Restaurante Terroso – Pedro & Vitalina set up in Cascais

Pedro Jorge @ the entrance to 

Restaurante Terroso, Cascais

(above and below) 

 Vitalina rattling the pots and pans 

(above and below)

 

Sign for Terroso in small Rua do Poço Novo, Cascais

For many years Pedro Jorge ran the Garrafeira Alfaia in the Bairro Alto making it one of Lisbon's best wine bars, while his wife Vitalina, cooked deliciously in the associated restaurant across the street. Unfortunately about a year ago there was a family bust-up, Pedro and Vitalina left. 

The good news is that they have set up on their own in the seaside resort of Cascais with Restaurant Terroso. It is great to see Pedro and Vitalina so happy and proud of their new venture, which opened about three months ago. Pedro stresses that they still have the same philosophy that made Alfaia so successful. People are welcome whether they just want a glass of wine and some cheese or ham or they want a full meal. However, given how good Vitalina's cooking is it is a seriously missed opportunity not to try her food!

Coast towards Lisbon

Looking towards Cascais

Arriving in Lisbon last Wednesday we wasted no time in heading out to try out Terroso. Catching the train from Cais do Sodre we got off a Monte Estoril and walked the rest of the way along the seafront to Cascais.

Terroso is very close to Casais' central seafront near to the Hotel Baia but just off the main drag. You can either eat outside or in – we chose in as there was a coolness in the air. Terroso has been very well done out with clean lines and using the Terroso motif very effectively.

 Here come the reds.....  

 

 Tiled tables from the 1920s 

that the previous restaurant had covered up

Roots showing the local products 

– including wine, honey, olives

 First things first – a bottle of crisply refreshing

2016 Arinto Quinta do Síbio from the Douro

 We selected a couple of petiscos for our starters.

We had to have the pata negra, which is still delicious 

Also the liver and olives  

Duck and wild mushroom pastry parcel

– one of Vitalina's signature dishes

We were the first to try this as Terroso's 

electricity supply has just be upgraded 

– previously they could run the oven at a sufficient heat 

 

 The compelling 2014 Casa de Mouraz, Dão

One of the increasingly rare bottles for this producer

badly affected by the forest fires

 

 

 Grilled sea bass – we shared 

a perfectly grilled dish

Vitalina, Pedro and their enthusiastic waiter

Terroso is open from Tuesday to Sunday from noon to 11pm.  

How much is a season train ticket from Lisbon to Cascais......? We are already planning to go back.

Some Portuguese treats

Relaxed dinner by the Tagus at Atira-te ao Rio

(This post was originally published on Les 5 du Vin on 26th July 2016.)

Portugal remains a treasure trove for good value wines in all three colours with many from their storehouse of native grape varieties. It is also possible, for those prepared to take a punt, to find some remarkable old wines at bargain prices.

How long this will last is perhaps now a question worth asking for, in 14 years of coming to Lisbon during July, I can never remember a year when Lisbon has been so full of visitors. It seems that many have now discovered the attractions and value of Portugal's capital. It is a hot destination and not just because it was 37˚C yesterday up from 36˚C on Sunday.

2015 Alvarinho, Vinho Verde, Pingo Doce own label 3.98€

Anselmo Mendes is a Vinho Verde specialist making a whole range of wines from this northern Portuguese region including a very fine single vineyard Alvarinho that I cited last week. This own label from supermarket Pingo Doce is at the other end of the scale. It does, however, offer both plenty of flavour and just amazing value. This Alvarinho that has both texture and a clean refreshing acidity – ideal as an apéro or with some grilled prawns, for instance.

2009 Dona Berta Vinha Centenária, Reserva Branco

Dona Berta – a quite opulent Douro white made from a range of grapes: Códega do Larinho, Rabigato, Viosinho, Gouveio and Malvasia Fina. We enjoyed this at at Pedro's Garrafeira Alfaia in the Bairro Alto. There is no wine list, so either you tell Pedro what sort of wine you would like to drink or you choose it from the shelves.

2014 Arinto dos Açores sur lies, DO Pico, Açores, António Maçanita     

Another of Pedro's choices, this is a rare Arinto from the Azores. Only 1600 bottles are made of this precise, saline and mineral wine. It was a fine foil for the sea bass baked in salt that Pedro's wife cooked for us – what a treat!

Sea bass cooked in salt

 

Some golden oldies

NV Terras Altas Dão, José Maria da Fonseca 

In last Tuesday's post I mentioned a couple of old wines that we had bought from the Garrafeira Nacional in the Mercado da Ribeira at Cais Sodre. We bought eight as these bin ends, offered at 5.95€ each – buy three, get the fourth for free. It was such a compelling offer that we bought eight on the basis that if a few were undrinkable, they would still have been good value.

To date we have drunk and enjoyed five of our eight bottles, so feel that we already have had a bargain. Last Friday night we dispatched a further three. Firstly came the quite deeply golden NV Terras Altas Dão, José Maria da Fonseca. We have no definite information about this white wine. José Maria da Fonseca no longer make a white from the Dão. It is, however, thought it may well have come from the 1960s. Although it naturally had some oxidation, it was certainly still complex, clean and precise with some touches of dried honey. 

A pair from the Ribatejo – Dom Hermano 1985 Reserva and 1980 Garrafeira  

It was fascinating to taste this pair of Dom Hermano reds from the Casa Agricola Herd. de D. Luis de Margaride in Almeirim. Both were in good shape with 12.5% alc but the 1980 Garrafeira, with a production of 50,000 bottles, had considerably greater length and complexity than the 1985 Reserva. The 1980 Garrafeira was bottled in November 1984, while the 1985 Reserva bottling was in March 1987.

Lisbon – good times on Thursday

Street view looking towards Estrela 

from western edge of Bairro Alta  

The Tagus Bay from a viewpoint 

 Statue @viewpoint 

Gents@Mercado da Ribeira

Women@Mercado da Ribeira

Flowers in the market

Cais do Sodre station – detail

Excellent crab in simple, friendly restaurant in Alcantara

A lunchtime treat

 Tinto Vulcânico @ Garrafeira Alfaia, Lisbon 

(above and below) 

An another excellent evening in this great wine bar

  

2010 Dão, Touriga Nacional, Quinta da Fata

Great white Port – Andresen 10 YO: one for the the road!

Distance celebration@Barrio Alto of LA's birthday

Cheers Luiz! André Ribeirinho and Jim @Garrafeira Alfaia

 

 The Garrafeira Alfaia in the Barrio Alto – André's Lisbon drinking home 

André and I met up at the Garrafeira Alfaia in the Barrio Alto last night for a convivial evening of la modération. We kicked off with a bottle of Filipa Pato's excellent white – 2013 Nossa Calcario made from Bical. It was a little too cool when the cork was first pulled and needed time to open up, so Nossa went into a carafe. The 2013 Nossa has lovely crisp balance and even when relatively warm an hour or more later it still had impressive acidity. 

 

André lurking at the bar's entrance 

 Side label sponsored by an optician 

 André uploading the photo at the beginning of this post
to celebrate Luiz Alberto's birthday

 Fine selection of hams

 Pedro Jorge: owner of the bar and its attached restaurant

 2004 Meruge, Douro

After Filipa's Nossa we moved onto the 2004 Meruge from Lavradores de Feitoria. It is good to see that Pedro stocks some older vintages. The 2004 was showing very well – nicely balanced with quite a rich texture but certainly not overblown. A light spicy and gamey character gave the wine extra complexity. Drinking very well now it still plenty of life, so could happily kept a number of more years.

We concluded our evening of restraint with a couple of small glasses of white Port in the spirit of research. 

 The very impressive and complex: 

Andresen 10-Year-Old White Port 

Viera de Sousa: rich but without complexity of Andresen 

- Port and water....