Last October, I have found myself accompanying my boyfriend on a five-day business trip to Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal. While traversing the cobblestoned hills of Bairro Alto, the 16th century “Upper Quarter” region of central Lisboa, we happily played tourists, which included sitting down at the many quaint outdoor restaurants to eat -- at every opportunity.
Portuguese cuisine is a magnificent blend of flavors that reflects the many cultural influences -- Moorish, Brazilian, Mediterranean -- and Portugal’s status as a sea-faring nation. The locals use a variety of spices (saffron, chili peppers, vanilla, and cinnamon), a generous amount of garlic and “good” olive oil, and eat lots of seafood. Even the obvious tourist traps served a mean grilled squid (with tentacles the size of my arm), and delicious renditions of the typical Portuguese dish of the dried salted cod, bacalhau. The sardines were also pervasive and equally flavorful. All the fish swam in a garlicky olive oil and was accompanied by roasted or boiled potatoes, onions, olives, and a few kinds of veggies on the side (the latter varied), or a small garden salad.
Everywhere we ate, before we ordered, we were served tasty sourdough bread along with a tapas-like variety of plates of the local cheeses (made with goat and sheep milk), olives, patés, and prosciutto. Their quality depended on the restaurant’s, ranging from heavenly (made from scratch and looking fresh) to skippable (a dried up hunk of mystery cheese or an individually packaged sardine paté you could get as part of the continental breakfast in a second-rate hotel). Either way, eating those is optional, and you only pay for what you eat (you’re charged per item or slice, not including the bread).
While there are numerous ways to eat cod in Portugal, from every imaginable type of stew to fresh, grilled with a variety of spices, I would definitely recommend trying the bacalhau. It goes down easy with the many local wines, which Portugal has many of, and which deserve a separate article. I’ve sampled several red Dão table wines, some white Bucelas, and the Vinho Verde (“green wine”), and have found all of them exciting. Even the one-euro variety of the table red was drinkable (even if barely so).
Then, of course, there is Vinho do Porto, or port, for which Portugal is famous for, and which we drank after dinner or as an aperitif. If you are like me and don’t know much about this fortified wine from the Douro River Valley, you might want to try the lesser known variety than its red counterpart, Porto Branco, or white port. It’s lighter in alcohol content, chockfull of complex, fruity flavors, and is delicious, chilled as an aperitif. In my ignorance, stemming from only trying the sweet red port wines I’ve found in America, I’ve pigeionholed port into a dessert wine category. After trying some tawny and white varieties I’ve realized that I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Speaking of fortified wines, Vinho de Madeira (think sherry) also comes in many varieties, ranging from dry to super sweet, and could also be enjoyed as both dessert wine and an aperitif. You could also try a popular local liqueur called Ginjinha (or Ginja). It is made from infused ginja berries (sour cherry), and is usually served in a shot glass (it was too sweet for my taste though).
Well, when in Lisboa… dine when and where the locals do, which meant starting dinner around 10 pm on most nights, and asking the locals for recommendations. One of the best ones came unsolicited from a cab driver who drove us to Bairro Alto one night, the Cervejaria Trindade on Rua Nova da Trindade. Cervejaria Trindade is a gorgeously tiled tavern with a loud, cheerful ambiance you’d expect of a beer hall, and a lovely courtyard. It’s the oldest operating cervejaria in Portugal (since 1836), built on the foundation of the 13th-century Convento dos Frades Tinos, which was destroyed by the infamously devastating earthquake in 1755. The restaurant’s specialties include steak and Amêijoas à Trindade (clams). We got there on the early side, while the place was slowly filling. By the time we were leaving, around 10pm, the line was snaking out the door.
I’ll leave you with a few observations on dining in Lisboa:
For lunch, head to the city’s central district, the Cidade Baixa (“Lower City”). Its main street, Rua Augusta, is happening during the day but is eerily deserted at night.
So, for dinner and to sample the nightlife, Bairro Alto is your best bet. It’s brimming with life starting around 9 pm, and really gets hopping between midnight and 3 am. Some joints were too young for me -- think Dutch girls meet German boys and head to Bourbon Street -- but behind virtually every door there is a bar or a restaurant, so I guarantee that you’ll find what you like.
Dinnertime is after 8 pm (10 pm is better). If you can, sit outside and people-watch over the course of a few hours and a couple of bottles of wine. Lingering is highly tolerated if not encouraged. You can always walk it off later by braving the steep cobblestoned hills!
Many restaurants don’t serve wine by glass, but you can buy a half bottle (“split”) if the 750-ml bottle is too much to handle (wasn’t a problem for me).
Many local restaurants feature live fado music, popular in Portugal. We preferred to listen from our seats outside though -- the mournfully dramatic singing accompanied by the guitar could get a bit too intense if it’s happening right by your table.
You can pick and choose what you like from the cheese, olive and meat plates you’ll get brought to your table along with bread before you order. You will be charged per item and per slice (bread is included in the price of the meal).
Although many typical Portuguese dishes seem to be swimming in olive oil, it’s high quality, so eat it! A lot of fish is grilled and is served with plenty of fresh vegetables. I haven’t encountered anything deep-fried once, which made me miss New Orleans, where I live.
Similarly, I haven’t encountered a single obese person during my short trip to Lisboa and Sintra (not counting the tourists), which, again, made me miss New Orleans.
What I have seen was plenty of late-night, extensive dining accompanied by enthusiastic drinking, similar to New Orleans. Needless to say, this was my kind of scene, and I can’t wait for an opportunity to sit down to some giant squid and a bottle of Vinho Verde somewhere in Lisboa again.
Recommended Restaurant (in Bairro Alto, Lisboa):
Cervejaria TrindadeRua Nova da Trindade, No. 20 C1200 -303 Lisboa, PortugalPhone: (351) 213 423 506http://www.cervejariatrindade.pt/
About the author: Tatyana Meshcheryakova is a Russian-born journalist and editor who had been living in Philadelphia and New Orleans for 19 years. She makes voodoo dolls and is one of the founding members of Krewe of ‘tit Rex, a Mardi Gras miniature parade. She can be reached at tatyanameshch@yahoo.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment