Yeah, last week's first attempt for Friday night dinner was an epic FAIL. Os Moinhos didn't open on time, and we even waited since we arrived early. At least we wound up at Ambientes com Sabores which proved to be a glorious meal. We had been to Os Moinhos before. It was right around Christmas and we were anxious to give it a try again since we wanted some good traditional Azorean cuisine and this place was really cool. It has a nice historic feel. So last night we made our second attempt...SUCCESS at last!
We were the first to arrive and it was nearly 8 pm. They eat late around here, but for heaven's sake, it was dark inside, lights on outside at least this time, but the place seemed very lifeless. They quickly realized they had guests and started to set up for dinner guests. The lights came on, the music began to play and we were taken to our table, this time in the main dining room, which is where were really wanted to experience this very traditional place. Speaking of tradition, we started off with some yummy bread.
This was served with fresh goal cheese. This is much more mild than the goat cheese you are probably thinkg of. This is also not pasteurized, so we were told to be careful, and knock on wood, but so far so good. I love this cheese. Oh, oh and look, there are olives. See Gina, the olives made a comeback. Anyone else out there who likes olives as much as me and Gina (the Candid RD)? My sister likes them too. Ryan is slowly coming to appreciate the deliciousness that is an olive.
Yeah, I got more on the side since the original ones had some sausage (see bind these olives) on them and I am a big baby (vegetarian style that is) when it comes to that. I simply won't eat it if meat is touching. Luckily the cheese appeared unharmed, I mean untouched, hehe.
This is the traditional condiment that goes with the cheese and the bread. It is like a spread made from red peppers.
This is something new we tried. This is Vinho Verde, which means green wine and it is a specialty of Portugal. While not made on the island here, it is still very popular and we have really wanted to try it.
Here is some information I found online about Vinho Verde:
These wines which are aptly named Vinho Verde (Green Wine) as they are picked late and drunk very young. The Portuguese home market consumes more white than red Vinho Verde, whilst the white is exported. It is mainly yellow in colour but some have a suggestion of slight green. They classify as a still wine and have a slightly biting or prickling quality and a refreshing twang. The vines originally were kept clear of the ground by being draped on trees or specially constructed trellises. This serves a double purpose, firstly by freeing the land beneath for cultivation, and secondly, protecting the vine against damp and parasitic rot, however, this older practice now seems to be dying. These wines have a lower alcohol content. The appellation region of Vinho Verde is from south of Porto up to the Spanish boarder and detailed information is available at http://www.vinhoverde.com/.
The name refers to the fact that it’s consumed when the wine is young, usually within 1 year. Vinho Verdes are typically light and fresh and usually feature fruity and floral aromas as well as a lemon or straw color. With low alcohol content of 9% to 11% and natural acidity, Vinho Verde also features slight carbonation that’s enough to tickle your throat but not enough to be considered a sparkling wine.
I really liked it...probably more than I should have! It was very light, fruity and very juicy. I could barely taste that it was 11.5% alcohol. It was so good. At 9 euro (~$13.25) for a bottle, you can't go wrong. This Quinta da Aveleda variety was recommended by the waitress and it was great. now with reading online about this kind of wine, I stumbled onto this article from Food & Wine magazine, and they specifically enjoyed the vineyards at Quito da Aveleda, so I think we made a wise choice in ordering this.
Next came the soup, and although the waitress said no meat, Ryan checked it out first, and he could not be 100% sure there was no meat cooked with it at any point, so I passed. But I love how it was served to us. It makes me feel like a witch with a mini-caldron.
It looked good and Ryan enjoyed it.
The on to the main course. Again, this is traditional Azorean food so it has the salad and potatoes (with lots o' garlic!) along with the main component, in this case fish for both of us as we split the dishes. I ordered this grouper. I was shocked to find this little guy in full form, but my bad, I forgot to ask if he was coming with his head. Oh *sigh* no big deal. I just had to work for my dinner. It actually slid off the bones easily and I only had 1 or 2 small bones in the remaining fish. It was very good and I would order this again.
Ryan ordered the red snapper and this was just as good. I would also order this again. It was a lot of fish, but we ate most of it.
After the meal we contemplated dessert as we polished off that bottle of wine, but in the end we were so stuffed that we ordered our coffee drinks and relaxed for a little. This was a cute drink, they topped it with a little whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Success! Not only were they open, but the food was great.
From scratch weekends update: I have been to the commissary and picked up any ingredients we need for our meal this weeked. Probably not tonight, but tomorrow night we will prepare this as it is a 3 day weekend for both of us and today is so GORGEOUS outside, so we may head out soon to play tourists.
QUESTION: Have you ever heard of Vinho Verde? Ever tried it? Do you prefer red, white or a blush wine? What about sparkling wine?
