Gayle Brennan Spencer – sending random thoughts to and from South Austin
Only 15 miles from Lisboa but several degrees cooler, Sintra was a popular summer retreat for the royal family for centuries. King Joao I (1385-1433) began layering changes upon the Moorish base, and successive kings continued altering the National Palace to suit current styles.
Major feasts must have been served, as the conical twin chimneys top enormous stoves and ovens in the palace kitchen. And, as always in Portugal, a multitude of tiles color the walls.
Traveling for six weeks, we did not always make it to the restaurants with the hottest chefs. We were reserving some of them for the end of our trip, and, by then, we weren’t up for such major meals. Plus, we had some favorite spots beckoning return visits.
Am arbitrarily dividing the food into two categories. The second post will deal with restaurants serving “foreign,” as in not Portuguese, fare.
The Mister’s favorite fish dish of the trip, meaning we went to the place twice so he could enjoy it again, was what I believe is called bream fish at Belem 2 to 8. The flaky fillet topped layers of greens, potatoes and a richly seasoned tomato sauce. For the first time after seeing it on many menus, I broke down and tried the traditional fried green beans. These are whole, long beans in a tempura batter. The Portuguese claim to have originated tempura cooking for seafood and vegetables – tempura referring to the “time” of no-meat fasting during Lent – with missionaries spreading its usage to Japan in the 1600s.
There were a multitude of restaurants within a few blocks of our apartment. Carmo Restaurante was on a lively plaza filled with jacaranda trees and street musicians. Enjoyed freshly steamed clams and octopus rice there. We were prowling for vegetables when we found Café Royale, with a “parcel” of thinly sliced eggplant wrapped around vegetables, tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella and a goat cheese salad. Another great haven for lighter vegetable dishes was Vertigo Café, a place one immediately felt comfortably at home. There, we enjoyed eggplant and zucchini toasts, a chicken and couscous salad plate and a “jacked-up” potato, with vegetables and tzatziki sauce.
The seductive patio on a hilltop drew us for several meals at Lost in Esplanada. Everything we sampled was good, from a healthy beet soup to the decadent arugula and gorgonzola cheese toast. We also enjoyed roasted vegetables, rosemary grilled shrimp and tender octopus there.
At a nearby park, grab a table, if you can, at the Café Esplanada. Humongous rubber trees provide the shade for this spot filled with locals sipping beer. On Saturdays, there’s a farmers’ market, and the people-watching is great. Don’t delve far into the menu; order what everyone else is having – large toasts, panini-like sandwiches filled with oozing cheese. So good, and so inexpensive. And they convinced me to order a panini-maker as soon as we got home.
Smoke swirls around booths set up in the streets on the Feast Day of Saint Anthony, and many nights surrounding the date, vending fresh sardines and grilled meats slapped into sandwiches. Some vendors just go whole hog, speared from head to tail.
Anyone who has got power or a bit of money should contribute to the preservation of culture.
Jose Berardo, “In Lisbon, Sowing the Seeds of Culture,” Seth Sherwood, The New York Times, February 18, 2011
Born in Madeira, Jose Berardo has a “gold finger.” The self-made billionaire started out diving into all-night club scenes in South Africa before settling down to make his fortune through trading in gold, diamonds, paper, finance and almost everything else he touched.
His wealth fueled his urge to collect compulsively. And a portion of the results can be seen at the Berardo Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Belen Cultural Center. A rarity: entry to the collection is admission-free.
The placement of the huge Belen Cultural Center, built in 1992 to host Portugal’s term as head of the European Union, was controversial. The massive modern structure shares the same sweeping plaza as the ancient Church and Monastery of Jeronimos. But the plaza is enormous, and great care was taken to preserve the viewshed of the landmark. And, unlike San Antonio’s slow process in the reuse of HemisFair, the calendar of the Cultural Center is packed with theatrical, musical and art events.
So here goes another download overload of postdated postcards from Lisboa.
Postcards from Barton Springs 