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| - Right from the "get go" here I am going to qualify my remarks by stating that has been a little while since I have been to this restaurant, but if TRUE Portuguese food is what you crave then you are best to avoid this place like the plague!
If, however, you have no experience with TRUE Portuguese cuisine then you may actually like this place. There is nothing wrong with the food or the service, it is just that this place is NOT the real deal when it comes to Portuguese restaurants.
I discovered four glaring problems with this place. First off, when my wife (who is from Fall River, MA - which is practically a part of the Azores) and I arrived we were asked the one question never asked in a TRUE Portuguese restaurant which was, "Do you have a reservation?" When I advised that we did not we were told that we could not be accommodated, but that we were free to sit and order at the bar which was fine by me. This however, brings us to the second problem.
When my entree came it appeared to look more like an appetizer than an entree. Now, those who know Portuguese cuisine know that you NEVER leave any TRUE Portuguese restaurant hungry. At this place I left hungry! :o(
The third problem I discovered was that very few of the staff spoke Portuguese! This is a major "red flag" for anyone who knows Portuguese food. If the staff does not speak Portuguese then you "aint" eatin' in a Port-o-gee restaurant.
Lastly, and I know all my Portuguese brethern will back me up on this item, this place is pricey! The best reason to go to a Portuguese restaurant is that Portuguese people are notoriously parsimonious so prices in real Portuguese restaurants have to be cheap else Portuguese people will not patronize.
Thankfully, the Portuguese diaspora has brought many a Benfica fan to Canada and there are a lot of Portuguese restaurants in Montreal. Try any of the places on Boulevard St. Laurent in the vicinity of Duluth for the best that Portugal has to offer and steer clear of this place.
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