Welcome

This blog is dedicated to good food, books, dancing, and anything else that might catch my attention. Recently, friends have urged me to start a blog. Considering I'm Yelp deprived in Portugal, this was an excellent idea.

I started reviewing restaurants on Yelp in August, 2010. I love food, hence the nickname "Food Instigator". Denver and Boulder have a wonderful food scene that is constantly changing as new restaurants begin, others fade away, and others continue to innovate thus motivating multiple visits from myself and like-minded friends.

Since I've been visiting Portugal, I have missed Colorado's food scene. Portugal does have a food scene to investigate, but there is much sameness here. Most cafes seem born from the same litter. They offer Buondi or Sical coffee among other brands (cheap and good, I've heard, the envy of other foreigners), and many similar foods. Codfish or bacalhau is a staple here. They really have 365+ ways to prepare this. Francesinhas (bread, sausage, steak, ham, more bread, cheese, sauce) are a must try. Port wine is another must. Roasted chestnuts are the best during a rainy day. Go across the river to Gaia for the port wine tastings. Then different towns or regions have their specialties, such as ovos moles (Aveiro) or arroz de sarrabulho (Viana do Castelo).

 There are food gems here. Most of my finds are affordable since my limited budget dictates this. Sakura (sushi) and Da Terra (vegan/vegetarian) in Matosinhos, amazing bacalhau and batatas in Braga,  Bugo Art Burger in Porto, alfarroba in Faro, Vitaminas and Pans & Company at the food courts. Most restaurants that vary from typical Portuguese fare tend to be expensive.

My  goals for this blog are to include thorough restaurant  reviews with images, street addresses, and applicable links. These are memories for me that I hope inspire you to visit or try something new.

Port Wine

 Roasted Chestnuts

 Francesinha take 2. First attempt was the wrong item.

 Great vegetarian sandwich in Braga