Eating in Portugal – Part 5 –

After taking in the spectacular sights of the Algarve region and getting familiar with the area, it was once again time to find a place for dinner. The Portuguese, like the Spanish, like to eat late (I do too actually). So it was already dark, and around 8:00 PM. This is a normal dinner time all over Portugal.

We found this lovely family owned and operated restaurant called Festa da Praia. It has been going strong since 1990.

We almost ate outside, but it was a little too chilly to be really comfortable, so we opted to dine inside instead. I am so glad we did too, for a number of reasons.

After we ordered and before our food came, of course I wondered around and took a few pictures. Like so many restaurants, they had a display of their fresh catches of the day. They offered seabass, salmon, tuna, barnacles (a Portuguese favorite) and clams.

Then our food came. Again, we ordered a delicious Portuguese white wine and some garlic bread to start us off.

Larry ordered a curried seafood pasta as his main dish. It was loaded with shrimp, mussels and clams.

I ordered a Portuguese traditional classic, the bacalhau, or salt cod casserole.

Everything was delicious. We would have been very happy if our perfect day and dinner ended here. But …. it got even better, if you can imagine that! The owner, Paola, came out and was talking to the guests, and she made her way over to our table too. We hit it off immediately, and have so much in common. She sent us some port to enjoy before giving us on a little tour of her restaurant and the kitchen.

To me, Paola’s kitchen was small, but she insisted it was actually a large kitchen. Regardless of the size though, everything that comes from that kitchen is delicious and made with the number one ingredient, LOVE. Everyone was very friendly and a lot of fun too.

Paola also hosts weekly arts and crafts classes, and was proudly showing off some of her other creative skills. We would be best friends if I lived there, that’s for sure. We talked like we had known each other all our lives.

Thank you Paola and staff for sharing your lovely hospitality and “home” with us. You and Festa da Praia are true gems. We thoroughly enjoyed our short visit with you. We hope to see you again one day.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Live life to the fullest. It’s not the destination that matters, but the journey. Enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.