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If you are thinking about dining at a Portuguse/Spanish restaurant do not expect anything spicy or Mexican-like. You might be suprised to learn that Portuguese and Spanish food is quite bland. Because Portugal borders the sea, there are quite a diverse array of seafood offerings to dine on. The other main component of Spanish and Portuguese food is meat and poultry. In fact, the main dishes at a Spanish and Portuguese restaurant will most likely be divided into seafood, and meat and poultry dishes.
Don't expect a lot of vegetables or pasta when dining on Portuguese and Spanish cuisine either.
Of course, the most renown dish on the menu will be the paella. The regional competition in making this typical Spanish dish has produced many recipes. But there are usually just two kinds offered on the standard menu, a paella valenciana and the paella marinara. Most dishes will include chicken, chorizo, shrimp, scallops, calamari, lobster, clams and mussels cooked over saffroin rice. The marinara paella does not include the meat.
Some of the most delightful dishes on the menu can be found in the appetizer portion. Most Portuguese and Spanish restaurants will offer shrimp dishes, clams casino, spanish sausage and fresh mushrooms. The soups in a Spanish and Porteguese restaurant might include a lobster bisque, crab meat soup, gaspacho and vegetable soup.
There will always be fish specials of the day for the main dish, but some of the most common seafood dishes include, broiled lobster, stuffed lobster, shrimp Europa, and jumbo scallops. Shrimp Europa is sauteed in butter, cooked with mushrooms, green and red pimentos and served in a casserole. Red snapper, chilean bass, and flounder filet are also common entrees in the Portugues/Spanish diet.
The meat and poutry dishes on the menue might include veal madrelena, which is dipped in egg and sauteed with white wine, a chicken and garlic dish and chicken francaise.
An interesting dish is the Portuguse style filet mignon, which is served with ham and green olves in garlic and wine sauce. Pork chops and steak dishes will also most likely be featured on the menu.
Desserts in most Portuguese and Spanish restaurants range from the traditional American apple pie to the Spanish favorite flan.
Most Portuguese and Spanish restaraunts will also feature a plethora of wine selections, featuring Spanish, Porteguese, French, Italian and Californian selections. Ask your waiter for a native wine that suits your taste and you probably won't be disappointed.
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