Sabores do Chef

When Ryan and I first arrived on the island we did not have a car and we were living at the base hotel.  After a few days we were able to get a rental car, which are very expensive and that is why we hesitated.  But after a few days, the small base begins to feel even smaller, and the novelty of walking everywhere starts to wear off.  Once we got that rental car, we had 2 stops on the top of our list.  The first was to hit Modelo, the local super grocery store.  The second was find ourselves a nice restaurant where I could take Ryan for his birthday dinner.  That was around early July.  We went to Sabores do Chef and had a great meal.  We haven't been back since, not because we didn't like it, but because we got our cars, a place to live, and went out to see what else the island had to offer.

So the weekend before Christmas we tried to get a table but the whole restaurant was booked with parties and reservations.  We weren't ready to give up just yet, so this past Saturday night we gave it another try.  Now that we had tried foods at other places, I wondered if our initial praises of this restaurant will still hold true.

What initially attracted us to this place, other than extensive advertising on the base, was the modern look...as in this place could pass in Vegas as a hot spot based on the decor and ambiance.

This places is heavy on the covert options, which if you do not turn away ASAP and they place on your table, you will be charged for...per person.  Usually not a bbig deal, but here they bring this sausage platter with cheese that is 3.50 euro per person, which is about $5.15 a person.  That adds up FAST!!!  SO we quickly said no to that, and instead we got a treat (hint hint, my fave part of the meal), which I have a pic of a little further down.

First up is this goat cheese with homemade jam.  The sweet and salty really compliment each other.

Herbed butter...

The bread...

Here is the goat cheese topped with the jam.

Here is my extra special treat.  The first time we diner here we did not get olives.  There are some cheese cubes here too, but I was really interested in the olives.

I had a hard time deciding, but I went with the penne and shrimp.  The sauce was a tad heavy, but really good.  The shrimp were amazing.  You could tell they were extremely fresh.

Ryan ordered what I had the first time.  This is grilled wreckfish.  The consistency is closer to that of tuna, certainly not a white flaky fish, but a much milder taste than tuna.  The naming of the fish comes from where you can find it in the ocean..near ship wrecks.  I am not sure if we have this anywhere in the states, but this is really popular on the island.  Ryan really enjoyed this dish, just as I did months ago.

Here I am.  Pardon the insane hair mess, but I have been keeping it as much out of the rain as possible and did not realize have crazy it went.  I should point out that Ryan and I are on a staycation right now, so we have been mostly inside with the rain and then outside to walk the dog, during which time I got soaked, despite my rain gear.  I actually went to this restaurant wearing my rainboots!  I guess as part of the staycation and playing tourists we will explore and probably dine out often.  If that is the case I will have lots of pics to show over the next week.  The other problem with eating at home right now is the leak and renovations we are doing in the dining room.  Everything from our pantry is now in boxes, so good thing we are in the vacation mode right now and don't feel like we are trapped with only frozen food access.  Ok, sorry for the complete side bar...back to the meal...

The first word I learned in Portuguese on the island from someone was from a server at this restaurant.  He taught me sobremesas, which means desserts.  Fitting that should be my first word!

We went with the caramel fondue, which I think was chocolate caramel fondue.  It was served with fruit, which is one of the reasons I wanted this.  We split it and it was a great way to end yet another great meal.

Well, that was it for our meal at Sabores do Chef.  I can't wait until I have some visitors so we can go back.  It can get pricey to go to these places, but we have always made date night for Friday night, and if not able to on Friday, then on Saturday we like to go out for a nice meal.  I always worked in the restaurant industry, so I feel a pull towards them, and I seek out exceptional dining experiences.  I totally dragged Ryan into that one.  I also like to know what is good and what isn't so I know where to take visitors.  I often live in areas where people come to visit (like Las Vegas) and I love to be knowledgable about food and other tourists spots.

Since I like to treat myself to quality meals, I also like to spoil my pup on occassion, so here is what she enjoyed the other night.  This is Weruva...paw lickin' chicken...

The first ingredient is basically white meat chicken breast, boneless and skinless, and from the same human grade quality chicken you would eat.  That makes it nice to know it is not crazy processed and the leftovers of what wasn't fit for human consumption.  As this is expensive, I give it on occassion and only about 2 tablespoons on top of her dry food.

But in all honesty, it looks good enough for a person to eat.  She likes it and so I will keep it on hand for when she is really good.

QUESTION: Do you have a favorite local restaurant where you take people who are visiting you, and what is the name/cuisine type?