Brendan T.
Yelp
4 & 1/2. Lunch at this thoughtfully updated yet still perfectly classic "Tasca" (a traditional working class Liboa purveyor of low priced basic yet classic and simple Portuguese dishes) was the perfect welcome/introduction to this amazing city, which is surely likely my favorite city on the planet at this exact moment in time...Conveniently located mere steps from our hotel, the apparently as of yer un-Yelped VIP Executive Picoas, this picaresque little cafe offered the charm of a Hollywood set piece of classic European cafe that could play as Florence, Paris, or any of the other classic cities, because Lisboa is right up there with them! Despite its location smack in the middle of the central business district the place somehow manages to have the charm of a local neighborhood spot, and besides us, the place seemed to be filled entirely with actual Lisboans enjoying their meals in the typically leisurely fashion. Oh yeah, our meal here definetly set the tone and primed us for the norms of service here in this country, and rule number one being Do not go out to eat if you are in anything approaching a rush! While it may be on the Atlantic, the laid back Mediterranean spirit nonetheless, endures here, and service is not quick, and any attempts to speed it up will not only be unsuccessful but most likely result in you receiving a much deserved eye-roll, or worse. Regardless, although not fast the service was professional and courteous, as would also prove to generally be the rule here.
Tascas typically serve a small menu of simple and satisfying greatest hits of Portuguese classics. This one was no exception, and it wound of having some of my favorite renditions of the dishes I would quickly become well acquainted with on my jaunt across the nation. Perhaps one of the most ubiquitous, and most classic of these dishes just might be the cilantro-based clams in green sauce, and the version here was surely amongst the best I had, a brilliant nearly neon green broth of emulsified cilantro, garlic and oil drowning delicious, tiny and amazingly flavorful clams of the type I usually know as manilla clams, oh man just thinking about that now, makes my mouth water, it took great restraint not so slurp up every last drop of the sauce with a spoon. A bite into this and I was already pretty much ready to cosign the late, great Bourdain's statement that the Portuguese prepare clams better than anyone else on the planet. Other highlights were perfectly fish fried fleets of decadent and bracingly fresh-tasting John Dory fish, priced probably 1/6 as much as you would pay for them shipped and not at all fresh in some fancier European metro, and perfectly flaky and unctuous pastys stuffed with beef, and the uniquely Portuguese and insanely delicious smoked sausage know as Alheira. I washed these down with 3 dollar glasses of insanely delicious Portuguese wine, leisurely paid our shockingly low bill, and walked out with a combination of satisfaction and amazement, already secure in my feeling that I had arrived at one of my favorite cities on Earth.
