Several weeks ago, we published a post called “What Makes a Memorable Meal?” In it, we suggested that there are four elements that come together to make (or break) the dining experience: The food, the service, the ambience, and the company you’re with. When three or four of these are very good to great, you have a memorable meal.
We’ve published numerous posts that describe memorable meals we’ve had. Now we’re opening up our pages to you, our readers. We’re inviting you to send us your memorable meal stories. We’ll publish one or more every month, as long as we receive them.
To kick off this series, our friend Kirsten wrote to tell us about a great meal she had in Portugal 45 years ago. The setting is in Estoril, a resort town just east of Cascais, along the Atlantic coast.
Here’s her story.
Dear Mary and Mike,
It’s such a coincidence that your topic was memorable meals.
As we contemplate a move to Portugal, among the many assets that draw us to this country – geography, history, culture, climate, and the sea — seafood is a very important consideration.
We visited Portugal for the first and only time 45 yrs ago. I had my most memorable meal during that trip and have been telling the story ever since.
We drove up the coast to Estoril. The unassuming entrance to the restaurant led to an expansive view of the sea. From there we were taken to a lower level with an even more amazing view.
We were seated at a table for four and given a menu with more seafood than I had ever heard of. Since my fiance and I could not read the menu or speak to the waiters, we were at the mercy of my future father-in-law who ordered for the table. He ordered one lobster and some side dishes. (Did he not know how much I LOVE lobster?)
We started with Vino Verde. OMG! I liked dry white wine, also champagne. This was perfect!
When the meal was served, a side table was rolled up to the end of our table. On a large platter was one lobster with a tail the size of a large loaf of bread and claws about the same size as mine. It was surrounded by a variety of fish and seafood. With sides of vegetables and wonderful bread.
Everything was delicious and even though we didn’t understand a word they said, we thoroughly enjoyed the company and service of the very gracious and attentive staff.
It was the best seafood I have ever had…and by far the most memorable meal in my lifetime! Ambiance, food, company and service!
All the best,
Kirsten
Thanks, Kirsten, for sharing your story with all of us. Perhaps when you and your husband visit Portugal in November, you can find that restaurant again. If you do, please let us know so we can do an update to find out if its still as good as you remember.
Tell Us Your Story
What is the most memorable meal you’ve had? Tell us your story in an email to mike@thecookandthewriter.com. Don’t worry about polish. We’ll work with you to get it ready to publish.
Until next week / Até a próxima semana
Mary and Mike
The Cook and The Writer
Alice, I’m sorry you didn’t have the same great meal we did. Very funny story and the timing is such a coincidence!
Mary, That would be wonderful! Maybe we could meet there and all share one lobster!
A meal that we still talk about with our friends happened in Estoril 44 years ago. 14 friends from Philly decided to go to Portugal. Sue was one of them. 4 couples were married and the rest were single. We ate a a seafood restaurant also on the water, couldn’t speak the language and tried to order from the menu. We ended up getting tripe, fish with heads still on and other things that were questionable. It was memorable because nobody would try most of the stuff and we went away hungry. Sorry, it’s not a good story, but thought it was funny as it happened in Estoril at the same time.
A lovely memory!! Thank you for sharing!
Kirsten. I’m going to try my best to locate your restaurant. Thanks for sharing your story with us. We look forward to meeting you on your visit this fall in Portugal.