Take an inexpensive bite out of Portugal
Mediterranean country offers rich experiences that won’t break your travel budget
As I bit into a fat shrimp at the Mercado da Ribeira, I had to lean over my plate to prevent garlic sauce from dripping onto my lap. The shrimp were spanking fresh and sautéed in enough garlic to cure whatever ails you. Better yet, even with a generous glass of local beer, my bill was under $15.
It was the perfect introduction to Portugal, an ideal destination for food and wine lovers on a limited travel budget. Compared with France and Italy, your euro goes further in the southwest corner of Europe, which boasts more than two dozen distinct wine regions and Mediterranean cuisine that ranges from classic to cutting-edge. And there’s more than enough culture and history to fill in those pesky gaps between meals.
The world has been hearing a lot about Portugal recently, often in the same breath as Greece — both are struggling with precarious economies and massive foreign debt. But aside from a noisy protest outside a failed bank and a one-day strike by subway workers, it was hard to see many signs of financial strife on my recent trip there.
In the country’s two most populous cities, Lisbon and Porto, streets and cafés were crowded with tourists and locals. The Mercado da Ribeira, the massive food hall that opened last year adjacent to Lisbon’s biggest farmers’ market, has proven to be such a hit that it’s just about impossible to find a seat at one of the communal tables after 8 p.m.
It’s the same story at Cantinho do Avillez, a casual restaurant that’s one of several in Lisbon run by chef José Avillez. His two Michelin stars help explain why all the tables were packed on a Wednesday night, and his food clears up any lingering mystery.
A gazpacho made with fresh cherries, cottage cheese and dry cured ham was a rousing start, and then a lemon sorbet with basil and vodka made a bracing finish.
In between, Avillez’s takes on traditional Portuguese dishes such as tempura-battered green beans and Farinheira sausage, were fresh and inventive. And the bill (before wine), for four starters and two desserts, enough for two people with light appetites, was a very reasonable $53.
Also worth checking out in Lisbon is the Tágide Wine & Tapas Bar, a casual bistro in a beautiful building that also houses the more formal (and much pricier) Restaurante Tágide.
Order the clams bulhão patio (in olive oil, garlic and white wine) or try the salted cod served on a bed of chickpeas — and you’ll be sure to go home full and happy.
Even though you’ll likely have to wait in line to get one, you can’t leave Lisbon without having at least one of the signature custard tarts, called pastéis de Belém, at the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, which has been cranking them out since 1837. They’re around $1.50, so have two. The bakery is a short walk from the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos — a wellpreserved late-Gothic monastery that’s well worth seeing — where the tarts were first made by residents more than 200 years ago.
Portugal’s second-largest city, Porto, is no slouch in the food department. An easy (and cheap), three-hour train ride north of Lisbon, it’s a pretty city rising up on either side of a river valley. It’s also one of the oldest cities in Europe, boasting buildings that date to the 13th century.
If you’ve saved up for one spectacular dinner in Portugal, you can’t go wrong having it at the restaurant at Porto’s upscale Yeatman hotel, where Ricardo Costa presides over the one-Michelin-star kitchen. His inventive dishes, which included savoury starters in the shape of tiny ice-cream cones and macarons, when I was there, make for a memorable dining experience.
I also love to eat where the locals do, and Os Lusíadas fits that bill. This unpretentious restaurant in the port area of Matosinhos specializes in fresh seafood. The saltcrusted sea bass, which is filleted and flambéed at your table, is as succulent as it is showy.
Of course, you’ll want to wash down just about any meal in Portugal with some of the country’s excellent wines. And close to both Lisbon and Porto, two of the country’s wine regions are well worth a side trip.
The Alentejo region is anchored by the charming town of Évora, about an hour and a half by train from Lisbon. Spend at least half a day touring the cobblestone streets of the city, picking up some souvenirs made with cork from the region’s trees, and stop for a lunch at the Café Alentejo. Try some locally raised black pork and an Alentejo specialty, migas, a side dish made from bread fried in olive oil and garlic.
You’ll need something in your stomach to tour some of the area’s wineries, which are dotted throughout the scenic region. They produce everything from crisp whites and rosés to complex reds. And if you’ve never tried a vinho verde, or “green wine,” this is the place to do it — an excellent bottle of the light, young wine can be had for around $15.
The Douro wine country east of Porto is the only place in the world that produces the fortified wine known as port. You can drive its rolling hills from quinta (wine estate), to quinta, stopping for a tasting, or lunch if you’re the driver (remember most ports are about 20 per cent alcohol).
If you can’t make it to the Douro region, visit one of the major port producers in Porto — Graham’s, Sandeman and Taylor’s all make high-quality ports — for a tasting and a bottle or two to take home.