Published: June 12, 2005 - The Hartford Courant
By MICHAEL GANNON

O'Porto is the best thing to happen to Hartford dining in a long, long time.

Sure, plenty of new restaurants have opened in the past year. Some are quite good. But O'Porto is exceptional. It's the kind of place to bring your out-of-town friends who smirk at the idea of good food existing outside their bustling big cities. And its presence on Park Street, which grows more charming and friendly with each passing month, gives it doubled appeal - here's high-end urban dining, half a block from the West Hartford line.

Of course, some might say it's still Casa Lisboa, the modest family-style restaurant that enjoyed a steady stream of regulars just a few doors down. There's some truth to that: After Casa Lisboa lost its lease, the de Sousa family (two brothers and their father, the chef) created O'Porto on the ground floor of an old bicycle factory. But while the warmth and fine flavor of Casa Lisboa survived the transition, the de Sousas have added several shakes of contemporary style. Copper-topped tables gleam in the generous dining room, a tasteful expanse of polished wood and exposed brick. For a quick drink and a bite to eat, there's also a separate bar, staffed by a well-trained group of bartenders who can fix a mean drink with a smile.

The freshness of the décor is eclipsed only by the seafood, which seems to have been hauled on shore and plucked from the net just hours before. For starters, there are camarão a alhinho, deliciously fresh shrimp in a garlic butter cream sauce that was so rich and well-balanced, we couldn't help but clean the plate with hunks of warm Portuguese bread. One special appetizer, an octopus salad, was impossibly tender, with bright bite-sized morsels dressed lightly with a spicy piri-piri sauce and a dash of balsamic vinegar. I've never had such a dainty dish of octopus, but after trying it, it seems the only way it should be prepared.

Another special, razor clams in lemon and garlic, was also fabulous. And at eleven bucks for an entrée-sized serving, I was amazed - with seafood this good and so generously portioned, O'Porto is practically giving it away.

Seafood entrées are a bit more pricey, but still well worth it. The mariscada portuguesa is an ebullient bouillabaisse that rivals variations I've sampled at considerably higher cost. Massive shrimp, clams, mussels and scallops as light as marshmallows lie unassumingly in a broth of white wine and olive oil. It will be my dish of choice on future visits, of which there will be many.

For Portuguese purists, there's also bacalhau, prepared a estoril in a tomato onion sauce. I can't seem to acquire a taste for salted cod, but the texture of the fish, which flaked in tender layers at the slightest provocation, showcased the dish at its best. There are many options, so feel free to lean on the servers for recommendations - they're as knowledgeable as they are expedient.

Don't like seafood? Well, you might prefer another cuisine, but there's still plenty at O'Porto to keep you contented. For starters, there's a must-order salad with dried apricots, figs, raisins and a wonderfully soft and mild Portuguese cheese, tossed with greens in balsamic vinaigrette. For entrées, pork and steak are both on the menu, but their composition lacks the delicacy of the seafood. I was most impressed with the frango sem osso, a boneless Cornish hen with a bold flavor of fresh lemon. It went perfectly with the batata frita, the simply fried potato "chips" that join many of O'Porto's entrées.

After superlative meals, the desserts were somewhat pedestrian - a crème brûlée, a caramel flan and an almond tart that paired decently with a cup of coffee. I see desserts as the coup de grace - at O'Porto, they seem more like an afterthought. You may be better off sitting back and finishing your bottle of vinho verde.

Nevertheless, I left O'Porto with a grin. It's always a pleasure to find a new favorite.