Lisbon
Highlights…
Tapisco - As good as the food was, we’ll remember this lunch for other reasons. As soon as we sat down we noticed this presence two tables over. For privacy reason I won’t reveal the name, but it rhymes with Emeril Shmegasse. We weren’t sure at first if it was him, but when I said very very softly “Bam” he turned and said “folks”. He was then joined by other familiar looking people but we couldn’t figure out who they were except his son. The food was superb, mostly. Outstanding Patatas Bravas. Good crisp on the outside and creamy inside. La bomba, a riff on the Barcelona snack was the bomb. Flavor explosion on every bite. Their dishes feature a decent amount of heat for Portugal. Excellent Cod “à Brás”, but a little one-note especially when compared to other Bras we’ve had. Jamon and tomato toast, so simple and delicious. Best Octopus rice of the trip. And Choc mousse was a Mariano Rivera kind of proper closer.
Jesus é Goês - Following the footsteps of Phil Rosenthal. We essentially cancelled one Phil (Ponto Final - Women requested) for another. Phenomenal Goan cooking. The mains especially had a good amount of pleasant heat and nice complexity. This kind of flavor profile fits my taste buds like a glove. The flaky samosas were different and very good. The holy burgers with poached egg on a spoon were little umami bombs. But the stars were the Chicken Cafreal, shrimp curry and especially the goatling Xacuti. Unfortunately the story has taken a tragic turn as it turns out Jesus the owner passed away only a few months ago, only in his 40s. They closed for about a month, and now his partner is running things.
More on this one here
O Velho Eurico - And just when we thought our Portugal meals couldn’t get any better, comes this doozy on our last night. Not an easy table to reserve, and a 20 deep line as soon as they opened. Chef/owner (didnt catch his name) will be a guest chef in Brooklyn later this month. This place does have a north Brooklyn, sort of hipster feel, with elevated cooking for a third of the price. Cold Bacalhau salad was so delicate, and just about best Bacalhau of the trip. Piri piri shrimp were plump and succulent with sauce that reminded me of New Orleans BBQ shrimp. Loved the use of fruits and sauces throughout. Soft strips of melt in your mouth peppery pork belly with orange. Calamari with more orange sauce, maybe a tad overpowering in this case but still enjoyable. Excellent sausage with fried corn bread. And my personal fave, fried rabbit with a very complimentary creamy dill sauce. Solid desserts especially the creme brûlée. One of the better whites of the trip. Just flawless!
The rest…
Ramiro - Still some of the best shrimp with garlic we ever had. Maybe second to the abuela place in Madrid. Sizzling, intense garlic. Can never be too garlicky for us. We also enjoyed tiger prawns in more garlic and just simply grilled. Fantastic Jamon. And I finally lost my Percebes virginity. Very good, but I don’t quite get the luxury appeal other than the difficulties of finding them.
Rampa do Pragal - Perhaps the most memorable unplanned meal of the trip. A local simple fish grill, 5 min walk from the towering Sanctuary of Christ across the river. Almost no English except from a little old lady. We ordered some combo platters and the food just kept coming. They kept passing by dropping stuff. One time it looked like they were dropping someone elses leftovers. Sardines, all sorts of fish, shrimp, razor clams. The fish was tastiest, sardines were ok, the experience first rate. The lady could have sold us a car if she wanted. When we told her we wanted coffee, she told us what we really wanted was coffee and 5 different slices of cake. All very good.
Churrasqueira do Marquês - Another very local grill, not far from Belem. Grilled chicken is the name of the game, some claim best in Lisbon. Juicy, nicely charred, perfectly seasoned, and accompanied by a super hot Piri Piri. Better than what we had in Tomar. We also ordered the pork dish of the day and “sausage German style” that turned out to be a little bit of sliced sausage, some kind of pork and potato stew. Not quite familiar with this German style myself, or maybe a mistake. Really enjoyed this place, and with drinks it was around 10 per person. I highly recommend getting out of the center at least once.
Pasteis de Belem - Although not the best Pasteis of the trip, I don’t know how you skip this legend. They serve 25-30k Pasteis a day. Ours were on the crispy side, not too fresh but still quite tasty. We’ve been eating them all over the country including Manteigaria in two different locations. The most consistently solid fresh Pasteis we’ve had throughout the two weeks came from Fabrica da Nata. Once in Sintra, twice from Praça dos Restauradores. With that said, dare I say, Xin Fa bakery in Brooklyn, NY still ranks with the best of them. Before the pandemic I was running food tours in NYC and Pasteis became a big part of it. So it was fun eating them all over at the source.
Think thats all I got. Thanks for reading. If I didnt bore you enough here, look for more stories on EatingWithZiggy.com Hate the name, but got stuck with it.
