Lisbon PHOTOGRAPHS by JOÃO PEDRO MARNOTO for the NEW YORK TIMES
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artigo_NY_Times.pdf 1 17/10/2012 11:07 C M Y K Sxxx,2012-05-27,TR,001,Bs-4C,E1 C M Y K Sxxx,2012-05-27,TR,006,Sc-4C,E1 C M Y K Sxxx,2012-05-27,TR,007,Sc-4C,E1 6 TR THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2012 THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2012 TR 7 SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2012 The Thing About CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT Red roofs seen from Largo da Graça; the Pois Café, in Alfama, “about as pleasant a coffee and sand- C wich shop as I know”; Dulce Albuquerque makes costumes in Bairro Alto; 1300 Taberna puts Portuguese staples through in- M ventive paces; window shopping in Bairro Alto. Y Lisbon PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOÃO PEDRO MARNOTO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES CM city’s majestic nucleus, and the Altis as visually iconic as Florence’s Duomo, Belém, right on the water in the quieter, though you should treat yourself to the From Page 1 InternacionalInnteternnanacioioonnnaaall Casteloteteleloellloo ddee São JorgeJoorrggee EduardoEEdduardduaduuuaardrddoo VIIV I ParkPPaParararkk LisbLLissbbonboboonn MY DesignDe ignigigngn HotelHottel TileTiilel MuseumMMuuussseeueuumm palm-lined neighborhood of Belém, Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, just where bikers and runners use paths outside the center. It’s a fascinating ex- Jackson Pollock on a Plate and Other Local Twists a set of jewels that other cities didn’t ChurchCChhuhurrcrchho ooff AVENIDAAVAAVEVVEEENNIDIDDAAAD DADA LIBERDADELIBLLI IBBBEE DDAADDE bother to. HotelHoototelell dodo SãooM MiguelMMiigguggueelel JardimJJaaarrrdddimdiimim dodo ToTorelo along the river. It has also become a ample of a peculiarly ornate, late-Gothic CY ChiadoCChhiiadoado F I say that I saw the future of Portuguese tion of clams, saltwater snails and even barna- We climbed higher. And higher. And MiradouroMMiirrraradouroadouroaddouuro de de more exciting place to eat, with two of style of Portuguese architecture known LisbonLLiiisisbosboonon SaoSao Pedro PedPdPedro dede AlcanAlcAlAlclcantaraccacantantaraanntntaararaa LARGOLARLAAARRGRGGO DAD A GRAG ÇA as Manueline. cooking in a martini glass, you might con- cles than I’d ever encountered before. Its shrimp The Thing About soon two colors took precedence over CathedralCatheC thheeddrdralraall PoisPoisois CaféCaC é PinoquioPPinPiinnoooquoqqquuuiiioo its most acclaimed chefs opening in- tensely pleasurable restaurants, dis- While the sort of checklist you carry clude that I was having drunken visions. were phenomenal, as was its version of a popular CMY the others: the red of the roofs, terraced AlfamaAAlllfffaaammmaa PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOÃO PEDRO MARNOTO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES cussed alongside this article. You can in Venice or Berlin can be thrilling, it Not at the meal and moment in question: Portuguese clam dish that presents strands of on the hillsides below us; and the blue BairroBBaairaairrrro ChiadoChChhiiiaaadodo BaixaBBaaaixixxaxa AltoAAltltlttoo find a table without making a reserva- can also be oppressive, a gilded prison when a server at the chef José Avillez’s bril- crab meat mixed with salty roe, thickened with of the Tagus River and the harbor, AlcAAlllccantarccacananntanttatarrara I liant restaurant in Lisbon, set the sec- one or more condiments — mustard, for example flashes of which entered and exited our tion as far in advance as you often have of obligations. In Lisbon I have freedom. Belcanto, K ABOVE A tram, the city’s LXLX FactoryFactoFaactacctoororyorry ond in a series of amuse bouches before me. It — and tucked into the cavity of a big red crab field of vision depending on where we JeronimosJeeeroneroroonnnimnimmoos to in cities that draw a greater number I can sprint into a random cafe to wait version of San Francis- shell. You spread the crab mixture on bread or, at were standing. A major port in a coun- MonasteryMMoononnaasteaas eer Atlantic of gastronomic pilgrims. Lisbon lets you out a sudden downpour, discover that I was called an “inverted martini,” because the Ocean Porto Cervejaria, something that’s more like Melba co’s cable cars, in the try with a rich and proud seafaring his- BelemBBelBeelemel m in. like the progressive English folk music olive had the starring role, in the form of a pool of Alfama district. PORTUGUGALG It also lets you be. Not every stroll (Fink) pouring gently from the speak- green juice. Gin played the cameo, having been toast. tory, Lisbon has a connection to the AltisAAltl i BelemBelB m Tagus River I didn't expect romance, but this city had other LEFT, FROM TOP View ocean — the Tagus meets the Atlantic and every reverie is shared with other ers, learn that the house white wine is turned into a translucent sphere the size and Cervejaria improves on the typical look of a from the Santa Luzia only a dozen or so miles away — that is Lisbononn SPAIN travelers. I wandered one afternoon utterly drinkable and just 2 euros a shape of an olive. restaurant of its kind with the lavish use of sleek, Lisbon into the tiny Church of São Miguel, just glass, and decide to stay for an aimless It was pretty, witty and plenty delicious. And it pale, handsome wood and tidy displays of its sea- overlook; at Cervejaria essential, intimate and palpable. It’s one 1 MILE ideas. No must-see list or hard-fought reservations. It lets you in. BY FRANK BRUNI of those places that’s not just on the wa- a few minutes by foot from the main ca- hour. This is what happened 15 minutes spoke to the cunning and creativity of Mr. Avil- food in bins, along with a gargantuan tank that da Esquina in the Campo THE NEW YORK TIMES thedral; slipped into one of just 10 rows after I left the Church of São Miguel, lez, a rising young star on the Portuguese food divides two rooms. de Ourique neighbor- ter but of the water. 1300 Taberna. José Avillez. “I’m coming back,” I told Tom, be- of pews; looked around; and was which sits on a round plaza with a single scene and a big reason Lisbon is such a culinary There are more and more lookers on the Lis- hood; in Bairro Alto, a COULD argue that this is a partic- two visits, when I repeatedly met or stunned at how thoroughly the ceiling, thick palm tree in the center, and this is joy, especially these days. bon restaurant scene, like 1300 Taberna, sprawl- E meet the places we wind up lov- check in and nap and shower and get into clean hill walking would be as a metabolic down payment. cause what I experienced during those sort of roving street party ularly good moment to visit Lis- heard about former architects, bankers walls, various nooks and a variety of ob- the true meaning of vacation. Over the last year Mr. Avillez, 32, has essen- Mr. Avillez’s other, much more casual new res- ing and stunning, with flamboyant lighting fix- leaf to encase an egg slow-cooked to custardy ing much the way we meet the peo- clothes for another six hours. After some fruitless “Might as well,” he said. “The exercise will first few hours, despite my exhaustion perfection. of young people. bon, and for a few paragraphs I or lawyers who had started small, idio- jects had been covered in gold leaf or tially opened two new restaurants. Essentially taurant, Cantinho do Avillez, is just blocks away, tures, fanciful plates and cutlery and — most im- ple we fall for: on purpose and ac- groveling, we staggered into the streets, lacking a keep us awake.” and wrinkled clothing and matted hair And in a dish called skate Jackson Pollock, he will, though the truth of the matter syncratic enterprises, and I repeatedly gold paint. Midas would say his rosary N Lisbon it occurred to me that because Belcanto, in the city’s Chiado neighbor- only a few months older and a convivial delight. portant — appealing food that puts Portuguese cidentally; at precisely the right map or an agenda or any particular desire. and overarching physical wretched- uses the fish as a canvas to reproduce the look of We didn’t plot a route. We intuited one. So the is that I don’t think Lisbon needs stumbled upon new, clever projects. I here. I was even more stunned to real- maybe our favorite places are sim- hood, had been around for many decades before It features a succinct menu of hearty Portuguese staples through mildly inventive paces. moment and exactly the wrong Immediately we noticed the castle. You can’t ness, was a blush of the true, unfettered Iany recommendation beyond the stayed in one of them: the Lisbonaire, a a Pollock painting with splashes and slashes of beauty we encountered was serendipitous: the mo- W romance that I’d longed for and forced ize that not one other tourist was ply those in which our expectations he took it over and gave it an elegant face-lift and bistro fare that departs from the Lisbon norm by But back to Belcanto, where exuberantly in- time; in the highest of spirits and the lowest of fail to. Medieval and partly Moorish, it sits astride saics of black and white stone with which so many blessed fact of it. It warranted attention hotel masquerading as an apartment black, orange and green sauces made, respec- myself to feel in cities more clucked present. I kept company with three eld- are routinely exceeded, happen- entirely new, slightly avant-garde menu about paying a bit more attention to fowl, organ meats ventive is perhaps the most apt description for moods. one of the highest of the city’s many hills, both a to- and favor years ago and will warrant complex, or maybe it’s the other way tively, from cuttlefish ink, carrot and olive.