Photo: KK / Brno Daily.
Brno is growing at an amazing pace. New businesses. New buildings. New roads. And, perhaps the most telling detail, new (read: higher) rental prices.
It feels like a much different city from the one to which I moved more than a dozen years ago.
The main reason, in my opinion, is that the professional class is growing and developing a new sensibility: young adults are no longer getting married early and having kids in their 20s; rather, they are finding decent-paying jobs and looking for ways to spend their money.
Throw in the many internationals who have moved here and you have a lot of young people looking to be entertained.
Want proof? Look no further than the marked increase in quality restaurants.
(This is a long way of saying: Valentine’s Day is Friday. Make your restaurant reservation now.)
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In the not-so-distant past, Czech people never used to eat out. Lunches were at school or work. Dinners were at home, and often modest compared to lunch.
Restaurants were a luxury. The only times people would go out for a meal would be when relatives were in town or when there was a significant family event. Even on vacation, families would bring several ready-made meals that had been prepared at home.
The contemporary young professional class of Brno is different. It has taken to the foody culture and fueled the restaurant boom. There are now many amazing places to eat in this city. (I don’t want to play favorites. Mentioning specific places would necessarily order them and result in an incomplete list.)
Unfortunately, for me in particular, having young children precludes having much of a night life.
Ten years ago, everything was different. The restaurant culture was just starting to take off and my then-girlfriend-and-now-wife and I rode the wave with weekly Date Nights. The first year we met at a different restaurant every Thursday. The next year, after adjusting for different schedules, we met every Wednesday.
We picked our restaurants from advertisements and word of mouth and simply seeing the place from a tram window. Then we would meet there and make up our own minds about the dining experience.
Sometimes the restaurants were in the center. Other times they were at the edge of town. We really explored the city.
We went to the new hip places. We went to the hidden neighborhood gems. We went to expensive places. We went to ethnic places. And we always had a beer (or three) and relaxed. We spent a lot of time getting to know each other and enjoying each other’s company.
Now, date night has changed into Family Eat-Out Night. It’s not the same.
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Along with the local restaurants, Valentine’s Day has also become bigger over the years.
Restaurants are natural for dates. When you are at a table for two, you are forced to spend meaningful time together. You look into each other’s eyes. You have time to actually talk, with full sentences, and even tell stories. (Unless, of course, you that couple that spends more time looking at their mobiles phones than each other.)
Eating a romantic meal at home is great, too, but that comes with additional work. There is something about being served that frees everything up so much more.
In any case, this Valentine’s Day you can buy flowers, you can get a box of chocolates or you can enjoy a dining experience with the love of your life (or potential love of your life).
Or, you can do all three.
If you get a reservation soon.
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Are you going out on Valentine’s Day for a romantic dinner? What are your favorite date restaurants? Or, would you rather eat at home? Please share.
I hope that this column will provide thought-provoking observations of local life that will be interesting for a Saturday-morning read. If you have any suggestions or comments, please pass them along to bruno@brnodaily.cz.
