'Really exceptional': Edmonton restaurant receives high praise from New York Times reporter

Local restaurant recognized by NYT Bistro Praha, an Edmonton restaurant, has been recognized by a writer for the New York Times. David Ewasuk reports.

A local restaurant is basking in renewed fanfare after being featured in a national newsletter sent by The New York Times.

Canadian correspondent Ian Austen documented his experiences of eating at Bistro Praha in a recent edition of The New York Times online Canada Letter Newsletter.

He described it as a "local institution" that had found the "magic combination of distinctive food, great service, and a friendly atmosphere."

"Edmonton's Bistro Praha is among the rare spots to find a formula that has ensured longevity in a generally difficult business," Austen wrote.

While covering the Papal visit and the World Juniors Hockey Championship, Austen told CTV News Edmonton he came across the restaurant by chance and decided to check it out.

"I just actually looked at the window of Bistro Praha and thought, oh, maybe this is a place to have dinner," Austen said.

He ended up enjoying the food and atmosphere, returning another two times and interviewing Milan Svajgr, co-owner of the restaurant.

"It's just very simply, nicely prepared food with fresh ingredients," Austen said. "There's just like a great ambience there. People sort of hang around. People come in and greet other tables. It's just really exceptional there."

While Austen doesn't usually write about restaurants, he said if it is "extraordinary in some way," he'll find a way to cover it.

"Occasionally, if I find a place that is somehow exceptional, I will write about it," Austen told CTV News Edmonton.

Open for more than 40 years, the restaurant features central European cuisine with a homey atmosphere, including a tradition of influential people autographing the bistro's chairs.

Founder Frantisek Cikanek moved to Edmonton from Czechoslovakia — as it was referred to then — and searched for an establishment featuring classical music and familiar delicacies.

That 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 101 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 exposure from the New York Times newsletter has had a massive impact.

In the days since the article was published, Lambshead added that at least one patron mentioned it every evening.

"Whenever we appear in the media, people take notice," he said.

During the World Juniors tournament, the restaurant also received high praise from the Czech and Slovakia 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 breading just right, having it bubble up into a little pillow. Some people claim it's better (here) than any they've ever had, even in Vienna."

Lambshead, who works at the restaurant as support, spoke with CTV News Edmonton about the local staple, explaining how its strength comes from its commitment to authenticity.

"(Cikanek) used to claim we had the second espresso machine in Edmonton, after the Italian Centre," Lambshead said with a laugh. "He was quite a larger-than-life individual.

"We haven't changed his concept. We deliberately built the place to look the same, not identical, but in spirit."

"We are very determined to keep the menu and to prepare it the same way," he added. "There may be slight improvements that people might not even notice, but we only fine-tune things — is how I like to think of it."