Nothing was going to save the meal when lackluster tomatoes were used across 3 dishes that rely upon red sauce.
On the good side: my family and I had no wait (in fact, no other co-diners) when we showed up for a very late lunch at 4p on a Wednesday. The English-speaking staff were confident and accommodating, and brought out our food and drinks promptly. Like in most of Portugal, our meal was so much less expensive than in other European countries and the U.S.: we spent 52 Euros with tip for two shandies, 0.5 L of rosé, and three entrees. The gnocchi and spaghetti noodles were acceptably al dente, and I say that as someone from New Jersey. Our oceanside seating was lovely to enjoy, thanks to the absence of crowds at the time we ate.
On the bad side: My mushroom pizza's tomato sauce had no sweetness to it, much less umami, leaving only the acid. Its cheese was boring too; at least the mushrooms were fresh. The puttanesca sauce lacked balance, heavily tilting toward the garlic and onion side. The gnocchi was cheesy, but again the absence of tomato flavor left the dish well short of tasty. I was also not a fan of the house rosé. It was just bright. If anyone can finish a rosé, it's me, but I left two whole glasses behind.
I was so looking forward to Italian food tonight, but this didn't get the job done. read more