Canadian correspondent Ian Austen chronicled his dining experiences at Bistro Praha in a recent edition of the New York Times online newsletter Canada Letter. He described it as a “local institution” that had found the “magic combination of exceptional food, great service and a friendly atmosphere”. “Edmonton’s Bistro Praha is one of the rare places to find a formula that has ensured longevity in a generally difficult business,” Austen wrote. While covering the papal visit and the World Junior Hockey Championship, Osten told CTV News Edmonton he came across the restaurant by chance and decided to check it out. “I just looked in the window of Bistro Praha and thought, oh, maybe this is a place for dinner,” Austen said. He ended up enjoying the food and the atmosphere, returning twice more and interviewing Milan Svajgr, co-owner of the restaurant. “It’s very simple, beautifully prepared food with fresh ingredients,” Austen said. “There’s just a great atmosphere there. People are hanging around. People are coming up and saying hello to other tables. It’s really great there.” While Austen doesn’t usually write about restaurants, he said if it’s “exceptional in some way,” he’ll find a way to cover it. “Occasionally, if I find a place that’s extraordinary in some way, I’ll write about it,” Austen told CTV News Edmonton. Open for more than 40 years, the restaurant features central European cuisine with a homey feel, including a tradition of influential people signing autographs on the bistro chairs. Founder Frantisek Cikanek moved to Edmonton from Czechoslovakia — as it was then called — and looked for an establishment with classical music and familiar delicacies. This desire led him to open Bistro Praha in 1977, first on Rice Howard Way, until 2009, when a fire destroyed the Kelly Ramsay building. Undeterred, the bistro reopened two years later on 101st Street downtown, just north of Jasper Avenue, in the Empire Building. Jim Lambshead, a close friend of Svajgr who was on vacation in the Czech Republic, said the New York Times newsletter’s exposure had a huge impact. In the days since the article was published, Lambshead added that at least one patron has mentioned it every afternoon. “Whenever we appear in the media, people notice,” he said. During the World Juniors tournament, the restaurant also received high praise from the Czech and Slovakian teams, who visited on separate occasions, Lambshead said. “Eastern Europeans appreciate a good schnitzel,” he said. “It’s a bit of fine art. Getting the bread right, putting it on a little pillow. Some people claim it’s better (here) than they ever had, even in Vienna.” Lambshead, who works at the restaurant in support, spoke to CTV News Edmonton about the local staple, explaining how its strength comes from its commitment to authenticity. “(Cikanek) used to say we had the second espresso machine in Edmonton, after the Italian Centre,” Lambshed said with a laugh. “He was a much bigger person. “We haven’t changed the concept of it. We purposely built the place to look the same, not identical, but in spirit.” “We are very determined to keep the menu and prepare it the same way,” he added. “There might be small improvements that people might not even notice, but we’re just tweaking things – that’s how I like to think about it.”
