The delights of Portuguese food are available widely in town, most often in quick, cheap and delicious form. But the cuisine of “the gentle land” also lends itself well to upmarket dining. Here, five Portuguese spots worth the big bucks.
Papas Tapas-Martinis
St. Laurent’s newest arrival offers 20 tapas (petisco) options, including grilled octopus and Sambuca-flambéed fennel with salsa and caramelized onions, as well as 30 martinis. For dessert: chocolate and goat-cheese cake. Petiscos, $5 – $16. 3547 St. Laurent Blvd., 514-544-1321.
Portus Calle
Enjoy the spring breeze drifting off the Main as you dine on market-fresh seafood, like the fried cod croquettes with tangy tomato sauce, or steak topped with an olive oil-poached egg and served alongside matchstick potatoes and chorizo. Mains, $25 – $38. 4281 St. Laurent Blvd., 514-849-2070.
Chez Le Portugais
Wash down grilled squid, slow-cooked beef, and escargots in port sauce, with yet more port. Enjoy live entertainment, courtesy of Istvan Lakatos “and his group of Gypsies!” on Friday nights. Table d’hôte, $30 – $50. 4134 St. Laurent Blvd., 514-849-0550.
Douro
Along with wines from the Douro region, this Little Italy joint offers seafood cataplana (like paella) and blackened cod, along with a plate of five petiscos in the tapas mista. Mains, $14.95 – $37.95. 6518 St. Laurent Blvd., 514-273-6969.
Solmar
Allegedly Montreal’s first Portuguese eatery (founded in 1972), Solmar gets celebratory every April with new dishes, specials and renowned musicians playing live fado. Feast on veal scaloppini in Madeira wine. Mains, $18.95–$51.95. 111 St. Paul St. E., 514-861-4562.
Image courtesy of pcarpen.
