This unassuming place is a satellite office if you will of Grapes & Bites up the hill, & it's the same exceptional food, service, & sophistication with the wines they serve. The first time I ran into the waiter I'd met up there when he was standing out front of this other place, & he invited me in, & you should have seen me at first try to turn down what was left in this rare vintage bottle for a gentleman's price. But I quickly relented, & watched Lisbon go by outside as the sun went down, drinking in this gorgeous elixir & listening to a bunch of obscure Aretha Franklin hits.
It's really something when someone serving you dinner makes you feel so elevated as a person, but that was always this guy's particular gift to me. I went back to the Wine Cellar for my last dinner in Portugal, & I can tell you it did not disappoint. Mushrooms stuffed with Serra da Estrela cheese, a beautiful salad, & a leg of duck with potatoes that was rich as a piece of chocolate cake but somehow not oily at all. The chef was acting all comedically taken aback when I told him in Portuguese it was a miracle, but honestly you could wander the great cities of the world for days before you found a meal that good, & with the great London hip-hop tunes playing...
One day I caught their sign out front walking by, "If you don't drink wine, how will your friends know you love them at 2 in the morning?" Hahaha. Unforgettable couple of evenings. CR read more