Tales on the table

Mugasa - Sangalhos (Portugal)

In simple terms, Leitão à Bairrada is Portugal ‘s version of suckling pig. It is often served with potato chips, slices of orange and a salad on the side.

The Bairrada region, famous for its wine production, is also home to some of the finest pigs in the country. But there are places and places to go for Leitão à Bairrada… and then, there is Mugasa.

Mugasa is a temple in the country’s gastronomic scene and the biggest reference when it comes to the preparation of leitão. It was sitting at the top of my bucket list for many years, but the path to get there made me increasingly excited for the meal I was about to have.

While driving through scenic local roads, basically all signs on the side pointed to a restaurant specialized in this dish. For a foreigner exploring the region for the first time, it looked like there was nothing else around there. No restaurant serving different types of food, no gas station, no convenience store. Nothing but the famous leitão à bairrada.. In all of my travels, I had never seen anything like it.

Upon arriving at Mugasa, the place looked a bit fancier than I expected, making me feel slightly underdressed. But the atmosphere was very casual and friendly, making me quickly forget my outfit.

The waiter placed a nice combination of olives, sheep cheese and bread on the table and I promptly ordered a cabidela to get things going. And after I finished it, it was a matter of time before the main attraction came to the table.

The leitão did not disappoint at all. The meat was juicy and tender and very well seasoned with their special sauce that was rubbed on the whole animal.

The preparation of such a special dish requires the techniques to be truly mastered, as it involves intelligently playing with the temperature to ensure a juicy meat and the much anticipated crispy skin. At Mugasa, the animal is then cut in a way that makes it easy for customers to enjoy this delicacy to the fullest. The product is undoubtedly of the highest quality, but the technique required to properly roast in their famous ovens is equally important for such a unique end result.

(Versão em português nos comentários) Less

@restaurantepopular72 is the place to go for a quintessential “goiano” lunch. Dona Lourdes has been welcoming guests for decades in this establishment that serves homemade regional food and offers a taste of the Cerrado flavors.

The restaurant operates in a buffet style where clients can serve themselves as many times as they wish for a fixed price. The buffet displays staple dishes from the state of Goiás, making the restaurant a perfect destination for someone to learn a bit of the region’s culture through local food. Gueroba, pequi, frango caipira, quiabo and chica doida are a few of the classics offered here. All perfectly seasoned and executed, of course.

The restaurant also offers a variety of salads, freshly squeezed juice options and one of my favorites “disco de carne”.

With such an array of options to choose from, having lunch at Restaurante Popular is a true feast, making it easy for one to overeat. But it is crucial to leave room for dessert here. The restaurant offers amazing sweet options, mostly made with local fruits. Think guava, banana, figs and papaya sweets, to go along with dulce de leche and their signature Ambrosia. While we’re at it, the ambrosia here might be the best that I ever had. It is light and smooth, with a gentle cinnamon touch that does not overpower it.

All of this in a homey environment, with a very friendly staff and a loving atmosphere that makes you appreciate your meal even more.

(Versão em Português nos comentários) Less

@restaurantepopular72 is the place to go for a quintessential “goiano” lunch. Dona Lourdes has been welcoming guests for decades in this establishment that serves homemade regional food and offers a taste of the Cerrado flavors.

The restaurant operates in a buffet style where clients can serve themselves as many times as they wish for a fixed price. The buffet displays staple dishes from the state of Goiás, making the restaurant a perfect destination for someone to learn a bit of the region’s culture through local food. Gueroba, pequi, frango caipira, quiabo and chica doida are a few of the classics offered here. All perfectly seasoned and executed, of course.

The restaurant also offers a variety of salads, freshly squeezed juice options and one of my favorites “disco de carne”.

With such an array of options to choose from, having lunch at Restaurante Popular is a true feast, making it easy for one to overeat. But it is crucial to leave room for dessert here. The restaurant offers amazing sweet options, mostly made with local fruits. Think guava, banana, figs and papaya sweets, to go along with dulce de leche and their signature Ambrosia. While we’re at it, the ambrosia here might be the best that I ever had. It is light and smooth, with a gentle cinnamon touch that does not overpower it.

All of this in a homey environment, with a very friendly staff and a loving atmosphere that makes you appreciate your meal even more.

(Versão em Português nos comentários) Less

@califadeleon was recently awarded a Michelin star, becoming the first taco stand to receive such honor. While it is not for me to say if it is deserving of such recognition or not, I can attest that their tacos are spectacular.

This tiny taqueria also closes late at dawn, which meant that it could be easily squeezed into my schedule after finishing work for the day.

The place was packed with people, so I can only imagine how the lines are now after the Michelin guide release. As the place itself does not have much space, customers were lined up on the sidewalk, right by street vendors selling anything from socks to cell phone accessories.

The 100 square foot place has no seating area and orbits around a beautiful grill where the tacos are prepared. Here, only four options are offered, all being meat-based: Pork chop, beef steak and beef rib and gaonera, their most famous taco, which is basically a beef filet.

All of the above cuts are prepared in very thin slices on the grill and seasoned with a squeeze of lemon and salt. That ‘s it. Pure and simple. Two types of salsa, red and green, are offered for customers to add to their liking, and both bring a welcomed acidic touch to the overall flavor.

Corn tortillas are freshly made in front of the clientele before being placed on the grill, and I was lucky enough to find some space at the counter to witness all of the action happening.

(Versão em Português nos comentários) Less

Osteria di Passignano - Tavarnelle Val di Pesa (Italy)

Visiting Osteria di Passignano is an experience that I will never forget. This upscale restaurant is part of the Antinori empire and located in the middle of beautiful Chianti wineries.

Before our meal, we visited the amazing wine cellars located underground the Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo a Passignano, right by the restaurant, which dates from the 890s and where some of the very best Antinori’s wines are aging in wooden barrels. During the visit, we were explained the story behind the place and I found it particularly interesting to learn how the famous Tignanello label was previously not prestigious inside Italy and even labeled as “Table Wine”, since it did not follow the certification requirements.

That is because this wine was a pioneer in mixing San Giovesi grapes with Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as using French oak barrels for the the aging process, given Piero Antinori’s passion for classic Bordeaux wine production. It was only when wine critic Robert Parker came across a bottle of TIgnanello during a blind tasting that this label started to receive its much deserved recognition - first internationally and then inside of Italy. From that point forward, it slowly began to change how Italian producers thought about wine and ended up being a watershed in the country’s wine culture that became much more focused on quality from that point forward.

We then headed back to the restaurant and had a glorious tasting menu for dinner that displayed traditional Tuscan cuisine. I particularly enjoyed the guinea fowl in milfoil pastry and the gnocchi with beef cheek and mushrooms. To make it all even better, we chose a wine pairing that served different Antinori labels for each dish, including the celebrated Tignanello and Solaia.

(Versão em Português nos comentários) Less

Mugasa - Sangalhos (Portugal)

In simple terms, Leitão à Bairrada is Portugal ‘s version of suckling pig. It is often served with potato chips, slices of orange and a salad on the side.

The Bairrada region, famous for its wine production, is also home to some of the finest pigs in the country. But there are places and places to go for Leitão à Bairrada… and then, there is Mugasa.

Mugasa is a temple in the country’s gastronomic scene and the biggest reference when it comes to the preparation of leitão. It was sitting at the top of my bucket list for many years, but the path to get there made me increasingly excited for the meal I was about to have.

While driving through scenic local roads, basically all signs on the side pointed to a restaurant specialized in this dish. For a foreigner exploring the region for the first time, it looked like there was nothing else around there. No restaurant serving different types of food, no gas station, no convenience store. Nothing but the famous leitão à bairrada.. In all of my travels, I had never seen anything like it.

Upon arriving at Mugasa, the place looked a bit fancier than I expected, making me feel slightly underdressed. But the atmosphere was very casual and friendly, making me quickly forget my outfit.

The waiter placed a nice combination of olives, sheep cheese and bread on the table and I promptly ordered a cabidela to get things going. And after I finished it, it was a matter of time before the main attraction came to the table.

The leitão did not disappoint at all. The meat was juicy and tender and very well seasoned with their special sauce that was rubbed on the whole animal.

The preparation of such a special dish requires the techniques to be truly mastered, as it involves intelligently playing with the temperature to ensure a juicy meat and the much anticipated crispy skin. At Mugasa, the animal is then cut in a way that makes it easy for customers to enjoy this delicacy to the fullest. The product is undoubtedly of the highest quality, but the technique required to properly roast in their famous ovens is equally important for such a unique end result.

(Versão em português nos comentários) Less

@califadeleon was recently awarded a Michelin star, becoming the first taco stand to receive such honor. While it is not for me to say if it is deserving of such recognition or not, I can attest that their tacos are spectacular.

This tiny taqueria also closes late at dawn, which meant that it could be easily squeezed into my schedule after finishing work for the day.

The place was packed with people, so I can only imagine how the lines are now after the Michelin guide release. As the place itself does not have much space, customers were lined up on the sidewalk, right by street vendors selling anything from socks to cell phone accessories.

The 100 square foot place has no seating area and orbits around a beautiful grill where the tacos are prepared. Here, only four options are offered, all being meat-based: Pork chop, beef steak and beef rib and gaonera, their most famous taco, which is basically a beef filet.

All of the above cuts are prepared in very thin slices on the grill and seasoned with a squeeze of lemon and salt. That ‘s it. Pure and simple. Two types of salsa, red and green, are offered for customers to add to their liking, and both bring a welcomed acidic touch to the overall flavor.

Corn tortillas are freshly made in front of the clientele before being placed on the grill, and I was lucky enough to find some space at the counter to witness all of the action happening.

(Versão em Português nos comentários) Less

@restaurantepopular72 is the place to go for a quintessential “goiano” lunch. Dona Lourdes has been welcoming guests for decades in this establishment that serves homemade regional food and offers a taste of the Cerrado flavors.

The restaurant operates in a buffet style where clients can serve themselves as many times as they wish for a fixed price. The buffet displays staple dishes from the state of Goiás, making the restaurant a perfect destination for someone to learn a bit of the region’s culture through local food. Gueroba, pequi, frango caipira, quiabo and chica doida are a few of the classics offered here. All perfectly seasoned and executed, of course.

The restaurant also offers a variety of salads, freshly squeezed juice options and one of my favorites “disco de carne”.

With such an array of options to choose from, having lunch at Restaurante Popular is a true feast, making it easy for one to overeat. But it is crucial to leave room for dessert here. The restaurant offers amazing sweet options, mostly made with local fruits. Think guava, banana, figs and papaya sweets, to go along with dulce de leche and their signature Ambrosia. While we’re at it, the ambrosia here might be the best that I ever had. It is light and smooth, with a gentle cinnamon touch that does not overpower it.

All of this in a homey environment, with a very friendly staff and a loving atmosphere that makes you appreciate your meal even more.

(Versão em Português nos comentários) Less

Savini Tartufi - Montanelli (Italy)

When thinking about truffles, probably the first place that comes to mind is Alba/Piemonte. But make no mistake about it, Tuscan truffles should not be overlooked.

When visiting the region, I enjoyed this delicacy in many restaurants. But for me, that was not enough as I wanted to see firsthand how the truffle hunting process works.

Truffle hunting can be a tourist trap depending on where you go, with truffles planted on purpose to assure that the visitors do not go back home empty handed. That is not the case with @savinitartufi, and I can assure that the experience there is as real as it gets.

Truffles are fungi that grow under the dirt, in the roots of trees. During our visit, our guide Luca explained everything there is to know about his passion and the training of the hunting dogs.

It starts with a little bit of truffle oil being put on their mother’s milk. And as they grow, little amounts of truffles are included in their diet, way before the actual hunting training starts.

Once we headed into the forest, the real action began. Luca brought 2 dogs with him, father and son. This dynamic, while not common, was fascinating, as we were able to notice the differences in behavior between an experienced and trained dog and one still learning.

During our visit, it was black truffle season, and we were able to witness the discovery of at least 4 beautiful ones. Upon smelling it, the dog starts digging, but it does not eat and recognizes that it is Luca’s job to pick it up. Once this is finished, he receives a treat.

Once we finished, we hopped back on the Land Rover and rode back to Savini’s shop, where they prepared us a spectacular truffle based lunch that included pasta, fried eggs and even ice cream.

With more than 100 years in operation, I loved to see how Savini is both a family business (with less than 30 employees) and a global one, exporting to different countries and top restaurants/chefs. It wasalso very beautiful to see how happy the dogs were to be in the woods and how passionate Luca is around the subject and the values he embraces day in and day out.

(Versão em Português nos comentários) Less

Trattoria Sostanza - Florence (Italy)

@trattoriasostanzafirenze is a very small restaurant and a must go for anyone visiting Florence.

They cook most dishes on coals in a small kitchen that you have to walk past to get to the bathroom.

This old school trattoria serves an artichoke omelet that is sensational. It is light, silky and offers a taste that is not easy to find. If artichokes are in season, make sure to order it.

But the signature butter chicken is the absolute best dish on the menu. Chicken breast is not usually my favorite cut, but here it is superb. It is cooked in a ton of butter and served on the sizzling pan, then finished with squeezed lemon. Inexplicably good.

As a side dish, the white beans in olive oil are a very simple and yet surprisingly flavorful option.

(Versão em Português nos comentários) Less