I really, really, really wanted to love this place. Considering my family is Portuguese, having access to Portuguese cuisine blocks from my home is awesome, but the experience really feel short on what I was expecting.
The restaurant itself is beautifully designed with lots of wood and interesting metal bar stools. The back is a little too dark for my liking as its difficult to read the menus and see your food. In the daytime, the windows lend plenty of light so this isn't an issue. I'm also not the biggest fan of the open windows considering it's on the corner of a super busy intersection, so the noise and air pollution didn't exactly lend itself to a romantic, calm meal. However, this isn't something that can be fixed.
It was rather quiet on a Saturday night at around 8pm. My family and I were greeted warmly and seated without issue in the back. The owner, a very friendly woman, spoke Portuguese to my mother (who is fluent) and asked a Portuguese waiter to take care of us. I really liked the whole "family" vibe that the staff exuded. I was extremely hopeful for the meal, but overall the meal doesn't warrant the hefty price-tag.
The Sagres on draft was nice, although $7 for about 12oz isn't worth it. If they had a happy hour that included this beer, I would come to watch some soccer and pretend I was back in Portugal. They had a nice wine list - so maybe this is the way to go.
My husband and I shared their version of caldo verde (which is a traditional Portuguese soup with greens and linguisa). They did warn us it wasn't like the caldo verde we're used to, but it was a delicious soup. It was a large bowl for $6, large enough to be filling for one person with some bread. A great lunch option. This was probably my favorite part of the meal.
My nephew, 19 months old, enjoyed the kids meal (ask for it, they don't have a menu yet) of chicken tenders and french fries. It was $10 - so not exactly kid menu prices, but it was a huge portion and very good. They have great fresh cut french fries, definitely the only side worth getting. They needed a dipping sauce for this dish though.
So for the meal we ordered:
Grilled cod fish - this is a tricky dish and it was an epic fail. It was TOO salty and inedible. It needed to be soaked for longer. If you get this dish and its too salty, you must send it back. It happens with center cut cod fish, but its never fun to experience. They were very nice and brought my mother grilled sardines with a salad instead. She enjoyed this a lot.
Surf & Turk - my father ordered this special, $29, that includes a sirloin and 3 stuffed shrimp and two sides. The steak was perfectly cooked and he liked the shrimp. He didn't think it was worth $29, but he still enjoyed it. His fried potatoes were under cooked and were replaced with better ones halfway through the meal.
Grilled Half Chicken - we thought this was going to be traditional "frango no churrasco", one of the most popular Portuguese dishes. It was just a plain ol' grilled chicken. Honestly, frango no churrasco is fabulous and easy to make - why aren't they doing this if this is a Portuguese restaurant?! The dish was $16 and tasty. although its one of the most affordable dish on the menu, it's just roasted chicken. The fries are good with this dish, but the kale is just okay.
Octopus and Kale Salad - my sister enjoyed this and it was a large portion. She said some of the octopus was a little tough, but still tasty. It's a hearty salad for anyone wanting a healthy dish.
Broiled Seafood Platter - although this isn't a traditional Portuguese dish, I figured the seafood would be good since as half their menu was dedicated to their New England theme (strange). I feel like Raizes is having an identify crisis. Anyhoo, my dish was really disappointing. To put is simply, the meal was BLAND. Where is the salt, the spices? It tasted like nothing. The broiled filet of sole has zero flavor. No amount of lemon could fix it. The scallops and shrimp were perfectly cooked, but also bland as hell. It was so boring to eat but I ate it cause I was hungry and it was expensive. The mashed potatoes were also incredible bland, no butter or salt. The steamed veggies were bland too. There was no salt or pepper on the tables so I suffered through my meal, mostly eating everyone else's food. Maybe the fried dish is better?
The desserts were tasty. The banana bread pudding was awesome and the flourless chocolate cake was okay. Not the best, but still chocolaty and good.
So Raizes - if you want to make it in this neighborhood, you have to bring down your prices and added some flavor to your dishes. I just don't think people are going to pay between $20 and $30 for food that is just subpar. I want to love you guys, but things need to change. I'm not the only one with these thoughts, based on previous reviews. read more