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 , “about as pleasant a coffee and sand- C wich shop as I know”; Dulce Albuquerque makes costumes in ; 1300 Taberna puts Portuguese staples through in- M ventive paces; window shopping in Bairro Alto.

Y 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 JoJorgeorrggee EduardoEEdduardduaduuuaardrddoo VVIII ParkPaParPararkk LisbLLissbbonboboonn MY DesignDe ignigigngn HHotelottel 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 LLI LIBLIBERDADEIBBBEE DDAADDE bother to. HotelHoototelell ddoo 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 ded e more exciting place to eat, with two of style of known LisbonLLiiisisbosboonon SaoSao P PdPedroPededro dede AlcanAlcAlAlclcantaraccacantantaraanntntaararaa LARGOLARLAAARRGRGGO DDAA 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 CaCCaféé 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 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 FactoFaFactoryactacctoororyorry 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 BBelemBel 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 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 anyI 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. They of the sidewalks, esplanades and plazas are paved; about, cities more fabled. erly Portuguese women, all in house- stance cuts in our favor, and it six months ago. My long lunch there was per- and African and Asian spices, which underscore what Mr. Avillez does there. Riffing off the con- I met Lisbon in a snit. I was exhausted and im- pographical and an emotional point of reference, the tiles — yellow, green, white — with which so them years hence. around, where each spacious studio or coats, scarves covering their hair, say- doesn’tI matter which fork in the road gave a salty, buttery charge to expertly cooked That was two years ago, and come haps the best meal I’ve eaten in 2012 so far. ethnic bridges built in ’s colonial past. cept of a golden egg, he actually uses edible gold patient and thinking well past it, to the northern somewhat like the Parthenon in Athens. Your eyes As for now, well, there’s a clear eco- one-bedroom unit has been decorated in ing their devotions aloud. Their voices fish. They also announced Lisbon’s epicurean many of the buildings are faced. Mosaics like these back I did: not just for another 24-hour we take. It leads somewhere we’re hap- Mr. Avillez has helped to provide a needed Portugal city of Oporto and the wine country near- are drawn to it. The rest of you, too. nomic rationale. Times aren’t flush, and a deliberately cheeky fashion by a dif- rose and fell; their bodies rocked. For py to be. ambitions, and validated its achievements. I’d seen elsewhere, though they had a special domi- pause en route between Oporto and complement of playfulness, modernism and glo- by, my ultimate destination and real interest. Lis- “What do you think?” I asked my companion, Lisbon presents a noticeable price ferent Portuguese designer or artist, nearly a half-hour I watched and lis- “Psst!” says a Portuguese woman Largo de São Carlos, 10; (351-21) 342- nance and whimsy here. But tiles like these, used New York but again last September and bal sophistication to a restaurant scene that Belcanto, bon was just a 24-hour stopover, reached after a Tom, nodding in its direction. I was contemplating break from London, Paris, even Rome. with all the minimalist furniture made tened, hunching down low so as not to this way, were a revelation. It was as if Lisbon wore then, yet again, in April. And that won’t standing about 15 feet from Tom and 0607; joseavillez.pt; Lunch or dinner for two with sleepless overnight flight from New York, and my all the eating and drinking we’d be doing in the It’s faded imperial glory on the cheap: in Portugal. Each unit also has a fully distract or disrupt them. tends toward — and excels at — the rustic and be the end of it, because Lisbon and I, me. She’s eavesdropping on our con- wine, 150 to 200 euros (about $187 to $250 at $1.26 hotel there didn’t want to let my companion and me week to come and calculating how useful some up- Continued on Page 6 Western Europe marked down 20 to 30 equipped kitchen stocked with glass- unvarnished. The city teems with straightfor- we sparked. And as I continue to revel Wandering is what I relish most in a versation with a hotel concierge, who to the euro), not including tip. percent. And Portugal’s economic woes ware, plates, utensils, pots and pans. All ward seafood brasseries that mine the waters in that, I continue to try to figure it out. place that I’m still learning, and Lisbon has given us a lunch recommendation. Cantinho do Avillez, RuaDuques de Bragança, — it’s currently in a fiscally austere of this plus reliable wireless, a commu- encourages it, because it doesn’t come She motions us over. around Lisbon for all that they’re worth. After all those other European cap- 7; (351-21) 199-2369; joseavillez.pt. Dinner for two league with Greece, Spain and Ireland nal lounge in the basement and an ideal with the long inventory of must-see mu- One of the newer of these, and one of the best, itals, each so splendid in its own way, “Don’t go there,” she says. “Go here.” with wine, 80 to 100 euros, not including tip. — have in some sense unleashed a cre- location sets you back as little as 65 seums and must-photograph monu- She writes down a name — Pinóquio — comes from a nationally celebrated chef who, like why this one? ative spirit among its people, who are euros (about $81 at $1.26 to the euro) a ments that so many of its European and gives us directions. When we ar- Mr. Avillez, has been especially busy these last Cervejaria da Esquina, Rua Correia Teles, 56; taking chances, improvising and, as it night. peers do. There’s no equivalent of Ma- rive, we worry that she’s led us astray: few years. It’s called Cervejaria da Esquina, and (351-21) 387-4644; cervejariadaesquina.com. Din- Off the Coast FRANK BRUNI, an Op-Ed columnist for happens, trying to boost tourism. Out- Over the last few years Lisbon has drid’s Prado, though I do recommend its location near the train station, its it arrived fast on the heels of Tasca da Esquina, ner for two with wine, 90 to 115 euros, not includ- The New York Times, was the restaurant side money is one answer to inside experienced a boom in stylish hotels, in- the Tile Museum, dedicated to the deco- kitschy décor and its crush of outdoor both showcasing the cooking of Vitor Sobral. ing tip. critic of The Times from June 2004 to Au- need. cluding the lilac-colored Internacional rative fillip that makes the city so dis- tables scream “tourist trap.” But then Cervejaria, in the elegant residential neighbor- 1300 Taberna, Rua Rodrigues Faria, 103; (351- Hey, How Did You Of Java, gust 2009. I sensed this energy during my last Design Hotel on Square, the tinctive. There’s no religious structure the steak for two that she told us to get hood of , to which few tourists 21) 364-9170. Lunch or dinner for two with wine, A Remote Alt- Belcanto. venture, has a menu with a more diverse selec- Cervejaria da Esquina. 80 to 100 euros, not including tip. Find That Place? 44 euros Bali Emerges. at welcomebeyond.com arrives — gorgeous, glistening hunks of in the course of reporting stories about The coaster pauses at Largo da Graça, a Alfama represents the past. It’s a crowds of young people drinking, smok- BY GISELA WILLIAMS beef in a cast-iron vessel with blood and Portugal over the years, takes me to the sort of square where there are trees and working-class district spared by the ing and posing. By JENNIFER CONLIN nation seemed secondary. 8 oil pooling at the bottom. These drip- neighborhood that has grown up over tables and a panorama stretching all the 1755 earthquake that wiped out whole Chiado is Bairro Alto’s slightly more VERY March my most organized DesignTripper is one of several curated pings are the rightful destiny of the the last several years around the LX way to the , whose chunks of the city, turning much of Lis- refined adjunct, with more conventional friends start reserving waterfront Web sites that have recently sprung up, of- hunks of bread in an adjacent basket. Factory in Alcantara. There’s a network reddish glow recalls the Golden Gate. bon’s history to rubble. I start my walks shopping and proper hotels. On the top rooms, urban oases or country cab- fering an alternative to those endless lists on We dunk and dunk. of boutiques, galleries and restaurants (Much about Lisbon brings to mind San through it by fueling up at the Pois Café, of the Hotel do Chiado, I meet another ins for their perfect summer get- mainstream sites. In Lisbon I pop out for a routine run in industrial structures used decades Francisco, including the trams, which which is about as pleasant a coffee and new friend, Paulo, for a drink just after away, while I procrastinate, over- “On the big booking Web sites you find all Hotter Than and am treated to something better: the earlier for manufacturing. My friend are Lisbon’s version of cable cars.) sandwich shop as I know, stuffed with dark. We have the roof to ourselves and E the corporate hotels, but if you want to find sharp incline of Eduardo VII Park, a wants to show me a bookstore: a waste But Lisbon puts a greater premium curios and bric-a-brac and children’s hover there above the soft lights of the whelmed by the options. Recently, I logged slanting rectangle of cobblestone fram- of time, I figure, given that most of the on public spaces than American cities toys, the furniture an eclectic collection city. Although there’s a criminal surfeit onto VRBO.com (Vacation Rental by Owner), the cabin, cottage, B&B or family-owned ho- Even the ing a network of precisely manicured books aren’t in a language I read. But do, and Largo da Graça has stiff compe- of stools and armchairs and couches, of vermouth in my martini, my content- only to find my head spinning at the length of tel, it is really hard,” said Meghan McEwen, hedges that resemble a maze. The park this store, Ler Devagar, doesn’t look tition from other gorgeously situated the walls sculptured from handsome ment is absolute. its roster — 180,000 properties worldwide. the founder of Designtripper.com. “Not everyone enjoys the big hunt for that San Diego Sun: rises, steeply, from the top of Avenida like any other. It’s in an enormous, mul- belvederes where you can find a seat, a stone. I wend my way down curving al- Later, as we walk through one of Scrolling through Hotels.com (145,000 hotels da Liberdade, Lisbon’s grandest boule- tistoried space once devoted to a print- beer, some company. My favorites in- leys, past fish stores and butcher shops, Chiado’s several small, elegant squares, in more than 60 countries) and Airbnb.com little gem,” said Krista Garcia, an analyst at the research firm eMarketer, who notes that vard, and my legs burn all the way to its ing press that’s still there. A series of clude the Miradouro de São Pedro de under low archways, up tiny staircases. I say how lovely Lisbon is. (over 100,000 short-term rental places in 192 Craft Beer. summit, where I’m rewarded with a staircases and ramps and catwalks Alcântara, with its bustle, and the Jar- There’s laundry strung from one win- people are starting to prefer sites “where the “Really?” Paulo answers, and in that countries), I almost gave up. view of Liberdade and all the trees and have been created to lead you to and dim do Torel, with its quiet. Measure dow to another, humble apartment moment I realize what — more than the experts are trusted tastemakers who save the Then I stumbled upon DesignTripper.com, BY SARA DICKERMAN 18th- and 19th-century buildings skirt- through shelves and more shelves of ti- your mood. Tailor your perch accord- buildings painted in yellow, pink and tiles, trams or water — endears Lisbon consumer time.” a site that features 200 or so beautifully pho- ing it as it descends toward the city’s tles popular and obscure. It’s a library ingly. other pastels. Lisbon doesn’t shy away to me. It has a humility that is rare on a tographed small hotels, inns and houses — a What follows are six sites offering a tai- 10 cum Escher print, with a few bars from color. MARCUS JONSON main squares, which then give way to storied continent with so much reason slim roster of properties, which appeared to lored portfolio of lodgings from quirky to water. I can see for miles. Exhilarated, I tucked in. A browser needs coffee, and ISBON’S layout gives you clear, On the opposite hill everything’s fan- and readiness to boast. be so breathtakingly designed that the desti- Continued on Page 3 A hut in the forest near Skinnskatteberg, Sweden. do several laps — restorative declines maybe even some wine. tidy options. From the rela- cier, better scrubbed. Fewer chipped I wasn’t told to approach it on bended alternating with muscle-shredding in- Another new friend, Rui, says he’ll tively flat Baixa neighbor- tiles. More gleaming white cobblestone. knee. I could instead stumble upon it, clines — and am entertained along the swing by the Lisbonaire in his car to hood, where the two grandest On its slopes there are two neighbor- tumble into it and let it lift me up. way by someone playing fetch with his pick me up for dinner. To me that means squares (Rossio and Praça do hoods. The slender byways, white walls On that first day, Tom and I got to dog among the hedges. The dog has a more pleasant, economical alternative LComércio) are, you can choose to as- and profusion of trendy bars and res- Castelo de São Jorge — that’s what the learned to leap acrobatically over them, to a taxi, but to Rui it means the chance cend into the scruffy past on one side or taurants in one of them, Bairro Alto, hilltop citadel is called — before noon. PRAGUE 2 ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN 4 CHERNOBYL, UKRAINE 4 MALMO, SWEDEN 5 TOKYO 9 DRESDEN 11 like a horse in a steeplechase. to stage a thrilling roller coaster ride into the stylish present on the other. give it the feel at times of a Greek isle. We still had three hours before check-in. Lisbon is always tickling me like that. down (and up) some of the city’s nar- Two different hills. Two different sets of On weekend nights in particular it turns But we were no longer in any rush at FROM LEFT Faces of the city: Young people in Bairro Alto; an older resident of Alfama; a natty walker in Alfama; a couple in Bairro Alto. Ana, one of several friends I have made rowest and most precipitous streets. experiences and emotions. into a sprawling outdoor party — all. Æ