Meet a local: Lukas Svoboda of Lokal

source: archiv Ambiente

We met Lukas Svoboda, the man in charge of beers for the ubiquitous Ambiente group of restaurants, at the beer pairing he organized in the Cestr restaurant. We immediately liked him to the point where we started planning his abduction and involuntary service in our apartment. (We do that with chefs or baristas or bartenders that we like - is that wrong?) We have also, for the longest time, thought of signing up for his draughting school at Lokal u Bile kuzelky. Six hours full of nothing but beer and food? Sounds about right. 
 
We met him for the interview in Lokal u Bile kuzelky, his home pub. He was talking to the regulars and clearly in command of the place. It is absolutely clear that he loves beer and his guests, and it is even cleared that they love him back. And why wouldn’t you? Always smiling and talking with a slight Moravian accent, Lukas is the best promoter of Czech beer we could think of. He was, of course, having a glass of unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell from the big 500 litre tank.

When did you taste your first beer?
I may have tasted my first beer when I was fifteen or sixteen. I could not drink at home, so it was with my friends, in secret. I was not impressed. For me, it was the cheapest alcoholic drink. But I was social and alcohol was a thing associated with parties. I preferred Coke or Pepsi. Seemed more interesting. It all changed when I began working at U Pinkasu. I was intrigued by how the bartender pampered the beer and how the beer created a community of regulars.
And then my buddy and I opened Konvikt in Bartolomejska street. I was there for 3.5 years. I managed to take all the good things I learned at U Pinkasu and leave all the bad things there. It created a great community of regulars and friends. And that’s where the inspiration for the draughting school came from: the bartender should be a personality, have a relationship with the customers and have respect for the beer. We want to teach that.

source: archiv Ambiente

How did you end up at Lokal?
Mr Karpisek, the owner, had a vision for an honest Czech pub: Lokal. He started looking for people and he heard about me. It was funny: Tomas and his pals were coming regularly over to check me out, just smiling and nodding at me when I worked. He was introduced to me and asked me later to take care of the beer at Lokal. That was in 2009, about five months before the opening. I focused only on beer and on the draughting school. 
I was a young gun, and now I wanted to introduce the alternative pours: the “sweet", the “snyt" and so on. These beers were available only to a few regulars at two or three pubs but not to the general public. The older bartenders did not like it: they though it was just theirs. Now it’s common place. And we keep adding more: the beer aperitifs at Cestr, and now Radlers, or Shandys, at Lokal.   

What is the story behind the draughting school?
When we opened Konvikt, Mr Berka, the master brewer at Pilsner Urquell, really liked it. And he mentioned he would love to see a school where the best bartenders would share their experiences. That was 2007, and the school was opened at 2011. I had no premises at Konvikt, but I do have them at Lokal. Also, Ambiente [group of restaurants] gives me lots of freedom. At first, the school was targeting professionals but then we said no: we would open it to the public. Six hours of beer history, beer pairing and training. 

source: archiv Ambiente

Our US guests say the tank Pilsner Urquell tastes completely different than the thing they get there.

When you have a beer from the keg, it is important that you drink it as fresh as possible. We buy Pilsner Urquell for our NYC pub from the local distributor and always make sure it is not older than two months. We want the kegs to be all empty within three months of production. 
What is interesting that the wholesale price of Pilsner Urquell is nearly the same here as it is in the US. The difference is in the markup. Cheap beer is a Czech tradition: for nearly 50 years, the Communists centrally planned beer production and they just made two types of beer in huge numbers with a set price. Just domestic barley and hops, no imports for specialty beers. The production was motivated politically.  
In the 17th century, we had 3000 breweries in the Czech Republic. Tiny ones. Every town had at least one. Before WWI, the number dropped to about 600, and at the end of WWII, we only had 200: the wars really took their toll. And at the end of 1989, we only had 48 huge breweries. Now we are seeing a revival of smaller breweries: we have 46 big breweries and about 240 smaller ones. The funny thing is that we have nearly 300 breweries but only 90 master brewers. :-) 

Besides Pilsner Urquell, what beers do you like?

I love small, craft breweries. I travel around the world and try them. On principle, I like any beer that is well poured. And that’s a problem. We have good beers but the bartenders don’t know how to pour them. Antos is great, and I have liked Matuska for a long time. Well, there are many. I chose Antos for Nase maso because it goes well with the meat. Now they’ll have the 10 degree beer for the summer. It’s great. 

Do you miss any beer on the market?
Many. I still miss high-quality beers. We still have reserves. We can do better. For instance, the cyclist’s 8 at Hostivar brewery is fantastic. 

 source: archiv Ambiente

Your favorite venues?
Whenever they pour beer well. Lokals, of course. Konvikt, Malostranska beseda, Tygr because of the atmosphere, Bredovsky dvur, U Pinkasu for one beer. I don’t have one place that would be my favorite. I like to try new things.    

Your favorite Sunday or Saturday?
When the weather is bad, I like to have a lie down and read a beer-related book, or go see a movie or listen to some music. When the weather cooperates, I do my favorite pastime: downhill mountain bike riding. Otherwise I like to go to the great outdoors, especially when combined with a visit of my family in the Beskydy mountain. That’s great. Oh, and I have actually tried golf for the first time and I think I will like it!
  
Where do you go for beer in Prague?
I only visit venues that treat the beer properly. I primarily watch how the beer is poured, especially with my favorite, Pilsner Urquell. I am very strict about that. In that respect, I like all Lokals, Konvikt, Malostranska Beseda, Tygr etc. and then I like small craft breweries more and more – Strahov, Beznoska, Hostivar… But again, I like to try new things.
 
What are four beers visitors to Prague should taste?
If I were to have my four last beers in Prague, I would have Pilsner Urquell at Lokal, the dark lager at U Fleku – although the place is super touristy, their beer is great! Hostivar 15° at Hostivar – it’s damn good. And finally unfiltered Radegast at Konvikt with the regulars at their table.

source: archiv Ambiente

Meet a local: Hana Michopulu of Sisters Bistro

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We have a confession to make. Hana Michopulu was an inspiration to us even before we met. It took only one year at law school for Zuzi to realize that law was not her calling and she remembers reading the food section of the Marianne magazine and later the Apetit magazine, which was founded by Hana, thinking it would be great to have a job like hers. Jan was discovering his love for food through the Apetit magazine and even bought Hana’s cookbook for his mom as a Christmas present because she mentioned it. Of course, he marked all the recipes he liked in the book first.

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So we dare say that if you love food and have lived in the Czech Republic for some time, you know who Hana Michopulu is: a food writer, former editor-in-chief of the Apetit magazine - the most popular food magazine here, a cookbook author and the founder of the first farmers’ markets here. To sum it up, she is one of the most visible and popular personalities on the culinary scene in Prague.

About half a year ago, she and her sister opened their own bistro that focuses on the “chlebicek”, the classic Czech open-faced sandwich, marrying the traditional recipes with some modern, Scandinavian-inspired trends. It became an instant hit: so much so that we have changed the route of our tour and now start at her place. We met her to talk about her place and food in the Czech Republic in general.

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Why did you decide to open Sisters?

I used to work in print media but that field is now struggling and I have really achieved all I could in print, anyway. Then some changes happened in my personal life and I needed to look for new opportunities. We visited a friend in Vienna and went to Trzesniewski, which is a classic, retro place for bread and spreads, similar to the Czech chlebicek. The chlebicek was a logical choice but I could not find a take on it that would make sense to me. I wanted something modern.. And then a friend said it: Scandinavia! The smorrebrod, the detective stories, the fashion: it’s a trend now! It all made sense.

What do you think makes chlebiceks special?

I really like small plates and dishes because you can taste more of them in one sitting. So to me, chlebicek is a small dish that packs lots of flavor. For me, the big Czech portions mean you get bored halfway through the plate. On the contrary, chlebicek is a dish that should give you lots of flavor in a small package but also satisfy your hunger.

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Your favorite chlebicek?

Definitely Prague ham and potato salad. It’s not really a looker compared to some other varieties, and most travelers don't order it unless I point it to them. But it is the best. I use Cornishons rather than Czech pickles - I don’t particularly like how sweet they can be sometimes. They tend to overpower everything else in the potato salad.

We know that you are trying to small, organic suppliers. Do you have challenges finding certain ingredients?

Not really. I made lots of friends when I organized the farmers’ markets. I can even convince some farmers to grow exactly the radishes I want because I will buy them all.

But things have improved overall. Even the big food wholesalers have been inspired by the success of the farmers’ markets and now offer organic produce from local sources. You can really get nearly anything on the market these days. Many people love to complain about the variety of food available here in the Czech Republic but I really believe finding good ingredients is no longer a major problem.

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You’ve been into food as long as we can remember so in our eyes, you must know everyone. Is there anyone whom you admire in the industry? 

That’s easy. Tomas Karpisek (the founder and owner of the Ambiente group of restaurants). Have you seen the magazine they now give away in their restaurants? It is really a reflection of who he and the entire company are: they simply love food. They don’t just buy meat. They really reinvent an entire animal and recreate the traditional farming methods based on historical sources. He was a mentor to me when I opened the bistro. When we opened, we let him in and asked for feedback. He ate some chlebiceks, walked around, looking at things silently. We were so nervous! Then he said: “You need a tray for tips.” That was it! We were happy.

Where do you like to eat out in Prague?

I like Sansho or the Lokal in the Dlouha street. I haven’t had the chance to really eat out that often recently, but these two come to mind first.

What do you do on your days off? Your ideal Saturday?

We live in a village near Prague so we go to Prague to see an exhibition, have a walk around, do some shopping for the girls. If we have two or three days off, we like to visit some nearby European cities: Vienna, Munich etc. But sometimes I also love to get away, walk in the forests, enjoy the sun. I have also recently picked up golf so that’s one of my hobbies now, too. 

Do you have a favorite junk food? Guilty pleasures?

Yes, I do. Potato chips and mayonnaise. I consider myself a connoisseur of mayonnaise, I’ve done extensive research on the topic and I love the one we use in the bistro. It’s only for wholesale (but now you can buy it at Sisters). It feels so wrong when I take a 1kg bottle home from work. I can eat it on its own but often with vegetables and other things. As for chips, just salted, no additional flavors. Preferably in bed. 

What ingredient couldn’t you live without?

Tomatoes. Love them.

What is something about you most people don’t know?

I don’t know… I have completed the two-week Le Cordon Bleu crash course in London. It was intense, super expensive but definitely worth it. And it was in London, too... :-)

Meet a local: Mr Ksana of Nase Maso

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Mr Ksána and we go way back. When we started Taste of Prague about two and half years ago, we did home cooking classes, too, and inevitably ended at the Ksana and son butcher shop for meat. It was the same all the time: four people in the line in front of you, but you waited for 20 minutes because Mr Ksana jr. (the “son” in the name of the establishment) would explain everything to everyone, sharing recipes and tips. The side effect? Everyone (including us) was going out with two bags of meat instead of the one cut they wanted to buy in the first place.

About a year ago, the son left the father and joined forces with AMaso, the butcher shop project by the almightily Ambiente Group. For a long time, you could only buy meat from them online but now, about two months ago, the project culminated with the opening of the Nase maso ("Our Meat”) butcher shop at the Dlouha street. Immediately it became one of our two favorite butcher shops in town (another being the wonderful Real Meat Society with their amazing organic and sustainable meat sold separately or in the popular farmer’s boxes). And not only ours: the shop that sells raw meat, sausages and ham (along with organic eggs, dairy products and spice) and also prepares some burgers, steaks and meat loaf on the spot became very popular.

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We met with Mr Ksana for the interview on a Tuesday morning before the opening time in a small cafe opposite the butcher shop. Throughout the time we spent there, you could see his eyes locked on the shop whenever he registered any activity, losing his string of thought. The diagnosis is clear: Mr Ksana is a total workoholic. We like that. It was also hard to steer the interview to anything but the meat. Mr Ksana is a butcher from head to toe, and a really nice person at that. We like that, too.

Have you ever, in your life, thought of being something other than a butcher?

I still want to be a pilot. It’s a big dream for me. My grandpa was a pilot. But I'm colorblind so it is likely to remain a hobby for me: I have a powered paraglide at home, though. But I love to do pretty much anything. I get very excited about different things. But pilot is still the no. 1 dream for me.

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Why Nase Maso? Why the split from your dad?

Have you ever worked with your parents? I have. For twenty years. :-) My father is the nicest guy in the world but unfortunately, he always chose business partners who betrayed him. So he became a bit mistrustful and very stubborn: it's either his way or nothing at all. I always had an idea in my head for the butcher shop but could not push it through my dad. 

These high-end butcher shops are nothing new but they were missing here. So me and Mr Karpisek put it together: I sketched up a few ideas and Mr Karpisek added some of his own. My father and I became known because we sold sausages to the former Allegro restaurant (the first Michelin-star restaurant in Prague) and to Emanuele Ridi (one of the most famous TV chefs here in the Czech Republic) and appeared in the Apetit food magazine. But my father has never liked the publicity.

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What are you trying to do with the butcher shop?

We call it "our meat" because the animals are raised the way we want them to be. Our manager visits farms around the Czech Republic, and the farms raise the animals specifically for us because they know we will buy the meat from them: they would get less money from the slaughterhouse because the meat is too fatty for them. We control all the details, incl. the slaughtering process. Then we take the meat to our facility and we dry age it ourselves. That's why we call it "our meat".

The same thing happens with the Prestice pigs (an old Czech breed of pigs). We cooperate with the Mladotice farm, now we work with a new Moravian farm in Cejc and so on. We try to get more farms involved because we want to do the proper Prague ham and we need more Prestice pigs available. And we do retail at Nase Mase and wholesale at A-Maso.

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What should a tourist in Prague order at your butcher shop?

Exactly what you are getting for your tours: the meatloaf, Prague ham, our hot dogs. 

And why?

Because they are really good and I love them myself! I have now spent a year and a half in the production facilities, tasting things and trying different recipes. We really use no chemicals or additives. That means our meat will do you no wrong. It's all good and natural and it tastes great.

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Where do you go for a meal yourself?

I'd love to visit many places :-) But I mostly eat in our butcher shop and when I want some alone time, I go to the Lokal pub nearby. And at home. We love to eat at home. My dad has finally built a house so we like to meet there with my family.

And where do you go with your kids?

I don't want to sound like an Ambiente salesman here, but my family and I love Cafe Savoy. The schnitzel there is perfect. And we love going outdoors, sit in the grass, grill a sausage over a fire and enjoy the sunset. I love to spend time with my family: we start with a big breakfast and then leave Prague and do something outdoors, e.g. in the Brdy forests nearby. 

And your favorite vegetarian restaurant?

What? Could you pick one?

Meet a local: Karen of ARTEL Glass

We met Karen, the owner of ARTEL Glass, by mere coincidence. We had been recommending her glass work and her shop for a long time to our guests, and her Prague: ARTEL Style Guide - the best Prague guide in our opinion - lies by the bed of our Prague rental apartment. When Beth, one of our guests, told us she wanted to try glass blowing here in the Czech Republic, we just gave it a try and wrote an email to Karen. She called us back within an hour… on a Sunday. Later we took her along on one of our tours and our guests absolutely loved her and her stories from Prague, which we think may have lead to some actual sales in her shop later on. 

The ARTEL shops are great. They sell both the original glass works, all designed by Karen and made here in the Czech Republic, and a selection of jewelry and other items by local designers. They also sell quirky local artifacts like the infamous Mikov fish-knife, an absolute necessity for any 10-year old when we were kids, or Antiperle, the 1960s Czechoslovak answer to the Tic Tac. We love the works by ARTEL for their colors and design. They have recently opened a third shop at the Platnerska street.  

Why did you come to Prague and why did you stay?

I came to Prague in 94’ to work for a shampoo start-up and my only qualification was that I could be trusted. But after 10 months they moved me to Phoenix, Arizona. It was not for me. So I moved back to Prague 8 months later. I had studied fine art photography, so I wanted to do something creative – yet business oriented. When I looked around and saw Czech did a lot of glass, I decided this is the industry I wanted to work in. I wrote a letter to Moser offering to be a free-intern, but I never heard back from them. So I just started my own company. I saw an article about the original ARTEL in a magazine called Glass Review, and the rest is history. I never planned to stay really.

Have things changed since the beginnings?

Tremendously, at the beginning, you would cue for everything. The service was painful, and it still is in some places. The buildings had no colors. Prague is a noble city now. Also, back then you could clearly tell who was Czech and who was a tourist. Now you can’t anymore. 

How did the Prague travel guide come about? 

When I was going to open my first store, I decided to make an add-on-purchase that would be a shopping guide as people were always asking for my recommendations. The store got delayed and the book good bigger so I ended up with a complete Prague travel guide. The process took one year start to finish. 

Your favorite places to eat?

The best bagel and lox in Prague is served at the Augustine Hotel. It’s surprisingly affordable and a big part of the experience is their extensive newspaper collection. I also love to go for croissant and coffee to La Bottega di Finestra bistro in Platnerska street. I like Café Savoy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There aren’t many places that do all three well – so Café Savory is a real find. I must say I also love the “Strudel Man”, i.e. the Susta strudel in the Zizkov district. It’s really just a hole in the wall operation and he seems genuinely annoyed by any customer but I love the oddities of it all so it makes for a memorable experience, and the strudel also happens to be great. Finally, for a local experience, I would visit the U Sadu pub in Vinohrady. It’s surprisingly good and its nice to be drinking and eating with the locals. I would, however, recommend to sit either upstairs or outside as the downstairs is disgusting.

Your favorite place outside of Prague?

We recently visited and loved Capi hnizdo, a farm just behind Benesov. It is owned by Mr. Babis (one of the richest Czechs and now the Finance Minister) and it is absolutely beautiful: it’s an organic farm with a restaurant, hotel, indoor swimming pool and other facilities too. The farm and the premises are so pristine you keep thinking: “do the animals actually poop?” 

What are your favorite places to visit with your daughter?

We like to visit Cafe Savoy and then the parks in Prague: Riegrovy sady or Stromovka. We also like the kiddie train at the Zofin Island. Another good tip is the swimming pool at the Intercontinental hotel. It’s a salt water pool; it’s a bit more expensive but it’s great. 

Your perfect Saturday?

My perfect Saturday would be spent antiquing. I love the bazars in Prague including the ones at the Zizkov train station. In downtown I like the smaller, specialized shops where you can spend time hunting for that perfect fabulous find. After that, I would go to The Augustine for the bagel and lox and to read the weekend paper. Finally, to finish the day I would then head to the Mandarin Oriental Spa for a Time Ritual spa treatment (ideally 3 hours if I am feeling indulgent). And for dinner, I would head to Sansho or La Finestra as they never let me down

Your secret shopping address?

OK, I am going to let you in on a little secret – this is my all-time favorite shopping haunt for vintage in Prague: P&J Bazar. I love sifting through piles of necklaces in search of a fabulous find – there always seem to be one! You’ll need more patience than money in your treasure hunt here, but the atmosphere is fun and well organized and the prices low. I’ve had very good luck with costume jewelry and novelties here, but I encourage you to check out the picture gallery on their website so you can see the full scope of buying possibilities at this little gem.

Meet a local: Dominika and Hanka of Café Jen

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We've been saying it for years and we'll say it again: there's nothing like starting a day with a good breakfast. If you are like us, you will like Café Jen at the Kodanska street in the Vrsovice district just a few minutes off the tourist centre. Since its opening, Café Jen has gained quite a reputation for relaxed atmosphere, good coffee, great breakfasts all day and home-made cakes. They were even mentioned by Adam of EMA Espresso Bar as one of Prague cafes serving great coffee when we interviewed him for these series.

What makes Café Jen really special, in our eyes, are the two owners and bosses, Dominika and Hanka. Former classmates at university in Brno, Moravia, they enjoyed the Brno café scene during their studies to the fullest but were longing to open their own place one day. After Hanka returned from her travels, their dream came true not in Brno but in Prague instead. Their café is a labour of love: their tidily kept chronicle of the café shows their moms sewing the pillows and their boyfriends moving in and assembling furniture. 

You can feel the love and dedication not only in the venue itself but in everything they serve. During our interview at the small bar, Dominika and Hanka exchanged roles as baristas, bakers, chefs and waiters, while talking about the places they love, and they do love them: in the days leading up to the interview, we are bumping into Dominika in various cafes so much it felt like we were stalking her (we were not, just for the record). We asked them a few questions but we could just keep talking and chatting with them the whole day. And that what makes their place special for us: the time stops for a while and you just relax... and have some breakfast.

When not in your own cafe, where can we bump into you?

D: Here in the district? Definitely the Jiriho z Podebrad farmers' market here. We like to buy things there.   

H: Gastromica is a nice new opening close to the place we live. I like it there..:o). Kofein is also great for some tapas and wine or some lunch. 

D: What really wowed me recently is Kastrol - great food and not rushed. We went there with my boyfriend and liked it: lots of families, big tables, just a place to get away and have an honest meal.

H: And, of course, Můj šálek kávy, Kavárna pražírna and EMA Espresso Bar - great places, too.  We can´t miss our favourite tiny Mezi Zrnky café, actually you can find us pretty often there.

D: Tricafé in the centre - love that place. I like to walk through the centre and Tricafé is a nice stop for take-away coffee or just to sit down for a bit. The staff is super nice and the bench outside is a great place for a rest in the summer.

Can you describe your ideal Saturday?

D: I have thought about this, actually, and I have come up with two ideal Saturdays: one when I am at work and people are having breakfasts here at Café Jen. Then I am happy to be here because my favorite meal of the day is breakfast so I love having people over for breakfast or for our weekend breakfast specials.  

So this is one plan. And when I have a Saturday off, I love going somewhere for breakfast. In the summer, we have take-away coffee from Kavovy klub at the Jiriho z Podebrad farmers' market on our way to Mezi zrnky, or go for the omelette at Cafe Slagr. That's lunch rather than breakfast. 

H: My ideal Saturday? I would have breakfast here at Café Jen or at Gastronomica. Then I would go out for a walk through the Stromovka park, head over to the Svata Klara vineyards for some wine and chill-out on the sun, or have a run in the Kunraticky forest. Then perhaps go back along the river, stop for some more wine at Na brehu Rhony, and then... bed time! :-)

Would you suggest any trips outside of Prague?

H: I love to visit my home town of Opava and the Jeseniky mountains - the most beautiful Czech mountains in my mind. Everyone should go there...:o)

D: Outside of Prague? Brno (the capital of Moravia). I would visit our friends in the V melounovem cukru café, then the Industra café, have a cup of coffee at Saggio Cafe, a stroll on the Kravi hora...

H: Bistro Franz for me..The Veveri area is exciting: Rosebud, an "alternative flower shop", Preclik, a "snack shop", and Patizon, a "vegetable boutique", are all owned by Ms Rozarka Stresovska. All their shops are magical and lovely.

D: We like Pastyr with their halusky, Cattani pasta bar, Tri ocasci and so on...

H: I really miss café Avia here in Prague... and Bar, který neexistuje.

D: What is great about Brno is that everything is really close to each other so it is always worth a trip. If you where to do a tour there, you would be fine with walking everywhere.

And your secret shopping address?

H: Papelote. I love it there! And in terms of food, I really like Sklizeno.

D: I must say I like Gran Moravia, their cheeses and butter. They have a shop in Brno, too. We also buy things from the Jezkuv statek farm. Their food is good. 

Alright, so where is Café Jen?

Café Jen

Kodanska 37, Prague

Open Mon 8-19, Tue-Fri 8-21.30, Sat 9.30-21.30, Sun 9.30-9