This past off season, I was lucky enough to travel to Europe for a much needed three week vacation. We (my boyfriend and I) traveled to Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and last but not least, Prague, Czech Republic, our favorite place by far.
Prague is such a special place. The best part about it was the food. Shocker. I have never had such a memorable experience in my life. Not only was the food rich in flavor, it’s rich in history and culture. Also the Czechs have their food dialed in; their culinary intention is to bring old world characteristics into the new world: fresh, simple, easy.
We took a private walking food tour with Taste of Prague, a group of Czech food ambassadors that take you beyond the sights to where the locals go. We visited five different restaurants around the city, showcasing some of the best, most authentic Czech food there is. Every restaurant we stopped at was unique and individually memorable. However, there was one that stood out to me the most: 
Cestr, a simple, yet trendy steakhouse that houses carefully matured beef, local produce, and fish. Oh, and some of the freshest, frothiest Pilsner Urquell you’ll ever put to your lips.
We were served many courses, from chicken to fish to mashed potatoes and vegetables. My absolute favorite thing that I had at Cestr was, hands down, the steak tartare.
Oh. My. God. My life was changed forever.
I had never tried tartare before, but let me tell you, Prague was the best first place to try this amazing raw dish. This steak tartare is a minced topside, served with a quail egg delicately sitting on top of the tasty pile of raw goodness. It’s accompanied with capers, onions, fried pieces of toast, and wild garlic, native to Czech Republic. The creamy tartare on the hard, crispy bread with the pungent flavor of wild garlic was heaven on earth. I was seriously the happiest person on the planet. What an experience that was.
Getting settled back in the United States, I couldn’t help but occasionally daydream back to the ever-so-perfect, impeccably created meal in Prague (one of many). I was missing tartare so much and wished that Jackson restaurants offered tartare dishes. I knew that Rendezvous Bistro and the Kitchen had (and still do have) tuna tartare on their menu, which is really good, but it wasn’t until last week that I discovered that there were red meat tartares on multiple menus in Jackson.
And so I went on a tartare tasting frenzy. I’m ecstatic to share with you some of the best tartares in town.
- Local’s Buffalo Tartare, $12: hand-chopped Montana, crispy yukon potato chips, and black truffle vinaigrette
- Q Roadhouse and Brewing Company’s Utah Elk Tartare, $14: RRS salt, jalapenño-huckleberry jam, house made potato chips
- Rendezvous Bistro’s Wyoming Beef Tartare, $13: house made potato chips, leaping lizard egg yolk, pickled mustard
- White Buffalo Club’s Prime Beef Tartare, $17: diced tenderloin with olive oil, shallots, capers & herbs, served with grilled baguette, dijon mustard and a quail egg
Acknowledging that you might be weary about trying raw meat, each and every one of these dishes use the highest quality cut of meat. The meats are sourced and cared for properly. I encourage you to try these dishes, even if that means branching out of your comfort zone. You won’t be disappointed.
