What do you do with an old water mill?

Turn it in to a restaurant of course!

So welcome to Os Moinhos, which means the mills. Ok, so it was a little hard to locate in the dark even though we had a map. Just as we called we turned down a street and saw a sign with an arrow so we knew we were near.

They even had a fun company truck.

We when arrived we had no idea they had a massive party scheduled. Maybe it was a wedding party/rehearsal dinner or maybe a Christmas party, but either way we were outsiders lost in the crowd. We knew we had a problem when some man came over and shook Ryan's hand and was talking to him in Portuguese. So after 15 or so minutes we tracked down a waitress who did, thankfully, speak English. In the meantime, I wandered around.
As this was an old mill entering the building was like stepping back in history. It was incredible inside. Here is a little stove in the attice space right next to our table.
What could this possibly be?
Oh, that seems interesting...
Wait, this must be where the water would run down.
Oh wow, you can actually see right down to the ground level.
And here is where the tunnel ends. This is outside of the restaurant.

Up in the attic was a locked door. I liked the looks of these old style keys.
Here was a set table, ok not ours, it was one for the party, but it was set so nicely I had to take a picture.
Even with all the other people and all the excitement with the party, we still received great service. As always, we started with the bread.
and some olives and cheese...
Mother-in-law soup, which is similar to Italian wedding soup. This had sausage in it so I did not try it, but Ryan really liked it.
Ryan had the filet mignon for dinner, although it was not quite what you would think of when you hear filet mignon. It was served with a salted peach and fresh made potato chips and salad.
I had the grilled red snapper, topped with garlic, served with salad and boiled garlic potatoes. This was a very traditional Portuguese (Azorean) meal.
Dinner ended with a meia de leite (latte), as usual.
Most restaurants bring the check over in a box of some sort. I found this one to be most unique as it was an olden style iron. The check was contained inside and you leave the money inside too. This was a great experience and I would definately go back.
So that was Saturday night and Sunday was pretty laid back after I got out of school. I found my cat now loves to lay like this. Look how close she is to the gas heater. She gets so hot, but she will not move away. In fact, she spends all night screaming in front of the darn thing in hope that it will trun itself on. She is nuts.
Oh, and this is cool too. Look what I won for being the first one to class. technically there were a few there before me, but I they left and so they did say I could take the prize. I was excited because I love to show college support for my school(s).

QUESTION: What was the most unique dining experience you have ever had?

Enjoy your Monday!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a unique place.. I love it! That bread looks incredible :)

Beth said...

That place looks fantastic! And I'm laughing at your cat. Our cats like to lay on the laptop, guess it's the warmest place in the house!

My most unique dining experience was in Tuscany. We took this tour out of Florence (with Accidental Tourist--and I recomment their tours 100 percent!) A van picked us up and drove us to a villa in the country where they made wine and olive oil and we sampled each! Then we went to another house/villa, where the woman who lived there cooked us homemade meal. There were only 8 people on the tour, so we all sat down at her big kitchen table and had lunch. It was fantastic.

Gina; The Candid RD said...

Wow, this place is so neat!! I have never had such a unique dining experience, that I can think of. I have to think about that one for a while. Does Bucca Di Bepo count? I think it's pretty cool that they bring you on a tour of the kitchen, that's about as unique as I get!

I love how you guys get olives wherever you go. I'm such a sucker for olives, so I don't blame you guys :) That soup sounds fantastic too! My aunt makes wedding soup every year around this time, and it's so delicious.

Anonymous said...

Mm, this looks fun! and I love red snapper!

Mom on the Run said...

I would love to visit that place!! I love historical sites that have been turned into restaurants.

Our book club has gotten to dine in some haunted establishments and those have been interesting.

I am new to your blog and can't wait to read more.

Melissa said...

The mill looks like such a cool place to eat. And the food pics looked really delicious.

Trying to think of my most unique dining experience... At a post wedding brunch in Southwestern France. We were hungover and all that was served were plates and plates of meats and pates. I couldn't handle it! Luckily there was a basket of bread to nibble on. Very different from an American brunch!

Anonymous said...

What a fun restaurant! I always love it when I see cheese & olives to start the meal...

Most unique dining experience? I guess it's been a while... I guess my most memorable experiences were in some hole in the wall places in Southern France and in the Italian Alps. The restaurants were really old and had so much character...

Anonymous said...

Wow, this is what I love about Europe - such unique and different kinds of restaurants. It looks like you had an unforgettable meal. And your cat looks just like one of ours!

Anonymous said...

Wow girl! That is so unique indeed! I love the idea of dining in such an oldish place...with a history!

Nicci said...

Now, that's a cool place to eat at.

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