At the deer or at the castle. Where to go for the best St. Martin’s goose this year?
Gastro holiday of all lovers of traditional but at the same time very hearty food is here. The good day is that you don’t have to look for excuses to treat yourself to something so heavy for lunch or dinner – and even very caloric ones accompanied by dumplings.
But why should we consume just this feather on November 11, when Martin celebrates the holiday? Legend has it that St. Martin was a modest but very popular hermit. When the bishop of Tours in France died, the people chose Martin as their new one.
However, he did not want the new position and hid from them in one of the hermitages. And what didn’t happen? The geese betrayed him with their sneeze. We don’t know if the whiskers were eaten. Since then, however, the goose has been inextricably linked with St. Martin.
Elsewhere, it is said that it was a way to end the agricultural year, in the Czech lands this custom is told by carols from the fifteenth century. And while last year we could roast a goose for a lot of hours at home, or have it brought in due to a lockdown, this year we have a chance to experience a gourmet harvest.
Where to go to St. Martin’s goose?
Not just a bistro
where: Křižíkova 24, Prague 8
Chef Filip Rakús now charms in the popular Karlín company and has prepared a tasting menu for his customers this week. There is also goose broth, foie gras, ravioli or lokshe.
Oliver Cafe
where: TG Masaryka 655, Podebrady
Last year, the goose on the Poděbrady colonnade just dusted off, so the whole event is repeated this year – so book in time. You can look forward to roasted goose liver with port wine sauce or goose breast sous vide with red cabbage with raisins, apple puree and Tyrolean dumplings.
Red deer
where: Hybernská 5, Prague 1
Kaldoun and confit thigh will serve you in different places, but goose prosciutto? It pays to get here to Hybernská in Prague. The dessert is presented by buns with lard and rum sauce – chef Marek Fichtner simply knows what to attract customers to.
Kitchen Door Handle
where: Hroznova 25, Ceske Budejovice
From Tuesday the 9th to Sunday the 14th of November, you can also choose a menu at the Klika Hotel in České Budějovice. You can be sure that they will serve you the best delicacies from local suppliers and farmers.
Local U Caipla, Brno
where: Kozí 3, Brno-center
Geese will arrive in Brno’s Local on Thursday and will remain on the menu until stocks are released. Therefore, act quickly: whoever comes first will also order wine from hand-picked grapes.
Trnova Chateau
where: Trnová 1, Trnová
A four-course menu awaits you in the magical surroundings of the Trnová chateau near Prague. Here the menu was specialized with goose rillettes as an appetizer and a sweet dot in the form of roasted figs with almond ice cream.
Rooster in wine
where: Malinovského nám. 2, Brno-center
Goose and rooster? Not sure! In the Brno restaurant Kohout na víně you have a choice of small and large tasting menus and a glass of young wine awaits you with every meal. You can enjoy it all in the functionalist House of Arts by architect Bohuslav Fuchs.
Savoy Cafe
where: Vítězná 5, Prague 5
An honest feast will also be served at the Savoy Café in Prague. Two types of cabbage, lokshe, dumplings, goose and kaldoun… František Skopec’s team simply knows how to pamper their customers. There are also cakes and wine, a great complement to raspberry cabbage and crispy goose.
Chateau Mcely
where: Mcely 61, Mcely
Another chateau dinner, this time with a goose chard and a slowly baked thigh with potato pancakes by chef Honza Štěrba, who likes to be inspired by the surrounding forests. It would be a shame not to explore, so book your room straight away.
Pastacaffé Prison
where: Vězeňská 1, Prague 1
Chestnut with ravioli, salty pancake, confit goose leg, cabbage with raisins and apple, bacon dumplings and poppy seeds, cream, grappa and plums. If you want to impress a client at a corporate lunch, this is your promised place.
Martin’s bistro
where: Velehradská 4, Prague 3
A small inconspicuous bistro in Vinohrady, which every connoisseur knows well. He cooks really well here and Tomáš Karpíšek from Ambiente is one of the guests. After the experience of previous years, we advise you to make a reservation – it is usually packed to bursting.