On my way from Lisbon to Evora I started to feel a bit sick but had to power through for my friends wedding. I forced myself to get out of bed by making a reservation at Cavalariça as it was a Michelin guide restaurant. I was almost not going to make it but forced myself out the door, but still arrived 15 minutes behind my lunch reservation on a Friday. The server was kind and still seated me outside. Coincidentally this was the venue for the second day of the wedding so it was interesting to see it as a restaurant and then totally transformed for the event, but more on that later.
For starters I had a crab salad tartlete with pea and chili cream topped with cured yolk shavings. It was so elegantly presented and so good, and you could really tell it was real fresh crab unfortunately because there was a lot of crab shell pieces. I'm a little disappointed that I had to be careful in eating due to that, so this is a 4/5.
For the main I had the Monte do Roque duck with fava bean puree and dill with leek and orange sauce. I would give this a 3/5 because I was unable to chew some of the duck and skin pieces. I'm unsure of the pea puree and whether that was the best choice to pair with something so chewy. Additionally 3 days before I had also gotten stung by a wasp, and I almost fainted when I saw a wasp in the corner of my eye. They're likely very attracted to the orange juice and they were able to reseat me inside and I appreciate the quick service.
For dessert I had dark and white chocolate mousse, cocoa biscuit, with latte ice cream. This was the best dessert I ate my entire 2 weeks in Europe. The mousse is light and airy, pairing beautifully with the delicate cocoa biscuit, which inevitably has to be cracked when eaten. Chefs kiss 10/5.
Finally as I was getting sick at this point I had asked for hot water, and was surprised to see no charge. For the service, vibe, and presentation, to be 45 euros is an absolute steal despite the crab shells, chewy duck, and bees. Value and service 5/5.
Additionally based on my understanding of the small town they have never had any events of this size and culture and even curated mocktails. They did a really amazing job. I would definitely give this place a try, but skip the crab salad and duck. read more