Just returned from lunch at Ribadouro... here's their website if you are interested - I had the cod and potatoes, see pics on www. The place is 100 feet from my hotel.
http://www.cervejariaribadouro.pt/ementa_en.php
Lemme say this about European restaurants - I am totally infatuated with them. Reasons, you ask...
No 1 - "Hi, my name if Duke and I'll be your server tonight"... NOT - go fuck yourself Duke, and your buddy Biff too. Christ, I don't wanna be your new BFF, just bring me a menu and a beer. And that's just what they do in Europeland... no small talk, no "how's your day", they just do their job.
No 2 - they bring the wine / beer pronto.
No 3 - they bring you good food (usually) and they LEAVE YOU ALONE to enjoy the meal. You don't hear "Is everything tasting Greeeaaatt today?" They ignore you. If you need something, say ketchup (just JOKING --- nobody's ever heard of that shit here!), you just flag them down. They are more than happy to help.
No 4 - when everyone is finished, they will clear the plates. And then you can sit there as long as you want, because this is DINING after all, not just EATING. If you want to EAT, go to McD's... dining is something that takes time and is there for your enjoyment, not something you do before going to the kid's soccer practice.
No 5 - you have to ask for the check. You could sit there till 10:00 pm, just talking, maybe having an expresso, discussing your last gynecological exam, or sugar beet futures or the merits of Teflon- it does not matter. You own the table for the evening.
Anyway... that's my rant for this day. It's 15:20 and the RS group meets at 17:00, followed by a 18:45 walk and a 19:45 dinner... not sure what to expect, so I will keep my expectations low. I just hope it's not a cocker spaniel puppy love fest...
ps... tipping, you ask. what about tipping? I've vacillated on this subject for years... now I follow Anthony Bourdain's advice... "I tip 20% no matter what country I'm in"... so that's my new mantra.
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