Tag: restaurant reviews

Postcard from Braga, Portugal: Regional Minho dishes and imported flavors

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A Portuguese postage stamp featuring a wheel of São Jorge cheese with a wedge cut out, labeled 'Queijos Portugueses' and priced at €0.80.

Above: Shrimp pinxtos with passion fruit and nuts at O Filho da Mae

The majority of visitors to Braga are day-trippers based in Porto or on cruise ships, as the city is located a mere 30 miles north of the bustling port city. We stayed a bit longer, as we tend to do. Here is a brief look into dishes we sampled in restaurants listed in alphabetical order, plus a bonus from nearby Guimaraes where we were the day-trippers,

When we stumbled into Casa de Pasto das Carvalheiras, we must have looked somewhat bedraggled. Braga was the first place we were staying overnight on land since leaving Austin. The staff welcomed us warmly into the pub-like environment. An easy first stop. Shaved melon brought out the flavor of tuna carpaccio with pistachios; and mussels arrived in a spicy broth. Barley risotto was flavored by paprika and pork sausage, as one expects in this Minho region of Portugal.

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Road trip to art-walk in San Antonio

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Above: Looking northward to downtown from San Pedro Culture Park pathways

If you follow the ruta of San Pedro Creek, you are on a pilgrimage rooted in the past, destined for the future. As in some ancient legend, a city emerged out of these waters. A city bubbled forth out of this spring-fed stream, running from long before there was anyone here to witness it – or drink from it…. If this creek could speak, in whispers of song, or poetry, it might tell the story of the city that it birthed, brought to the light of history, its most extraordinary, and perhaps unexpected, progeny. Whispers of memories, echoes of song, rhythms of poesy, drumbeats and bugles, punctuated by cannonades – and long intervals of peace.”

“A Creek Tells Its Story: The Mythic Narrative of San Pedro Creek,” John Phillip Santos

Our rare quick trips to San Antonio tend to involve friends and family, so exploring the two miles of improvements along San Pedro Creek is taking a while. In December, we walked a small segment of the former degraded ditch that has been transformed into San Pedro Cultural Park.

Rather than repeat the background, here are links to my earlier blogs: first post, 2018; second post, 2024. Below, find images taken along a newer stretch.

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Postcard from Avignon, France: A brief restaurant sampler

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A colorful illustration of a French baguette with a decorative ribbon and text saying 'La baguette de pain française'.

Above: Perfect for the indecisive, a sampler platter at L’Epicerie Restaurant.

We didn’t stay in Avignon many days, so the list of restaurants we experienced is shorter than normal. Don’t be confused by the inclusion of two unrelated epiceries. Both have pleasant outdoor seating, but the food experience is totally different.

L’Epicerie de Ginette is more a cafe than a restaurant, but its seating on the tree-shaded plaza across the street is ideal for people-watching. Caramelized goat cheese on toast atop a salad was substantial, while a croque monsieur was spartan, a slim slice of ham and a paucity of cheese. The luscious raspberry custard tarte represented redemption. Perhaps best to stick with dessert and people-watching.

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