A pleasant group outing in the Ironbound with a few notable findings…read more
* This place is upscale, but in the middle of nowhere, relatively speaking. There are residences adjacent, industry across the street, and nothing screams "upscale" about the neighborhood.
* There are no small portions, and there are no small prices. You will pay a lot here. You will get a lot, and it will be good, but be ready.
Our arrival was leisurely, to say the least. We were seated promptly and served olives, followed by the rustic bread they are paired with, and then oil to paint the bread. These should all have come out together. The bread came in three varieties: soft fresh sourdough, wheat, and slices that were rather sweet. And any time the bread was finished, more bread came out. But for some reason, the menus did not. It took an unusually long time for the menus - meanwhile, the drink menus were on the table the moment we sat down... And then when we were not quite ready to order, they left us alone for a long time before we motioned for them to get our order. And then it took a long time for food to arrive, though with 12 people that's understandable. At the best restaurants, they'll get a few waiters to bring all 12 dishes at once. Ours arrived a few at a time, but at least in succession so that no one person (me being last) waited for minutes beyond the others.
I had the grilled octopus special. It was very tasty, cooked well, with a great grilled flavor but rather over-oiled. Others got gigantic paellas and every one of them took at least half home to go. For those prices, you'd better get at least two meals out of it!
* So, the last and most notable finding: Beware of deceit. We ordered two sangria pitchers. They asked for our third one, but then just brought a fourth to the table and started refilling glasses without even asking anyone. I do not believe that was comped, but that's not my department. They asked if people wanted water, and then started filling our water glasses with artisan bottled water. They were happy to keep our water refilled, and I guarantee those were also on our bill.
Verdict: You have three choices. Either arrive here with someone who will stay sober and mindful of what is being brought to the table; arrive here as a group with cost-no-object and drink, enjoy, pay whatever they charge you; or skip. Because getting food to-go here seems to miss the point of the atmosphere and the experience. I was in the second of the three choices, and I'm capable of the first, but I won't blame you for choosing to go elsewhere and get Portuguese food at a fairer value.