Port Authority

by Elisa Ludwig

In Philly we are more likely to encounter the cuisine of Iberia through the food filter of its former colonies -- Brazil, Mexico, Cuba -- than in its Old World form. Aside from the occasional paella, Portuguese food rarely makes an appearance on our local menus. This makes a visit to Taste of Portugal, an authentic restaurant in the Northeast, a rare and recommended dining experience.

Like many of the best eateries in the Northeast, Taste of Portugal is located in a strip mall. The restaurant is divided into two floors -- the upstairs bar hosts casual, cheaper meals and sports-spectating, while downstairs has a more formal dining room with floral window treatments. On a recent Saturday night, both were at capacity.

When our appetizers arrived, we discovered that you get to taste an awful lot of Portugal: the portions have been brought up to American scale, and T of P also offers an extensive selection of Portuguese wines. After nibbling from a small blue-and-white ceramic bowl of cured black olives and a basket of bread, we dug into the fragrant -- OK, bracing -- clams in garlic sauce. Flaming Portuguese sausage, aka chourico, arrived on a ceramic slotted dish. We were wisely told to wait until the flame died out before digging in. When it did, we found the sausage fat and juicy, its outer skin crisp, not charred. The chourico made a second appearance in the paella, nestled between lobster tail and clams. Even in the best kitchens, paella poses a formidable challenge: How can you keep its many elements from becoming dry and rubbery? Here, the saffron rice was wonderfully moist, the lobster tender, the chicken and sausage firm but in no way overdone.

Cod, that swimming souvenir of New World expansionism, still plays a big role in Portuguese cuisine, usually in its sun-dried and salted form. We sampled the fresh, house-style cod, baked in a buttery cream sauce with caramelized onions. It could not have been any richer, and the thinly sliced disks of fried potato around it did nothing to soothe the conscience. The healthiest components of the plate were a single slice of cold beet and an overcooked fringe of broccoli. We just told ourselves we were testing out the Mediterranean paradox.

When the display of dessert came around, there were no wax imitations of whipped cream here. Our samples included a pineapple cheese "cake," layered with wafers, and an orange-scented "flan" that was more like a shockingly sweet boiled custard. After that, our server disappeared for a while, and we were -- imagine this -- forced to relax, digest our meal and drink the rest of our wine. It doesn't get more Euro than that.

Taste of Portugal

718 Adams Ave. 215-535-8700

Hours: Sun., noon-9:30 p.m.; Mon.-Thu., noon-10:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., noon-11:30 p.m.

Appetizers, $9; entrees, $12-$32

Wheelchair accessible. Smoking permitted in bar. Reservations required for weekends. Credit cards accepted.

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