Right next to a bushy flowering linden tree is a cozy restaurant in the village of Dohňany, which is the gateway to the Púchovská valley. The ticket to the Pri lipe restaurant is our malnourished taste buds. In Slovak: hlad. We searched for free restaurants on the map of the valley (apart from the town of Púchov) in this post-Eid period. They are either still permanent, whether they are closed for good, or they meet "only the character" of fast food, buffets, fast food. Therefore, we chose the restaurant Pod lipou. An old house used to stand here instead. Now empty stomachs from a wide area are also seeking refuge here, as well as tourists who visit the Púchovská valley, for example, to the lookout tower.

The restaurant is easy to find. From the main road in Dohňany, which leads to the Czech Republic, signboards will lead you to it. Turn left, cross the bridge over the local stream and a century-old linden tree will appear in front of you. “The restaurant is built on the site of an old cottage. There is a large linden tree on the corner. And the owners decided to build a guest house here. Since 2017, however, we have only operated as a restaurant. At that time, we got it gastronomically to a higher level. The staff was completely replaced and attendance tripled. The restaurant has become known to a wide area, "welcomes us Andrea Klabníková.

"The coronavirus slowed us down a bit, but we responded immediately. We bought a machine for sealing packages and started delivering meals. When the measures allowed, we were able to open the terrace and life returned to the restaurant. We have a full calendar, we even have to reject various actions. The interest exceeds the capacity, which is around 35 people, "he adds.

They serve a daily menu from Monday to Friday. "People are interested in walking in the afternoon or evening, we are still in limited mode. During the weekends, various celebrations and events take place again, "reveals Klabníková.

The quality of their meals has already exceeded the borders of the municipality, district, region and even Slovakia. "We started to make our specialty and that is the tasting menu, which visitors can order in advance. It consists of an appetizer, main course and dessert, "says Andrea Klabníková, the operator. And that's exactly what chefs Pavel Kubík and Maroš Fialka, also known from the show My Mom Cooks Better Than Yours, they also offered us operatively. The two also attended school together, they come from the Púchov district and are also best friends. "Whew, it looks stylish. We'll see how it tastes, "we commented on the arrival of food from the kitchen. "We try to use our local products. We grow herbs ourselves. The trout, which is in the appetizer, was caught by a colleague, a passionate fisherman, here in the stream behind the restaurant. And for dessert we used rhubarb directly from the garden from our boss. We try to use seasonal raw materials and always adapt to customer requirements. It also happens that they leave us free to choose meals. Currently, we used mainly spring foods such as baby vegetables, asparagus. Everyone likes what they like, and then we only win in the kitchen to put it in the final form, "revealed chef Maroš Fialka. "We only have two chefs here, but we enjoy the work. We always try to be creative, come up with something new, "adds Pavel Kubík. And what kind of food does the chef taste? "Someone else will cook for us," they smile as we leave.

The menu, which we had the opportunity to taste, looked nice to look at and still tasted good. The observations we take from the restaurant are listed in the table below. From us just a brief link that will definitely stop when you go around. It's worth it.

You will not be bored

In addition to good food in the restaurant Pri lipe, you can also use several tourist attractions in the area, especially the Lookout Tower Púchovská dolina, which rises above Dohňany. You will get to it by nature trails "Three Rocks". The next stop is a national cultural monument - the neo-Romanesque church of St. Cyril and Methodius, memorial room or House of Cultural Traditions in Dohňany. In the part of the village "Zbora" you can see three protected "choir lindens", the oldest of which is about 330 years old. Another attraction is the Dujkov mill, built in 1936. It used to be electrically powered and powered by Francisci turbines. It includes a craft yard along with demonstrations of traditional crafts. In addition to the gastronomic experience in the Pri lipe restaurant, you will also get to know the surrounding nooks and crannies and return home full of belly and enriched with beautiful moments in nature.

TASTING MENU

Appetizer: Brown trout, pea puree, smoked whipped cream, asparagus juice, quail eggs

Main course: Squid pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes with smoked Vršatec cheese, grilled vegetables, butter demiglation with liguria

Dessert: Cheese patties with salted caramel, homemade rhubarb ice cream