Dining in Évora, part 4

Dinner time! You might have gotten the impression from our last few posts that we didn’t eat while we were in Évora; you probably didn’t, but who are we to judge? Actually we just got so caught up in talking about the other bits of our trip that the posts were feeling kinda long as they were. So, instead, let’s just have a conversation here at the end about eating in this ancient city. Like a lot of smallish cities that have outsized tourism footprints, the dining options felt abundant compared to the overall scale of the place. We ended up having an interesting range of meals. Three of them were at places we’d spent time choosing ahead of time, while one was a surprise. One was meh, and we even had a disappointment. Neither of those was the surprise place (so… also surprise?); let’s ta;lk about it.

Our first night we went into town to sample the seasonal menu at Restaurante Hibrido. They offer modern cuisine based on traditional Portuguese dishes with a strong focus on provenance and local, small-scale, producers. There is also an emphasis on sustainability, making use of every bit of the food they purchase for their small (five table) establishment.

It was superb.

They recommend one of two options, five or seven moments (the new terms for courses), although you can order a la carte. Since Lisa doesn’t usually trust tasting menus on a first visit, we didn’t do the moments.

Our first courses were a kind of salad — Lisa’s of cured fish (a kind of river Sturgeon if I interpreted correctly) with cucumber and daikon flavored with oregano and lime. The fish was silky and not overly smoky. John tried a slightly heavier dish of beef tongue from a local producer of a strain of Waygu cattle. (Our first experience with tongue, truth be told.) While the beef itself was fine, we found the garlic creme and mustard to be too strongly flavored — the creme would have been enough. Our mains were Alentejo pork (justifiably an excellent product) and Carne de Caca (game meat). The pork had a feel of northern France with its accompanying sausage and cabbage. The hollandaise sauce was rich, but lifted the elements of the dish to a new level and had John surreptitiously wiping the plate clean with a bit of bread. Lisa’s game dish came with roasted beets and a medley of asparagus and baby greens. The meat’s richness was perfectly balanced by the vegetables and it sang on the tongue. Dessert was a local favorite: Enxovalhada, a sourdough cake with custard alongside homemade ice cream. Just the right sweet to end a fabulous dinner.

Our server spoke excellent English, a bonus because she was able to clearly discuss what each dish was like and where the ingredients came from. She knew every bottle in the (small but excellent) wine list and was able to help us decide how to proceed. The incredibly small kitchen perfectly paced the timing of the plates, giving us time to enjoy each and not rushing to get the next plate in front of us.

We’ll go back to Evora just to visit Hibrido again!

Rua de Serpa Pinto 34
Évora, PT 7000-537

Our second meal was a surprise in all the good ways.

It was lunch the next day and we didn’t have specific plans. Lisa had a craving for fish, so we cast around and settled on Sushi Art, just across one of the main thoroughfares from Old Town, tucked around an odd corner. Frankly, we chose it because they were open at noon, and we were hungry.

Of course we were the first to arrive, and politely greeted the chefs behind the counter. They were still preparing for service, but were happy to show us to a table. The place is very ritzy in a “we’re a late night drinking and eating club” kind of way. (Lots of mirrors and glitzy photographs.) This made us even more nervous, but were hungry, the day was hot, and we figured it couldn’t be as bad as that place in London, right?

(Hot tip, nothing will ever be as bad as the place in London. It is a VERY low bar to set.)

While we usually order individual dishes, it looked like Sushi Art leaned heavily into Combination plates and we decided to go with a 40 piece plate. Plus gyoza. (Because, gyoza of course)

The gyoza arrived, hot . . . and seemed fresh made, not from frozen. Intriguing, and a very good sign. Oh, and they were so good we almost burned our tongues scarfing them down. The chicken was tender, the flavoring exactly right, and they were perfectly crisped without being oily. Perfection.

Not much later the sushi arrived and it was a feast for the eyes. Silky textures, rich flavor, and very, very fresh. Each piece was perfectly rolled, and exactly the same in proportions. The rice was seasoned perfectly. We were almost indecent in our speed and enjoyment. It was so good!

We’d eat there again, absolutely.

Tv. de Chartres 8
7000-749 Évora

The third place we ate was dinner at DegustAR, in the heart of the historic center in the building of the sixteenth-century Sepulveda Palace (now a hotel). The decor is elegant, with (seemingly original to the structure) low, white vaulted ceilings offset beautifully by a light woods, plenty of glass, and splashes of muted colors. It had all the hallmarks of a special meal.

Instead, it was . . . meh.

Plastic woven mats and flowers in vases struck a decidedly cheap note. The wine list was very long (a small binders’ worth) and expensive (US dining level), even for a tourist-focused place in a tourist town.

The menu’s focus is on the cuisine of Alentejo. John had the pork loin, described as seasoned with spices and Portel honey, alongside an asparagus porridge and orange marmalade. Lisa had the sea bass with shrimp rice and coriander. Both were . . . fine. Decently cooked, but not perfectly (a little overdone) and the seasoning was on the bland side. It felt like the chef had called in sick and the new guy had to step in, which is unexpected for a Saturday night. Not enough to send it back, but not a great experience. Service was slow, particularly when the place was mostly empty. The wine arrived well after the couvert, water was never refreshed, and Lisa’s wine glass stayed empty well after the main had been served. (In retrospect, there were no locals amoing the cientele, a very bad sign.)

Really, the couvert (four kinds of local bread — raisin, corn, wholemeal, and a sourdough — with a goat’s milk butter and a fish paté) was the tastiest dish.

We were positively not interested in trying anything else (like dessert), particularly at the cost.

Rua Cândido dos Reis 72
7000-782 Évora, Portugal

We come, a bit sadly, to our final meal of the trip and if you’ve been keeping track, you’ll know how this one is going to go. (Really? you might ask. After what you said about the other place, we’re almost scared.)

Our highlight meal was reserved at DiCasa, an Italian place literally up against the wall surrounding the historic center. Described as simple but refined, we were looking forward to something non-regional.

The first problem was that it was anything but refined in looks; it was an upscale pizza joint. It was also not air-conditioned. (The first dining place we’d been to in evora that wasn’t.) The clientele were locals, good sign, but they were there for the wood over fired thin crust pizza and cheap beer. The young man solo dining at the table behind us played his social media videos the entire time he was there, which set a kind of tone. As well, the wine offerings were solely Italian and the one Lisa tried was thin and vinegary (fortunately, just a glass).

That said, the pasta itself was perfect. Clearly fresh made and perfectly prepared. Lisa had a simple linguine with shrimp and the shellfish were tender and sweet. John’s spaghetti bolognese was also excellent. Service was friendly, fast, and accurate. The environment made us leave without interest in having anything else, but we’d go back for the pasta, but probably when the weather was much cooler.

Rua do Muro 4
7000-602 Évora, Portugal

(all pictures are from the interwebz. We don’t take pictures of our meals.)