PORTUGAL PARIS DAY 5 - LOCAL IN LAGOS

 

Our morning at the Lagos Avenida starts slowly.  The town’s big market, Mercado de Levante de Lagos is right outside our window but won’t be open today so there’s no need to rush.  We take a leisurely wander to the lobby restaurant and are greeted with excellent coffee, a fine buffet and lovely al la carte menu, all of which we indulge in generously.

Today is a relaxed day to explore Lagos.  Walking out the front door, we turn right and head to the historic center of town.  The Centro Historico is the original settlement here, nestled into the steep mountainside overlooking the Oceano Atlantico.  Today it’s the hub of shops, bars and restaurants showcasing both the tradition and modern evolution of Portuguese crafts, art, fashion and cuisine.  We wile away a few happy hours navigating the narrow streets.

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We continue south to explore the town’s famous beaches, starting at Praia de Batata which confoundingly translates to Potato Beach.  The terrain here is the attraction, the rock formations, cliffs, natural bridges and golden sand conspiring to form plenty of secluded little places for you to find quiet respite next to the calm water.

Always in search of the local-most spots to eat, when we parked, we both noticed a tiny, basic café with absolutely no views tucked into a nondescript building near the beach.  Mandy mentioned the place first when we got hungry, and I respond by telling her that every single day she reminds me why I love her.  It’s a bit cool so we pick a seat inside where the dozen or so tiny two-tops are placed less then a foot apart.  Mandy, no surprise, picks the fresh sardines and I go off script for a big fat fried fish sandwich.  The food is legit delish and the selections are perfect for a beach lunch as is a full carafe of local white wine.  But there, a few tables over, we see a big clamshell shaped copper pot being served with great fanfare.  Steam billows as the lid is lifted and the room is filled with the scents of fish, seafood and spices which will become my obsession for the next 36 hours.

After lunch we continue south down the beach road to Praia do Pinhao.  We park at a lot and wind our way down the long flights of wooden stairs to the sand.  There we explore the dramatic rock formations that define this part of the shoreline.  At the northern end, we climb onto a natural jetty where we sit, take in the colored bands in the rocks, the cool water, the people and generally just watch the world go by.  There are dozens of rock monoliths jutting out of the ocean, 10 to 50 feet high, lined up like soldiers protecting their castle if you see them from just the right angle.  At the southern end we scale a 15 foot wall to look down into a massive natural pool.

We’ve gotten plenty of steps and flights in today, so we reward ourselves with a long soak in the warm rooftop pool at our hotel.  From our skyperch, we watch the comings and goings of the Lagos Marina just across the beach road.  The party cruises, dive boats and sailboats crisscross under the pedestrian drawbridge as they enter the marina from the manmade access inlet.  They all look like fun, but today we’re more than content to be spectating from our cheap seats.

Back in the room, I start my quest to score us some Capaplana, that fragrant fish stew we saw at lunch.  It’s the shoulder season so I figure it shouldn’t be that hard to find a good place for the region’s signature dish.  Like most of my thermodynamics exams in college, I have figured wrong.  The best Capaplana restaurants book out far in advance all year long, but I do manage to score a reservation on a last minute cancellation… but it’s not until tomorrow night.  I switch my Google to “best local seafood dinner” and we book Restaurante A Barrigada for 7:30. 

When we pull off the road into the dirt parking lot, Mandy asks me, with no small measure of distrust, if we are in the right place.  From the outside, the building looks like an abandoned hardware store, and we are the only car in the dusty lot.  I halfheartedly reassure her, trying to sound convincing while simultaneously trying to convince myself.  We park and walk to the door passing an inexplicable YMCA looking swimming pool surrounded by very unwelcoming steel fence.  Between the first and second door we see the space, more high school cafeteria vibes then fine dining, and there is literally nobody seated.  We hem and haw a bit before reluctantly venturing in, but only after I promise her that we can leave after 5 minutes if it gets any weirder.  Weirder it does not get.  In fact, just the opposite.  As we are seated we realize that one father and son couple are already there and a few other tables are full in the back dining room.  Our very friendly waiter sat us and brought the traditional cheese and bread starters.  Seemingly within minutes the cavernous space filled with large groups of locals and we realized that we were the only non-Portuguese speaking people here.  (See, I told you this was gonna be good!)  We’re ushered to the fish case where we pick stout 3kg red snapper.  The volume and energy steadily increases, in no small measure from the entire adult men’s futbol team sitting at the table behind us gulping tall beers and gallons of red wine.  We go with the local white – we just can’t get enough – and, once again, it’s the best 5€ we’ve ever spent.  We split a bowl of of scrumptious fish soup, served piping hot, tinted red by a bit of tomatoes and paprika.  It’s the size of the pool out our window, but much more inviting.  Next course is a large platter of tomato and goat cheese salad with EVOO, so simple in it’s construction but so delicious due to the quality and freshness of the three components.  We are trying to save room for the fish but can’t stop munching.  Our snapper is roasted with some potatoes and veggies and is clearly the star of the show, no small feat considering the meal so far.  The meal is a testament to the methods of the best restaurants in the world… take fine ingredients, don’t over complicate it, and practice, practice, practice until your method is perfected.