I dream of dorts

One of my favorite things in the world, is food. Specifically eating new foods in new places from anywhere besides American chain restaurants.

While the Czech Republic is famous for its beer, I'm going to argue that the most underrated treat in Prague are dorts. "Dort" is the Czech word for cake and this city is lousy with them. Every cafe, restaurant or fancy convenience store it seems like has at least one showcase filled with beautiful cakes waiting to be enjoyed.

I admire them daily, wish for them weekly, and pine for them always. My friends and I are constantly on a mission to find the next best dort.

One night we all went to an old fancy cafe where author Franz Kafka and the first president of the Czech Republic, Vatslav Hovel used to frequent. It is called Cafe Slavia and there was a pianist, a cranky waiter and a whole menu of dorts to choose from. I chose the sacher cake which is another word for chocolate, and it was fancy-delicious, which is like regular delicious but with a view of the river and a Josh Groban look-alike across the room. I was a fan.

Aside from all of my dessert admiration, I do make an effort to branch out gastronomically. I grocery shop so I can cook and not spend all of my cold hard cash on eating out and usually go to Tesco or Tesco express, which is walking distance to my flat. A British grocery chain that is the closest thing here to Walmart, Tesco is a wonderland for inexpensive shopping. Don't get me wrong- I miss Trader Joes like I never thought possible (though that was a given the moment I was wheels-up at LAX), but Tesco amongst other places, will do.

Now back to the main attraction. Here are some things I have enjoyed eating in the city of 100 spires:

Yes that is a hunk of goat cheese the size of a baseball, atop risotto that was covered in parmesan shavings. Yes I ordered risotto at a burger restaurant. Yes it was a cheese coma. No I do not have any regrets.

This chicken avocado burrito was from an adorable restaurant that I would describe as "too conveniently located" because all the food on their menu looks amazing and it's about a block away from where I live. City living is both a gift and a curse for those who love family-run restaurants with weekly rotating menus complete with themes like "tex mex" too much for their own good. So sue me for supporting the local economy I whisper to my bank account.

Finally, this is cheating, but here is the bird's-eye-view of my dort from Cafe Slavia. Some things are just too good (read: photogenic/expensive) not to share twice.

Next on my food list: trying out the Prague Indian food, and finding corn tortillas. I know those little corny wonders exist somewhere in this country, and I am going to track them down.

Ahoy! (Czech for hello/goodbye)

-Nicki