Bad Food - Good Food

So on Sunday it was Easter, and there wasn't a whole lot to do in Bratislava because everyone seems to go on holiday back to the countryside. We had a 4 day weekend...so I understand people wanting to take advantage of that.

I was feeling a little under the weather because of how cold it had been outside (I coughed up something gross...I know you wanted to know that), so I took it easy for the majority of the day. However, it was necessary to venture out into the dismal landscape of the barren city to get dinner with my friends, so I bundled up and headed into the night.

The original plan was to meet near the Carlton Hotel and then Rob was going to introduce us to a restaurant that he likes. That restaurant ended up being closed. We tried another one...walked in, were handed menus, and then were told that the kitchen was closed (ok then? so whats with the menus?), one of my favorite restaurants was full, and then it started to rain.

Great. I'm already sick...this is just perfect.

We finally found a restaurant by the Presidential Palace called al Dente. I had pretty good expectations for this place because it seemed to be upper-mid scale pricing with a good atmosphere. The place was nearly deserted, and when we entered I checked with one of the waiters to make sure the kitchen was still open before we sat down again. I think he understood me, nodded his head, and motioned us to sit wherever we liked. I chose the banquette of a corner table :) Things seemed to be going ok...I was able to order my drink in Slovak (ovocný čaj prosím!) and there looked to be some really good entrees on the menu (im talking variety! lamb, duck, different kinds of fish, paella...) So, we ordered, and began our ritual of talking about life.

20 minutes went by.

30 minutes went by.

40 minutes went by.


Where is my duck a l'orange with honey and grilled veggies?

After I explain to them the rudimentary intricacies of food prep, cook time, and expediting (the longest dish they had to cook from our group was a chicken breast), Raffael decided to inquire about where on earth our food could be. You can't blame the pace of the restaurant...there was NO ONE THERE. He came back, and they said it would be another 5 minutes. Yeah, ok. I had an idea what the food would look like...I gripped my knife in anxious frustration.

So, it finally came, and to my dismay, my duck was not only over cooked...it had obviously been sitting under the lights for awhile. To top it off, my "grilled vegetables" were actually steamed broccoli and cauliflower that seemed to have been dunked in the ocean and then seasoned with more salt (blech). WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!?!?! ....and why do they deny me a decent meal? I asked the boys what they thought. Robs chicken was dry, the sauce was salty, and his vegetable medley was just as poor as mine. Raffael's pasta was warm, but the seafood had kind of a funky smell. The waiter NEVER came to check and see how the food was, didn't offer to refill anyones drink, and never cleared anything away. Fail.

The only redeeming quality to our meal was Rob's wine that claimed it was Montepulciano.

So, thoroughly distressed, and still hungry, we paid the bill (to the exact crown) and left.

And the rain was REALLY comin down. Eventually I was able to find a night bus in order to get back to the dormitory. Thankfully I didn't have to go to work the next day.

So, now the GOOD FOOD scenario.

The boys had been talking about another dinner, and in an effort to save money and prevent another culinary disaster I suggested that we cook in! I told them I would develop a menu and tell them what ingredients to buy. I devised doing a sort of chicken and veggie stir fry...since we have limited resources for cooking here in the dormitory we couldn't get too creative. (two stove-top burners....and a microwave. GOURMET!) So, I told the boys what to buy and when to show up.

When they got here, there seemed to be a problem with the lady at the door. They had bought 2 bottles of wine, and she was upset with the fact that they were brining alcohol onto the premises. I do not recall any stipulations stating that we cannot drink in the dormitory. Beside the fact that everyone does, we are all university age or above, which means that we are all legal. Not a big deal. They devised a way to get it upstairs by being sneaky and pretending that they were leaving it outside, but actually put it into Raffael's shoulder bag. Genius.

The meal went extremely well. We had fresh chicken breast that I sliced into strips and cooked in the wok, then added the onions, peppers, mushrooms, and finally tomatoes. The best part was that the boys found this amazing coconut curry sauce, which tied all the flavors in perfectly. We put that mixture on top of some basmati rice, and VOILA! I had assured the boys earlier that I could cook better than those idiots at al Dente. I'm glad I was able to prove it :)....lo and behold...there was nothing left in the wok.