U Kalendu - Review - Vyšehrad - Prague - The Infatuation

"During the communist days, U Kalendu would open at six in the morning, when blue collar workers would have a morning pick-me-up in the form of a pint of beer. As one does. Or at least, as one did. The days of questionably pounding a few morning pints before operating heavy machinery are long gone and now this quasi-subterranean tavern, located on the banks of the Vltava River, is a spruced-up, smart place with new wooden floors, dark wood walls, and sturdy oak tables. The kitchen is inspired by British chef Fergus Henderson ofSt. Johnin London, an early advocate of snout-to-tail dining. Hence, the menu is a Mitteleuropa meat-a-palooza with roasted duck hearts and stomachs, grilled pig snout, sweatbreads, pan-roasted veal kidney, and grilled veal liver. It’s not all pork byproducts and baby cow guts, though. The beef tartare is one of the best versions in the city and the guinea fowl stuffed with roasted vegetables goes well with the unfiltered Pilsner Urquell on tap." - David Farley