La Finestra in Cucina

In the well-touristed heart of Prague, within walking distance of the Charles Bridge and Old Town Square, it can be a real challenge to find a decent meal. Which is why the new La Finestra in Cucina—five minutes from both of these landmarks—is such a welcome addition to the city’s restaurant roster. More importantly, this cozy Italian-style steakhouse with a Soho vibe (exposed red-brick walls, oak parquet floors, open white-tiled kitchen) serves some terrific food. It’s run by Riccardo Lucque, who opened the very popular Aromi in the Hradcany district two years ago. Chef Tomas Cerny features well-aged Piemonte beef from Italy (for brasato al Barbera) and Dutch veal (for chops and saltimbocca).

Stopping by for lunch on a rainy Saturday, I loved my maccheroni alla amatriciana, with crispy strips of guanciale and a tomato sauce punchy with red peppers. A succulent veal chop came grilled just pink and accompanied by delicious olive oil roasted potatoes and creamed spinach. Spicy panna cotta with melon “caviar” was an ideal dessert after this hearty feed, and the excellent wine list offers some great pours by the glass, including a nice Moravian Sauvignon Blanc and several fine Chiantis.

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Looking from outside through large shop windows I can see a simple, affable interior. Later on, comfortably seated inside with the menu, I am looking around the long, high-ceilinged room with brick vaults. A wooden floor and unsophisticated furniture help to create a warm atmosphere.

Moderately illuminated red-clay–colored walls evoke a calm that is undisturbed by the stream of hardly discernible muffled conversations emanating from the tables. Visitors sitting in the back half of the room have an opportunity to watch the buzz in the kitchen, behind windows consisting of small glass sheets. These windows allowing people to watch the cooks at their work probably gave the place its name. La finestra in cucina is Italian for “the window to the kitchen.”

Only the unsatisfactory incident with the steak disturbed an otherwise rather agreeable visit. Nevertheless, a restaurant with such ambitions, at such a location and in such troubled times should not be risking its reputation at the very beginning—even if only in a test run. I do believe they will put everything straight soon. But a price of Kč 3,630 for two dinners, even including a bottle of exquisite wine, would be rather cruel even without any inconvenience with the steak.

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The options can seem endless. The dishes on the printed menu are just a rough guide – the specials are really where it's at. Servers come around to each table with massive platters of seafood and raw meat, picking each protein up in turn to describe what it is and how it can be cooked (sometimes I find their molestation of the meats to be a little off-putting, but maybe I'm just being prudish). Many of the portions are for two or more people, so you often see tables eating family-style, with a large platter of meat and side dishes in the center of the table and everybody helping themselves.

And that's exactly the kind of restaurant where you want to spend your money: a place where everything is thought through in advance, where every detail is accounted for. They're going to treat you well, even if you look like a slug or a hobo – and yes, even if you're not a restaurant critic. I feel very confident about that.

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As at Aromi, pasta dishes are available as either starters or mains. A starter of gnocchi with burrata cheese and tomato sauce restored the potato dumpling firmly back into my good graces. The gnocchi I've eaten in Prague have generally been knobby, rubbery little things that repel any flavor or sauce they're forced into. La Finestra's were ethereal, pillowy dumplings that cuddled the tart cream of the cheese, similar to mozzarella, and the bright tomato sauce.

The star attractions of the night arrived at a perfect pace after our appetizers had been cleared. Our kilo's worth of "I-bone," essentially a bone-in striploin, was more than enough for me and a companion, with whom I split the dish. The meat was served sliced off and placed next to the bone, with slices cooked between medium and rare. The meat was simply seasoned and heavenly, with a rich taste balanced by a delicate tenderness. It was exactly as a steak should be - perfectly cooked, and of a quality that can stand on its own.

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I liked at least half the dishes at La Finestra, but for these prices, I'd say they need to do better.

The service was always polite and occasionally good. But it also lacked focus and consistency. It felt like style over substance.

Does La Finestra deserve three stars? Four spoons? I don't give stars or spoons. But over the course of two meals, I did give them 3800 Czech crowns from my own pocket.

I may be in the dissenting minority, but I do think that was too generous for what I received in return.

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