What the experts recommend: Authentic Portuguese food

last updated 8 January 2015

Aldea

New York City

Chef George Mendes worked for years in some of the world’s finest kitchens, but for his own restaurant debut he’s returned to the Portuguese dishes that “he grew up eating,” said Alan Richman in GQ. One of the best new restaurants in the country, Aldea occupies a brilliant Manhattan space that’s “modern, airy, textured, stylish, sleek, and minimalist.” As for the food—even if Portuguese cuisine has never interested you, that will change when you try Mendes’ “upscale version.” A paella-like arroz de pato is a wonderful mix of duck cracklings, pan scrapings, duck confit, olives, and rare duck breast. Still not convinced? The “briny-iodiney” shrimp alhinho, with its “intense, glowing sauce” tasting of garlic and smoked paprika, is the best I’ve ever had—the work of an unheralded master.

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Portuguese transplant Carla Gonçalves and husband David Gilberg “elevate the authentic flavors of Portugal to another level” with their tapas-style dishes, said Craig LaBan in The Philadelphia Inquirer. The restaurant’s name invokes the “phonetic spelling of cozido—which means ‘cooked’ in Portuguese”—and the space fuses a hip brick dining room with authentic Portuguese touches like a fado soundtrack and cork-topped tables. In the kitchen, Gilberg takes Portugal’s “peasant flavors” and updates them with high-quality ingredients and strong technique. Chicken gizzards soaked in milk, then slow-cooked in wine and a traditional onion-and-tomato refogado base, produce “tender dark-meat nuggets” that are a surprising top-seller. Among the entrées, the “masterful caldo verde soup” is a smooth potato broth skillfully studded with green collard ribbons and topped with cumin-laced rounds of chouriço sausage. A dessert menu that’s not to be missed makes the meal “satisfying from start to finish.”

A stone’s throw from John F. Kennedy Airport sits a “miniature Portuguese neighborhood that has managed to remain intact for decades,” said Robert Sietsema in The Village Voice. Its anchor is this longstanding Queens mainstay, frequented by Portuguese nationals and those in the know. Just be aware: O Lavrador is divided into two sections—an upscale dining room with all the “charm of a mausoleum” and a more interesting bar area. Here, you can get everything on the pricier dining-room menu, as well as several more authentic items. Beer-friendly, spud-studded salt-cod fritters cost a mere 75 cents each. “Salt cod was the foodstuff that fueled Portuguese expansionism in the 16th century, and these miniature fried submarines represent one of its spectacular incarnations—fishy, salty, starchy, and just plain delicious.” A chalkboard of daily specials frequently features such drool-inducing dishes as the traditional chowder of monkfish, rice, clams, and shrimp. “It comes in a cauldron, with plenty of plump-grained rice in the depths to soak up the broth.” 138-40 101st Ave., (718) 526-1526