First time at the Time Out market in Lisboa, Portu...

First time at the Time Out market in Lisboa, Portugal. In the park across the street there was (small-d) dj happening. Inside, the market was packed. I'm talking full-on foodie forager madness! Nevertheless we decided to go for it. The 4 of us did the big loop in 4 different directions. We checked out all the chefy mini kitchens/menus. Checked out the food on the tables. Checked out the whole hyper global food scene while cruising the jam packed tables for 4 seats.

When it came down to the question of what and where to eat, it was a surprising four-way unanimous decision. We all picked 'Joao Rodrigues', hands down. It was the plated grilled squid that clinched it. Make that 2 orders of squid, 2 tartares, 1 cauliflower and 2 btls of wine. Don't judge us. We're on vacation.

But the real surprise was just how damn good the food was. You know how big market eateries can be. Once you pay upfront you're never sure what you're going to get. Let's face it, things can go real blah, real fast. Not this time. Chef Celestino and the friendly kitchen staff at Joao Rodrigues put out 5 high flying dishes!

The tartare and cauliflower with a garbanzo bean hummus were excellent. But in the end it was the grilled squid that we all flipped-out over! It was perfectly grilled and tender, as was the bokchoy & shitaki mushrooms. But it was the silky smooth butter sauce that made it amazing. Even though we took our time drinking, talking and eating the sauce never broke. Not to get all mushy about it, but we walked out of there fully satisfied...hearts, bellies and, souls. And to top it off when I stopped to thank the chef and crew, they were all super nice! I even got a quick lesson on how to make the perfect beurre blanc sauce from chef Celestino himself. Here's to Chef Celestino and the staff...obrigado chicos!

J. Collazo
San Diego, California