Eating with Bob and Suzette: September 10, 2023 Lunch - Taberna Trovador, Guimaraes, Portugal

September 10, 2023 Lunch - Taberna Trovador, Guimaraes, Portugal

We dressed and went to breakfast at 9:20.

I was still unsure about whether my bacteria in my gut had become restive, so I drank some probiotic kefir to try to calm them. Then I drank a cup of Earl Grey tea with milk, a plate of fruit and a slice of toast with cherry preserves. The best item on the table was a fresh ripe red plum with yellow fruit.

We then drove to Guimaraes which is of extremely historic importance because it was the place where Portugal gained its independence in 1128.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_São_Mamede

It is also a UNESCO world heritage site.

Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town" in Europe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guimarães

We drove to the castle that sits at the top of a hill at the edge of the old town. It was rather small but very well preserved and well designed as a defendable position with a circular winding internal road leading to the higher walls from which a drawbridge connected to the keep. I would hate to have to fight my way into this castle. Lots of restoration work is being done on the castle, as is expected on a 1000 year old structure.

The keep

I leave as the Boy Scouts enter

The northern outer walls

Guimaraes is also considered the birthplace of Portugal because near it was the battle in 1128 where Alfonso I, who is said to have been born in Guimaraes, defeated the forces of Leon-Castile and gained control of what became Portugal.

From the castle we walked down the hill toward the old city past the palace and a lovely statue of the Conquistador to the Conquistador Cafe where I drank a coke and Suzette drank a beer and we shared a small cake.

The Conquistador statue

The convent next to the castle

The snack cake

With renewed energy, we walked down the hill through the old city. Suzette did a bit of shopping and finally we both saw a fine linens shop that caught our eye. We went inside and shortly after admiring several fine damask linen tablecloths, bought a lovely blue one that will fit our fully extended dining room table.

We then continued through the old town past several more churches and the old main municipal building at the main portal.

The oldest church dating to the 10th century

An apartment declaring solidarity with Ukraine

We crossed the loop road around the old city and soon found the restaurant at which we had a reservation for 2:00, Taberna Trovador.

Unfortunately, it was 1:15 and the restaurant was full, so we went across the street and sat in the shade and admired the colorfully painted and tiled 4 and 5 story houses in this small area named Trovador for the small square where we were sitting.

At 2:00 we returned to the restaurant and were seated in a few more minutes. Apparently, the website that recommended the Taberna as a favorite for Sunday family dinners was right; several family groups of 6 and 8 lingered over coffee and dessert long after we were seated.

A waiter brought an appetizer tray with black olives, cooked butter beans marinated in herbs and olive oil, and a terrific ham salad that we spread on pieces of white and brown bread.

We tried to order off the QR code menu but it was hopeless because the food is so different and the battery on Suzette’s uphone was going dead. The maitre d’ helped us order, but he was busy and we ordered without a full explanation of the dishes and ingredients, which could have taken an hour. I saw a dish with meat and spinach that I suggested and Suzette said she would take that when the Maitre d’ said it was chicken and pork. We had decided I would avoid all fat and rich meat dishes.

Suzette had a bowl of cream of vegetable soup yesterday that was light and just vegetables, broth, and a touch of cream, so I ordered that. I then asked if there were any poached fish dishes. The maitre d’ started suggesting fried cod cakes, and fried cod croquettes, which are very traditional, but I asked for something cooked and he finally said, “You want cod?”

I said, “Yes.”

He said, “OK.”

We then asked about wine. Suzette said she wanted a rose and had her hand resting on one in the shelves lined with the wine offerings. I said, “we want dry, secco.” He went to his wine list on his phone and showed us three roses.

I asked, “Which is the driest of the three? That is the one we want.”

Soon the waiter brought out the bottle Suzette had pointed to with her hand. It was a rose of Syrah and very dry with that characteristic earthy aftertaste of Syrah. Suzette loved it. I am not a fan of Syrah anything, but drank it because it was cold and wet.

Soon my soup arrived and I loved it. It was perfect, a smooth lightly creamed broth with bits of carrot, cabbage, and leek.

A little later our entrees arrived. Mine was fabulous, a whole fish sans head and tail cooked and then battered and fried and covered with a light tomato sauce with strips of red and green bell pepper, and onions and garnished with black olives. It was a thick piece of fish and the meat was very dense in places and tender and moist and flaky in other places.

The fish was surrounded with thin slices of non-greasy homemade potato chips, that may have been air fried, Suzette suggested. The potato chips were delicious soaked in the light tomato sauce.

I later found out from the Maitre d” that the cod was bacalhau or dried and salted cod that had been rehydrated, de-salted, battered, fried, and sauced. This was only the second or third time I have eaten bacalhau/Bacalao and I loved it. It also has a wonderful history dating back 500 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dried_and_salted_cod

Suzette’s dish was a complete disaster except for the spinach.

I turned out to be a sausage made from ground chicken and pork covered with slices of bread that was then battered and fried. Suzette called it “fried mush.”

She then helped me eat my cod and enjoyed it. The portion of cod was more than we both could eat.

We saw lots of delicious desserts being served and one in particular seemed to predominate, so after the meal we asked about it and discovered that it was creme brûlée with a toasted sugar crust. I also ordered a coffee con Leche and got a double espresso and had to ask for a pot of heated milk.

Even though Suzette’s dish turned out to be a little too traditional for her, we considered the meal a success because the total cost was €50 for everything. So it was inexpensive even if you threw out the fried mush by the standards we have experienced lately.

After lunch the waiter called for a cab that drove us back up the hill to our car in the parking lot behind the castle.

Guimaraes turned out to be a lot more interesting and fun than I thought it would be and I loved that my body had recovered fully so I could enjoy it.

What a difference a day makes.

We arrived at our room at 5:00 and rested and listened and watched a classical music performance by the Orchestra of Europe at the Summer music festival in Baden Baden in 2022 with a female pianist named Rana playing Schumann’s piano concerto No. 1.

We looked out our window at sunset to iconic images of the vineyard.