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NBEDC Client, Adega restaurant enlivening Rivet Street!
Looking For Something New And Hip? Get To Adega,
Restaurant & Wine Bar
Reprinted from SoCo™
Magazine, July 2006 “From saloons to salons”
I’m going to write this review in the reverse order of
events as they occurred. The reason being, under normal
circumstances, I thought the chef/owner would have
greeted me and my guest walking into his very cool
establishment, instead of chasing us out the door and
into the street at Goulart Square, located at The New
Bedford Seaport.
Let me explain. We had finished our meals – along with a
rich, frothy chocolate mousse (shared), accompanied by
slices of strawberry and pineapple, served in a
champagne glass; and a very authentic espresso that was
hot, thick, and strong (outstanding and recommended) –
when we settled up with our waiter, Carlos, and planned
our photo shoot outside under the street lights, which
reflected off the newly remolded building’s façade.
Upon exiting and setting up across the street, a man
with a slight build and light hair, wearing all black,
including his apron, came running out shouting: “Don’t
go anywhere!” My companion and I looked at each other
with glances of amazement drizzled with slight
annoyance; we wanted to get the task over with so we
could go home. It was already 10:00 p.m., and we still
had to drive at least 30 minutes to our home in a
neighboring town.
“Please, I want to talk to you,” he said, beginning to
lose his breath. We cautiously met him in the middle of
the road. “My name is Tony Fialho. I own Adega, and I
can’t let you leave without thanking you for coming for
dinner,” he exclaimed. We both started to smile, and I
shook his hand.
This meeting is the most relevant part of this review,
and I felt compelled to share it with your first and
foremost.
Adega is brand new. It’s very classy, well designed and
decorated, and carefully thought out. Its menu is
unique, its wine list superb. The bar is well stocked
compared to others on the SouthCoast, but best of all,
the restaurant is one man’s dream turned reality!
After introducing himself, Tony shared with me his
compassion for the restaurant business and his
dozen-plus years working for others. “I want people to
be comfortable here and to be a part of this. I want to
improve my community,” he said with a genuine spark in
his eyes.
When you approach the entrance to Adega, you can’t but
feel you are in a large city, perhaps just off the main
drag in an up-and-coming neighborhood. For instance,
while we were speaking, a young Portuguese boy came up
on his bicycle and shouted: “Hey, Tony, how’s the
restaurant doin’?” Tony responded, “Great, thanks.” Even
the fancy cars and the very sexy crowd waiting out front
created just the right vibe.
Once inside, we were seated in comfortable chains at a
table that seemed a bit higher than one would normally
expect. However, after about 20 minutes, the awkward
felling dissipated. I ordered a large bottle of
Pellegrino, which was served perfectly chilled, and a
glass of wine that I believe came from a vineyard called
“Pocas: the Director’s Choice.” The busboy brought over
a breadboard with a full loaf atop. The bread was room
temperature; warm would have been better.
We started with small plates of Favas (large Portuguese
beans sautéed with port and mild Portuguese sausage,
served in a bread bowl) and Chourico a Adega (a spicy
Portuguese sausage flambé). Don’t be fooled, these were
not small plates. They were huge, so much so that by the
time dinner arrived, we knew that most of it would be
wrapped up for lunch tomorrow.
The very nature of Adega’s menu is decadent. It is full
of tempting foods sure to add to anyone’s waistline. We
opted for a couple of low-calorie choices. My guest
ordered the Bifinhos de Galinha Grehados (charbroiled
chicken breast in a special aromatic butter sauce), and
I decided upon the Galinha a Moçambique (sauteed cubes
of chicken breast in a Mozambique sauce, served with
fried potatoes and rice). This is one of the most
popular meals in Portuguese restaurants on the
SouthCoast, but what made this one different was that
the rice and raisins mixed in – a very nice flavor. But
one thing I didn’t care for was the sauce had a shrimp
taste, which overpowered the flavor of the chicken. I’m
not sure why this occurred, but I believe the sauce
should have had a more neutral taste. This should not
prevent you from trying the restaurant’s varied
selections, all of which are very reasonably priced.
As for service, I happen to know that some customers
have been critical of it, but let me assure you, the
Adega staff is up to par and in sync. I paid very close
attention to the wait staff, and their efforts in
running around the dining room affirmed the fact that
changes have been made for the better.
It’s clear that Tony caught the wave but is humble of
his newly earned success. He shared with me the story of
a recent night: there was a two-plus-hour wait and some
slipped the maitre d’ $40 for a choice table. “I could
allow this, it happens all the time in other places, but
here, these people are my friends – if not before they
come in, they are by the time they leave. I fired the
guy,” he said an ear-to-ear smile. “Everyone is treated
the same here.”
From the scantily clad women at the bar to the
grandmothers and grandfathers with families at the
banquet-size tables, Adega is the place to be on the
SouthCoast.
Adega is located at Goulart Square at The New Bedford
Seaport.
For directions, call 508-992-1313. The kitchen is open
Sundays, Mondays
Wednesdays, and Thursdays from noon to 9:00 p.m.,
Saturday from noon to
10:00 p.m.; Adega is closed on Tuesdays. |
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