Published: October, 2007 - Hartford Magazine

Hartford Magazine’s new restaurant reviewers are a husband-and-wife team. He is a prominent Connecticut chef, and she has been in the restaurant industry for nearly two decades.

LISA BRISSON PHOTO

One of O'Porto's signature dishes is Camarão å Mocambique. It is made of grilled shrimp Mozambique style dressed with a sauce of lemon, garlic and white wine and completed with a piri-piri sauce.

My husband and I decided to explore the Portuguese restaurant on the corner of Park and Prospect Street in Hartford. The majority of restaurants try to overcompensate to accommodate everyone ’s tastes and end up doing “fusion cuisine.” O’Porto is authentic Portuguese with a little splash of Spanish influence.

There was a charming outside café area decorated like a small garden, with a wrought iron gate and sparkling petite lights giving it a romantic glow. It was a rainy, damp night, so no one was seated outside, but I can imagine that it would be bustling on a nice evening. The entrance and interior were just as charming – beautiful brick walls with high ceilings and subtly done with authentic Portuguese crafts.

We started out with a cocktail and browsed the extensive menu. At first I was a little overwhelmed by the number of offerings and the Portuguese titles, but soon realized that the items had simple descriptions so diners would knew exactly what they were ordering. The menu was divided into categories, which also helped.

Our first course consisted of “Torre de Carne,” “Scallops Nunes” and “Crepes Recheados.” The salad was a generous portion of carefully sliced filet mignon topped with caramelized onions, figs and greens dressed in port wine vinaigrette. The scallops were cooked perfectly in a light sauce that made them melt in your mouth. They were a special that evening and certainly justified the title. The second appetizer was a thin crepe stuffed with chunks of shrimp and sweet crabmeat. The description read “in a tomato broth” but I was pleased to receive them in a nice tomato crème, almost more of a garnish.

We decided to try a seafood and a beef entrée. I ordered the “Arroz de Marisco” and my husband the “Bife à Portuguesa.”

The arroz de marisco was presented in an authentic ceramic bowl. At first, it appeared to be a bowl of white rice in a light tomato broth with shrimp, littleneck clams, mussels, scallops and squid topped with a large prawn. But after taking a heaping spoon of just rice, I was pleased by all the delicious flavors and spices. The seafood was sweet and tender, perfectly cooked.

My husband was also skeptical with the bowl of rice, but after tasting this dish, he, too, was amazed at the combination of Portuguese flavors. His steak was very odd-looking with the thin slice of prosciutto and fried egg on top. He asked for the steak medium rare and it was cooked perfectly. The prosciutto gave the sirloin some life and additional flavoring. The fried egg didn’t really do much for the flavoring but it did seem to garnish the dish with Portuguese authenticity. It came with “Portuguese fried potatoes,” which seemed to be the blandest item of the evening. I guess I expected a few more ingredients in them, considering the other dishes.

We ended our evening with dessert. I had a flan laced in caramel sauce. It was a perfect texture of custard but the sauce had an aftertaste that indicated that it was burnt. There were two tarts on the menu, an Almond Pear Tart and Pear Tart with a port wine sauce. My husband ordered the pear tart but didn’t quite taste the flavor of the port. Both desserts were good, but maybe next time we will explore the other options.

The wine list was an extensive array of Portuguese offerings, with reds and premium reds and then whites and sparkling wines. It was overwhelming, but fortunately each wine was described in detail. I had two of the vinho verdes and my husband asked the server to suggest a red to complement his dinner. Ordering by the glass seemed to work well considering we had numerous courses that consisted of meats and seafood.

Our server, a young lady, was impeccable. The two individuals who were waiting on tables were friendly and professional. As we ate our dinner, both stood attentively in the rear of the dining room, far enough away that we didn’t feel they were intrusive but close enough to catch a glance that we might need something.

Upon our departure, my husband and I decided that the uniqueness of this restaurant required a second visit. There were so many things on the the marinated vegetables to be Mousse de Chocolate. Both were menu, wine list, desserts and ports that we wanted to explore.

My husband was looking for the items that identified true Portuguese tradition, such as fresh fish, shellfish, saffron and chourico. We started our next visit with two types of soup. The Sopa de Vegetais and the Caldo Verde (traditional Portuguese soup with potato puree and kale garnished with chourico).

The Sopa was a brilliant combination of carrot and pumpkin flavors garnished with fresh collard greens that my husband describes as bringing the soup to a new dimension. The Caldo was also delicious, but we were hoping the garnish of chourico was shredded in order to enjoy the flavor of the meat with each spoonful; instead it was a slice of meat swimming in the pureed potato.

The next course consisted of Chourico Assado, roasted Portuguese smoked chourico with an aguardente sauce. The presentation was intriguing. It was a flaming chunk of sausage presented in a uniquely shaped dish. The flame fizzled out as the server laid it on the table. The meat had a skin that had a delightful crunch from the flame and filled with flavor. The sauce was grappa that made the chourico flame and infused the meat with brandy flavor.

The second appetizer, the “Combinado,” which was basically an antipasto but Portuguese style, consisted of Portuguese cheese, prosciutto, smoked chourico, marinated olives, hearts of palm, pickled vegetables and toast points. The plate was also garnished with dried figs, which complemented the meats and cheese. My husband suspected bought because of the flavor and perfect cut. The next course was strictly my husband’s curiosity because it is considered the national dish of Portugal. The salted cod (bacalhau) did not sound appetizing to me but he knew it was one of the most authentic dishes on the menu. To my surprise it was good. He truly enjoyed the cod smothered in sweet onions and tomatoes, which helped mild out the salty preparation of the fish.

We tried to select entrees that used ingredients known to be the best in Portuguese traditions. My husband selected the “Carne de Porco Alentejana,” a sautee of pork tenderloin, clams and roasted potatoes in a spicy wine sauce. The server seemed very excited because it was his personal favorite. My husband was hoping that the pork would be braised instead of sautéed due to the meat being a little over done. He also recognized the vegetables in the dish as the same as the marinated vegetables in the “Combinado.” Unfortunately the marinade on the vegetables overwhelmed the delicious broth and fresh clams. I decided to try the bouillabaisse, “Mariscada Portuguesa.” This was a combination of lobster, mussels, clams, scallops, and shrimp in a white wine and cilantro sauce, served with a side of saffron rice. The seafood was tender and sweet but the broth seemed to have an overwhelming amount of lemon juice, not cilantro. The saffron rice was cooked perfectly, which seems to be an easy task but as my husband describes “practice makes perfect.”

We completed our dining adventure with desserts. We ordered the O’Porto Flan and the delicious. According to my husband, the flan was a perfect texture of custard and covered with a ruby port. The mousse was very tasty but we suspected a packaged mix due to the denseness of the chocolate, almost like a pudding. It was still tasty and covered with house-made whipped cream.

We complemented these desserts with two delicious ports, the Ramos Pinto 20 year and the Smith Woodhouse Colheita. Port is a treat that is overlooked much too often, and O’Porto has one of the most interesting and extensive lists of ports that I have encountered.

Overall, we were pleased with both dining experiences. We will return to this little diamond in the rough to try other delicious Portuguese traditions.