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Sao Miguel Azores food review

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Linda C

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Sao Miguel Azores food review

by Linda C » Sat May 21, 2016 1:52 pm

The isle of Sao Miguel, Azores, Portugal is one of the most beautiful places I've seen. It teems with wild flowers everywhere..camellias, hydrangeas, azaleas, calla lilies, and many more. Everywhere is color. The ideal month to visit for flora and to avoid crowds is June. We were a tad too early in May, but it was quiet and peaceful. English is spoken nearly everywhere, And if they struggle,they try very hard. Nicest people ever. Of course the food and wine is Portugese influenced, but excellent cheeses, liqueurs, jams, wines and of course seafood are strictly Azorean.
We stayed in beautiful Furnas in the Terra Nostra Garden hotel next to the famous gardens planted in the 1700's. Incredible! The area has volcanic caldeiras of bubbling water and intensely hot, steaming grounds. For years, the locals and restaurants have cooked their Cozidos in cauldrons buried in the earth. We enjoyed ours the first day..a plate with chicken, several pork and beef cuts, blood sausage, chorizo, cabbage, carrots, sweet potato, yam, potato and kale.the juices are drizzled over that and it is served with rice. After lunch, we napped for 2 hours!
The island has more picnic areas than it does residents. They will readily fix you a to go meal and nobody seems to care if your wine is on the table. Often, we saw the boats come in with fishermen bringing their haul to the restaurant. The servers will show you what the daily catch is and prepare it as you please. Barracuda is legal here..no reef diseases. I fell in love with Wreckfish, which is a deep water fish often found around shipwrecks. Limpits, a specialty known as Lapas, are delicious. Served open she'll, the are firmer than mussels and not as fishy as clams. Yum. Another favorite I loved was stuffed mackerel. We only had one mediocre meal in a week at the Banoes Ferreos in Furnas. The food at the hotel was terrific, the Azoreans who settled first were cattle farmers and the beef is delicious, as well as the cheese.
The prices, I'm happy to say, were cheap! Food and lodging were cheap, gas was not, but cars are tiny and roads were great. In villages, roads are narrow and one way. Take your GPS, or you'll drive around a village for 10 minutes! SATA airlines flies non-stop from Boston and Providence. The flight was under five hours and their prices are VERY good. Nice,no frills airline. There is only a 4 hour time change, so I wasn't a total zombie when I got home.
Some memorable places: Mercearia tapas in Ponta Delgado...he kept letting us try everything, including wines and liqueurs and local specialties. Owner spoke great English and told us everything about the island and cuisine. We tipped him well and bough many things in the store
2. Terra Nostra Hotel Restaurant- we did the chef's whim one night- outstanding! White coats on wait staff, not stuffy. Beautiful garden setting. Buffet breakfast excellent..the cheeeeese...
3. Caldeiras & Vulcoes in Furnas. Very hip place for a sleepy village.make reservations!
4. Bar Caloura..on the coast in tiny Caloura, sits on a black cliff cove. They have a free salad bar and display the catch of the day in a cooler. Very casual, fun and popular!
5. Restaurants O Silva, Ribiera Grande...tucked on a side street, teeming with locals. Very old style family place, food was delicious. The seafood with rice was about $20 and was enough for two, filled with shrimp, langoustines, lobster and clams. Still drooling
6.restaurante Melo Abreau..on the port of Lagoaoverlooking the sea. We watched the fishermen bringing in the haul...as fresh as you can get! Friendly service.
7. Restaurante Ponta do Garajau- in a tiny village, darling place, great atmosphere. Food was spectacular in freshness and simplicity. Free salad bar, great service.
I post pictures on www.foospotting under my name, Linda Sparrow
I'll be happy to answer any questions, etc.
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Linda C

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Re: Sao Miguel Azores food review

by Linda C » Sat May 21, 2016 1:59 pm

That is foodspotting

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