Croatia - Eastern Europe - page 158

Expensive
Hotel Palace Hvar's grande dame is situated behind the 16th-century log-
gia that once graced the town's ducal palace. The Palace was built in the early 20th
century, and time has not been kind to its elegant features. Despite soaring ceilings
and architectural splendor, guest rooms are small, dated, and without air-conditioning.
If you open the window to get a sea breeze, you'll hear the noise on the square or Riva,
and that can last until sunrise.
Trg Sveti Stjepana bb. Hvar Town. & 021/741-966. Fax [phone]. www.suncanihvar.hr. 73 units. Mid-July to Aug
from 125

Overrated

€ ($160) double; from 159 € ($204) suite. Rest of year from 60 € ($77) double. AE, DC, MC, V. Rates include

breakfast. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; pool. In room:TV.
WHERE TO DINE
Most of the restaurants lining Hvar Town's harbor serve pizza, pasta, and grilled fish.
However, some dining spots tucked into the narrow, unnamed side streets are bastions
of distinctive cuisine.
Very Expensive
Roots in the Hotel Riva ( & 021/741-820) gets points for its casual-chic terrace
and creative offerings, but as beautiful as the food and surroundings may be, this
brand-new dining room sometimes tries too hard to be “gourmet,” especially with its
designer pizza toppings: Raspberry vinaigrette, shrimp, and goat cheese might work
on salads, but it turns pizza crust into a soggy mess. Roots also offers weekly theme
menus (Tex-Mex), and a long list of grossly overpriced wines and exotic cocktails.
Expensive
Lucullus off the main square ( & 021/742-498) specializes in a light version of
slow food, leisurely dining with well-prepared seafood and Dalmatian specialties
served in a convivial atmosphere. Wood-grilled pizza is on the menu, but try the island
lobster brodeto or peka-grilled meat (available if ordered 3 hr. in advance). Lucullus
also has a few rooms to rent.
The affable owner of the Golden Shell at Petra Hektorovica 8 ( & 098/
1688-797 ) cheerfully chortles that slow food is the opposite of fast food, which
doesn't begin to explain this Croatian style of dining, which paces courses made from
the freshest ingredients to allow diners time to savor their meals. Start with Dalmat-
ian ham and goat cheese in olive oil, and follow with steak stuffed with goat cheese
and capers. Food is an art form here.
Moderate
Gostiona Kod Matkovi 5 a , at 55 Godina Tradicije ( & 021/741-854 ), is a homey
restaurant set in a small courtyard. It has a nice selection of seafood and meats, includ-
ing spit-roasted lamb, but wine choices are limited to the house white or house red.
Macondo , at Groda bb ( & 021/742-850 ) , is a seafood restaurant off St.
Stephen's Square that spills into a nameless alley. Portions are huge; prices are moder-
ate. You won't be able to resist the gregada, a garlicky seafood stew.
EXPLORING HVAR TOWN
Hvar Town is a languid mix of sensual countryside and 13th-century attractions on a
harbor where mega-yachts come to mate. Sun, sea, and a trendy social scene pull in a
glittering passel of visitors.
The 13th century St. Stephen's Square (Trg Sveti Stjepan) is Hvar Town's

central stage. It is bookended by St. Stephen's Cathedral (daily 7am-noon and