Vladimir's in Inverness?

[Jenn]

Does anyone know about this restaurant? How is the food? We stopped in for a quick beer after visiting Pt. Reyes and thought it looked charming. It's rare to find decent Czech food but we couldn't stick around long enough to eat. Any other Czech restaurants that people can recommend?

[ed]

vlad is infamous for his crusty demeanor, which i am told hasn't faded with age.

i only once tried the borscht, which was solid but no more than that. i recall it seeming a bit pricey too.

[Tony]

A guy with a crusty demeanor named Vlad... too funny. At least he doesn't impale his guests (I hope).

[Beaureguard]

I am a huge fan of Vlad's -- I don't find him crusty at all but then again, I always bring in a bottle of wine and he always shares in the bounty. At 80+ years old, he does more than 90% of the cooking and service so both the food and the service can be sketchy, but I think that adds to the charm. Yes, it is a bit on the pricy side, but a restaurant like this that is in the middle of nowhere that has survived for over 50 years has SOMETHING going for it! You go for the experience and atmosphere - the food is almost secondary (but I still like it, considering it is old-world Czech; like my grandmother used to make).

[LizK]

I went years ago (around 92) and loved the atmosphere but was not impressed with the food. I don't know how it is now, but I would go more for the adventure than the food..and sometimes that's good enough!

[Greg]

I too remember disliking the food many years ago. But since Manka's is an arm and a leg and a ton of prix fixe food, perhaps some brave soul can give old Vlad a try and post.

[ShaneG]

Yeah, Vladimir was there when we were at the bar and shooed a family away who were trying to come in. They had younger kids and old Vlad barked at them, "no children allowed." And just like that, they were gone.

[Lauren J.]

Isn't he the guy who used to own Manka's Inverness Lodge for years before Margaret Grade bought it? There was a Vladimir's Czech restaurant at Manka's many years ago and the current Vladimir's restaurant is just down the hill from Manka's. Iirc, his wife's name was Manka and he named the lodge after her. Can anyone confirm if all that's true or not? I've always been curious about Vladimir's restaurant. Good food smells coming from the place, yet I've never tried it.

[Robert Lauriston]

When you have a craving for overcooked frozen goose, that's your place.

[Jef]

But overcooked frozen goose cooked and served by a lunatic in
jodhpurs, boots, and riding crop! I love Vlad's. I have no memory
of what I've eaten there.

The only remotely similar, other-worldly experience on that stretch
of 1 might be coutinuing south to the Pelican Inn and hoping the
fog's in and no one else's around. But even that doesn't start to
come close.

[whitedogpottery]

Sorry to report that we just ate there and Vlad passed away this Sept.
The bad news is that the food is still terrible and expensive. Don't bother...

[rworange]

It seems from the obit that the daughter, Vladya, took over a little while ago when Vlad got sick ...
http://www.ptreyeslight.com/cgi/latest_news.pl?record=195

"Vladimir continued spending time in the restaurant, even after Vladya flew down from her home in Oregon to run it. He had a reclining chair in a back room where he could watch television. He passed away there in his restaurant, in his daughter’s arms, as Labor Day drew to a close. "

To answer this old 2006 query in this thread "Isn't he the guy who used to own Manka's Inverness Lodge for years before Margaret Grade bought it?"

This article about Manka's fire answers that ...
http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_4917430

"Manka and Milan Prokupek were refugees from the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948. They spent some years in Vancouver, B.C., where they owned small restaurants and Manka honed her cooking skills, before buying the Inverness Lodge and renaming it Manka's Inverness Lodge ... Their daughter Alena married Vladimir Nevl, a Czech-born equestrian and fellow Inverness resident."

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Vladimir's Czechoslovaki Restaurant
12785 SIR Francis Drake Blvd, Inverness, CA 94937