and Restaurant Review: Cul de Sac

Since getting to Rome Monday morning, I've been running around like a crazy person. I've been teaching and lesson planning and generally trying to get to know my surroundings. I was so tired and jetlagged that that's all I could manage.
So Wednesday night was my first official night out in Rome. I walked past the Colisseum and wandered to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. My friend has been living in Rome and suggested that we go to Cul de Sac, an awesome little restaurant behind Piazza Navona.  I'd actually been there once before with her about 2 years ago and I definitely had good memories of it.
I was very excited to go there again, to eat the food, but also because I get to blog about it too!

We got there on the late side so we had no trouble getting a seat. However, if you're going between 7 and 9 I'd recommend making a reservation since it's pretty popular and regularly crowded.  I love this restaurant for its convenient location (it's near some wonderful Roman piazzas) and because the prices are pretty reasonable.  The inside of the restaurant is relatively rustic with a nice casual feel that in part comes from the exposed pipes and ceiling pipes. The rest of the atmosphere I think comes from the sheer quantity of wine bottles on the wall. You cannot be unhappy with so much wine present. Also, the waitstaff is very helpful and very informative.

Their wine list is extensive and ranges in prices. The cheapest (and yet still fantastic bottle) is around €10 while the most expensive is quite up there. We decided to go with a €15 cabernet recommended by our server. It was light and a little sweet but quite delicious.

Oh, and let's not forget about the food!!

The food is non traditional Italian with lots of wonderful flavors that you won't necessarily find elsewhere.  In the past I've tried their pasta and so has my friend, and we both loved them. This
time however, Endira was in the mood for meatballs in a white wine sauce with mashed potatoes. I know, it sounds like an odd combination. However, these meatballs are some of the best I've ever eaten and they're presented quite simply on the plate. The meatballs are light and moist and baked while the wine sauce has a hint of sweetness from the wine but is not overpowering and adds a lovely balance to the dish since it really unites the meatballs with the mashed potatoes. Now, I know, Italy is not known for mashed potatoes in any way, shape or form. Italy is known for pasta and pizza, but these mashed potatoes are divine. In Italy, it is rare to find a mashed potato that is not too "pureed" down. Often they are too starchy or too liquid... But these mashed potatoes, mmm so good. They're reminiscent of home without being too "American." The flavoring and spicing with the white wine sauce very much say "Italian."
Ok, so, I really enjoyed that dish, even though it wasn't what I actually chose to order.
I decided to go for something a little strange as an entree. I didn't order a first (pasta) or a second (some kind of meat). I decided to get an appetizer and I'm quite glad I did. However, many of you will find this odd.  I had patè as an entree.
Yes, patè, liver...

Their unique patè list in English

Ok, most of you, at this point are thinking bleh, liver! But chicken liver is a specialty in Florence and I tried it there for the first time. I used to think, "Gross, who would eat that?" until out of politeness I finally tried it. It's actually quite delicious. Crostini toscani (bread with chicken patè) is served warm and creamy with a hint of sweetness that complements the saltless Tuscan bread.

3 kinds of patè

I haven't had patè in over a year since I was last in Florence and I had honestly never even stopped to consider that there would be other kinds of patè.  That is, until I saw this amazing menu. It has 8 kinds of different and unique patès. I loved the idea of these different flavors and decided to try a combo of patè; 3 patès for €10.80. I wanted to get this as a starter to share but Endira doesn't love patè and I figured I'd eat most of it alone, so why not just get 3 to try a few. I decided to try the more traditional liver patè with cognac, the pheasant patè with truffle and the venison patè with black peppercorn. The patè came served with toasted slices of Italian style bread, but it was a little too crunchy for me, so I ate my patè with the regular bread brought to the table at the beginning of the meal.
My favorite of the three was the pheasant probably because it was the most reminiscent of the Florentine. Pheasant is a small wild bird that is slightly more gamey than chicken. Prepared this way, it was light and not too dense with just a hint of truffle. I actually would have loved to taste more truffle in it, but I think this was a great balance so none of the flavors were too overwhelming. My next favorite was the liver patè with the cognac. It had a lovely sweet flavor that made me really happy. However, as I ate more the sweet flavor began to be all I could taste. I think it's best in small doses. My least favorite was the venison pate. It had a definite gamey feel that I didn't overtly mind but it was definitely denser than the other two. My only other issue with it was the peppercorn. It was only on one edge of the patè fortunately, but twice I bit into one. If you've bever bitten into a peppercorn, I don't know that I recommend it.  Pepercorns lend lots of flavor to a dish, but if you bite into them unexpectedly they pack quite a punch. One that I was frankly unprepared for. It was still tasty, but definitely not for someone who doesn't appreciate some kick.  I would try some of the other patès next time, but I think I'd like to go in a larger group to share a combo platter. The servings of patè were quite large and would make a great starter for a party of 4 that enjoys patè.
As for me, next time I may get the meatballs again since they were mouthwateringly good. Otherwise the duck ravioli seemed to sing my name too.

Afterwards, although we were both full, I couldn't resist ordering a dessert. For some reason, even though Endira and I both speak Italian very well, they kept giving us English menus. Now the savory portion of the menu was translated relatively well, the dessert was not even close. Here is what I recommend asking your server to explain the dessets. Some of them honestly sounded fascinating once our waiter told us what they were. Try the "coppetta incredibile" the English translation is something like "the house sundae". The menu does not offer a

La copetta incredibile

translation but after speaking to our waiter I decided that it would be worth trying for their homemade whipped cream alone.
As it turns out, this incredible cup has a layer of sweet cream, followed by a layer of freshly cut strawberries drizzled with some kind of beautiful sweet liquor. It is then topped with "marshmallow" puffs and home made whipped cream. On top of the whipped cream was a sprinkling of freshly ground pistachio. Oh my goodness, I think I just about died. This thing was light and airy and didn't weigh on the already full stomach but it was packed with flavor.  The cream itself was mild and the strawberries super fresh and dripping with flavor. The marshmallow puffs were not like the marshmallows that we roast over campfires or those that we put in hot chocolate. There are somewhat reminiscent of the marshmallows in Lucky Charms. However, they have a more grown up flavor that I don't quite know how to describe. Next time, I eat at Cul de Sac I'm going to ask exactly what they're called in Italian so I can find out what they are in English too. And their whipped cream was delicious and actually fresh. It was especially beautiful with that little added crunch of the pistachios.
Needless to say I really enjoyed that dessert. Also needless to say, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. So I must bid you adieu and goodnight. I have another long day of teaching ahead of me tomorrow!!

Recipe: Cherry Guinea Fowl with smooth mashed potatoes

1/2 a guinea fowl cut into sections (any gamey bird will do really)
1 piece of garlic (peeled)
1-2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup brandy
2 tbs cherry jam
1/2 cup halved and pitted cherries
Water as necessary

4 medium/large potatoes
1/2 stick butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Cherry Guinea Fowl with Pureed Mashed Potatoes

Place the potatoes and a good pinch of salt into a pot of water. Bring to a boil and let cook until fork tender.

Then coat a large saucepan with oil. On high heat toast the garlic and then sear the outside of each piece of guinea fowl. Remove the garlic when toasted, and put into the pot with the potatoes to finish cooking. When a nice golden color is achieved on the Guinea fowl, lower the heat and add the brandy and cherry jam.  Cover and add water as the alcohol starts to evaporate.

When the Guinea fowl is cooked through and tender remove from the pan to rest. Lower the heat on the pan and add the cherries and more water and brandy if necessary. Slowly cook the liquids down until the sauce thickens. You can add a pinch of cornstarch or flour to speed up the process.

Drain the water from the potatoes (leaving about a tbs or 2 tbs of liquid). Add the butter and smash with a fork. For really smooth mashed potatoes, use a hand mixer. The starch will really break down and will give you a more liquid result. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a side salad. For lovely presentation, serve the Guinea fowl over a bed of the mashed potatoes and ladle the cherry sauce on top.  Beautiful and delicious.

-Raspberry Truffle.