PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

New York has multiple restaurants of almost every ethnicity, yet there is a surprising scarcity of Portuguese eateries. Of the few, this cozy, comfortable charmer is the best. Pao!, which translates to "bread," keeps it simple, and the results are pure and authentic. Start with caldo verde, traditional Portuguese soup, made with kale, potatoes, and wonderfully smoky linguica (Portuguese sausage). The baked-octopus salad, tender and soaked in a garlic/cilantro vinaigrette, rivals any I've had in numerous Greek restaurants, while the cod cakes, another Portuguese standard, are light and not too salty. The combination of pork and seafood might seem odd, but it's common in Portugal; Pao!'s pairing of pork and clams is an acquired taste -- one I've happily acquired. Salt cod is to Portugal what hamburgers are to the United States, and I'll take Pao!'s hearty bacalhau a braz -- salt cod with egg, onion, and straw potatoes -- over hamburger most any day. To complement the food, stick with a delicious Portuguese wine, from which there are many to choose. Desserts are egg-based and delicate; the soft pound cake with lemon egg custard filling is heavenly.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's New York City 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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