Gadling’s European Guide to Drunken Street Hot Dogs

by Grant Martin on

If there is one consistency among the bar scenes in every country I’ve been to it has got to be post drinking pilgrimage for late night food. Whether this is the 24 hour pizza place over on Broadway or the gyro stand under the bridge, nothing hits the spot after a hard night of drinkin’ like three hot dogs, four plates of poutine and a bottle of Powerade.

Over the past year or so I’ve had the opportunity to sample some of the international post-bar hot dog scene. All in the name of Gadling research, my friends. No, I haven’t sampled every street hot dog outside of every bar in every country, but I’d say I’ve had enough ground pig insides to list a few favorites.

  • Third Place: Prague. The standard. The Czech version of late night eats comes from the numerous permanent stands they have scattered between New and Old Town. The dogs are huge, condiments are-a-plenty and the price is a steal.
  • Second Place: Paris (above). The gastronomique. Quality grilled onions and peppers plus delectable core materials knocks this Parisian snack up an order of magnitude on the delicious chart.
  • First Place: Stockholm. The thunderhaus.Three words, ladies and gentlemen, deep fried onions. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier, but the addition if cronions to hot dogs rockets them off the delicious spectrum. I could eat these puppies for breakfast lunch and dinner.

For the record, do not try the late night food in Moscow. You’ll be sorry.

Another Reason why you Should (or Should Not) go to Prague

by Grant Martin on

These days, the word on Prague is out. Back in the nineties it used to be a beautiful Bohemian destination where you could get a good deal on accommodation, beer and souvenir fur hats against the backdrop of a magnificent castle overlooking the city. These perks still apply, its just that everyone knows about it, and they’re all here doing the same thing.

Of particular notice are the volume of young Westerners running around at night. You don’t see them much during the day, but once the sun goes down the percentage of Czech spoken on the street is slowly overtaken with British and American English.

With good reason. Considering the strength of the Pound Sterling and Euro over the Czech Crown, Westerners can drink an evening full of beer here for the same price that they could get a round in the UK. And drink they do. This chap was screaming like a lunatic before he came around the corner, saw us, and immediately went to sleep. Perhaps an apt metaphor for the current state of Prague.

Really At Home On The Road

by Brett Atkinson on

Martha’s recent post about apartments and home rentals as an alternative to staying in hotels was bang on. Across my last few trips I’ve tried to incorporate a few more leisurely nights staying in private homes in local neighborhoods and have usually made bookings through the Vacations Rentals By Owner website.

VRBO lists around 86,000 private homes available for rent in more countries than you’d think, and so far the standard of places I’ve rented has been great. You very quickly find local cafes for breakfast and soon develop an addiction to the local newspaper.

A few of the highlights:

  1. A houseboat in Sausalito, Califorrnia (lazy days on the deck with a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola’s wine)
  2. An apartment in the West Village, New York (hanging out with the locals downstairs at Tavern on Jane)
  3. A flat in central Prague (around 200 metres from Weneceslas Square, but totally quiet)

Thanks to casspixx on Flickr for the pic of one of my favourite New York bars.

Photo of the Day (09/24/07)

by Iva Skoch on

I took this photo last week in Bohdalov, Czech Republic about 150km southeast of Prague. It was a glorious fall morning with fog rolling over the lakes. Clearly, it was not as much about my photography skills as it was about mother nature making a statement but still, I was pretty proud of this photo.

Prague Restaurants Serving High-end Czech Food?!??!

by Neil Woodburn on

Sorry, folks. But no one visits the Czech Republic for the food. Sure, I grew to like it when I lived there, and it was cheap, but unless you like rather bland meat, potatoes and dumplings, then save your palate for finer fare elsewhere.

That’s simply the way it’s been for many years now.

According to a recent New York Times article, however, the Czech culinary scene is surprisingly changing. A number of high-end Czech restaurants serving traditional Czech food (!) are popping up all over Prague. Instead of $1 plates of goulash, the chefs are serving up escabeche, beef tartare, “white tomato meringue, topped with honey and aged balsamic vinegar,” “ravioli, stuffed with diced beef lungs,” and much, much more. Just check out the slide show here!

Journalist Evan Rail recently took a culinary tour of the Czech capital and his review was something I’d expect to find in a place like France or Belgium. But instead, it was all about the long-established doldrums of the culinary world where high-end Czech restaurants are now offering up first class, traditional meals that can run seven courses long and cost hundreds of dollars.

Man, things have come a long way since my first visit in 1990 when they used ketchup to top their pizzas.