TEMPLARS RESTAURANT
Mike and I were starving, so Miro recommended the Templars Restaurant as good, casual, inexpensive place. I figured that because I just got finished filming the Da Vinci Code TV show a few weeks earlier, this would be a good choice. Downstairs the dark, good-looking restaurant transported me back to the Medieval period. It would have made for a fine, romantic meal, but I was with Mike, not some Bratislavan hottie. We opted to dine outside, so we could people-watch in the nice weather. The food was a little bland and the rice had a nasty aftertaste, but overall it was good and the price was right. Main dishes cost about $6 apiece! Templars Restaurant, Panska 18, Bratislava I; tel.: 421-0903-434-047.

DINING
There are plenty of places to eat, with all kinds of cuisine choices -- not just the typical Slovakian meal of soup and goulash. To pretend you�re a local, eat a light breakfast, have a lunch of soup and a main dish between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., then have a heavy dinner from 5 p.m. on. Many restaurants stay open late, and the prices were generally much cheaper than Praha.

LE MONDE RESTAURANT
We had dinner at one of the city�s best and most stylish restaurants, Le Monde. Located in the heart of Bratislava's historical pedestrian zone, it offers a mixture of dishes from all over the world. The menu lists prices in both SKK and euros, making it so much easier on my brain (and enabling me to savor even better the tasty food). I started with the red and green pear salad (345 SKK = $12), then had chicken (495 SKK = $17). I added the chocolate fondant (275 SKK = $10) for my emerging Buddha belly. It was a gorgeous night, as we sat on the upper balcony with a beautiful view of the Slovak National Theater (Slovensk� N�rodn� Divadlo) and Hviezdoslav Square. Talk about great people watching! There was lots of action. With airfares so low (especially from England), many loud, t-shirt wearing English guys come for the weekend to enjoy the party atmosphere. The English are actually pretty fun to watch, but the locals don�t like them. Be sure to tell them you�re from America � not England! Le Monde, Ryb�rska br�na 8, 811 01 Bratislava, Slovak Republic; tel.: 421-2-5441 5411. For more click HERE.