[...]
Saturday
10 a.m.
4. SOME LIKE IT OLD
Unlike Mercado Ferreira Borges, the still-functioning Mercado do Bolhão (corner of Rua Formosa and Rua de Sá da Bandeira) seems untouched since it was opened in 1914. Majestic and dilapidated, the huge indoor-outdoor space recalls a classic European rail station thanks to acres of wrought iron, grand staircases, white tile walls and pointed domes. Inside, the aging vendors gossip amid chestnuts, octopus, sardines, dangling pigs’ hooves and live roosters. Upstairs, in the northeast corner, a stall called Manteigaria do Bolhão stocks enough cured meat to feed a corporate picnic (or spark a PETA protest): chourico (2.40 euros per kilo), presunto (9.50 per kilo), salpicao sausage (6 per kilo) and much more.
12:30 p.m.
5. BEEF, BUNS AND BEYOND
To the many paintings, sculptures and installations showcased in the galleries along Rua Miguel Bombarda, we can add two new types of creative endeavors: beef and fish preparations. In the airy confines of Bugo Art Burgers (Rua Miguel Bombarda 598; 351-22-606-2179; bugo.com.pt), the burgers are culinary collages of local materials. The Porto e Serra Burger is beef soaked in port and topped with serra da estrela cheese. The Cod Burger transforms bacalhau into a patty served with classic acorda (bread purée and coriander). And if you like to eat your burger with chopsticks, the Oriental Assortment is a three-meat medley — grass-fed beef, Azores tuna, free-range chicken — with noodles. An excellent panna cotta comes with a port-raspberry-black-currant sauce. Lunch for two: 35 euros.
2 p.m.
6. SATURDAY AT THE MALL
Hip and innovative aren’t words that normally describe shopping malls. But Centro Comercial Bombarda (Rua Miguel Bombarda 283-285; ccbombarda.blogspot.com) is an exception. Devoted largely to independent Portuguese designers, the complex houses cult brands like Storytailors (351-22-201-7409; storytailors.pt), known for their fairy tale-inspired fashions for women, and Piurra (351-22-201-6012; piurra.com), a haven of minimalist cabinetry enlivened with colorful textiles.
4:30 p.m.
7. WHORLS AND ANGLES
Resembling a jagged white meteorite, the futuristic Casa da Música (Avenida da Boavista 604-610; 351-22-012-0220) is both Porto’s architectural masterpiece and music mecca. Daily tours in English at 4:30 p.m. (3 euros) take visitors through the whorls of the angular 17-sided building, designed by the Dutch star architect Rem Koolhaas and opened in 2005. Treats include the VIP Room, an angled salon covered with blue ceramic tiles, and the so-called Orange Room, whose floor gives off wild sounds — bird chirps, percussion — as you step on it. But the highlight is the main hall, decorated with gold tiger-stripe designs. Be sure to check the roster of concerts and monthly D.J. parties.
8 p.m.
8. FEED BETWEEN THE LINES
Books abound — holding the menus, lining the walls — at Book (Rua de Aviz 10; 351-91-795-3387; restaurante-book.com), a cozy, candlelit and self-consciously literary restaurant that opened this fall. Thanks to nouveau Portuguese cuisine that burnishes prosaic ingredients into poetic dishes (witness pork cheeks with tripe or veal steak in Torres wine sauce), the restaurant is already a best seller. Fish soup has a zesty tomato base, chunky texture, crunchy croutons and nuggets of local shrimp. The rack of lamb is also fine, thanks to a port wine reduction with hints of vanilla and spice. Sponge cake, a Porto obsession, arrives as a lush mush with orange and kiwi slices. The smooth house wine, a Terras do Grifo red, is additional proof that Porto can do more than just port. Dinner for two, without wine: about 55 euros.
10 p.m.
9. JOIN THE CONGREGATION
Formerly a haven of dowdy fabric shops, the neighborhood of Clérigos (Clergymen) now bursts with bars and a Mardi Gras-like crush of partiers — college kids, young professionals, 50-something socialites — who pack the streets by night. Galeria de Paris (Rua Galeria de Paris 56; galeriadeparis.com) is filled to its soaring rafters with vintage radios, old sewing machines and other retro finds. Even the pump that pours the Sagres beer (1 euro) is Jules Verne-ish. More contemporary is the low-lighted Baixa bar (Rua Cândido dos Reis 52; baixa.pt), where a boulder-size disco ball hangs over the dance floor, and cocktails like the Cosmo Porto (Cointreau, port wine, red fruit; 6 euros) are featured on the menu.
[...]"
The New York Times - Travel [http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/travel/36-hours-in-porto-portugal.html]
Saturday
10 a.m.
4. SOME LIKE IT OLD
Unlike Mercado Ferreira Borges, the still-functioning Mercado do Bolhão (corner of Rua Formosa and Rua de Sá da Bandeira) seems untouched since it was opened in 1914. Majestic and dilapidated, the huge indoor-outdoor space recalls a classic European rail station thanks to acres of wrought iron, grand staircases, white tile walls and pointed domes. Inside, the aging vendors gossip amid chestnuts, octopus, sardines, dangling pigs’ hooves and live roosters. Upstairs, in the northeast corner, a stall called Manteigaria do Bolhão stocks enough cured meat to feed a corporate picnic (or spark a PETA protest): chourico (2.40 euros per kilo), presunto (9.50 per kilo), salpicao sausage (6 per kilo) and much more.
12:30 p.m.
5. BEEF, BUNS AND BEYOND
To the many paintings, sculptures and installations showcased in the galleries along Rua Miguel Bombarda, we can add two new types of creative endeavors: beef and fish preparations. In the airy confines of Bugo Art Burgers (Rua Miguel Bombarda 598; 351-22-606-2179; bugo.com.pt), the burgers are culinary collages of local materials. The Porto e Serra Burger is beef soaked in port and topped with serra da estrela cheese. The Cod Burger transforms bacalhau into a patty served with classic acorda (bread purée and coriander). And if you like to eat your burger with chopsticks, the Oriental Assortment is a three-meat medley — grass-fed beef, Azores tuna, free-range chicken — with noodles. An excellent panna cotta comes with a port-raspberry-black-currant sauce. Lunch for two: 35 euros.
2 p.m.
6. SATURDAY AT THE MALL
Hip and innovative aren’t words that normally describe shopping malls. But Centro Comercial Bombarda (Rua Miguel Bombarda 283-285; ccbombarda.blogspot.com) is an exception. Devoted largely to independent Portuguese designers, the complex houses cult brands like Storytailors (351-22-201-7409; storytailors.pt), known for their fairy tale-inspired fashions for women, and Piurra (351-22-201-6012; piurra.com), a haven of minimalist cabinetry enlivened with colorful textiles.
4:30 p.m.
7. WHORLS AND ANGLES
Resembling a jagged white meteorite, the futuristic Casa da Música (Avenida da Boavista 604-610; 351-22-012-0220) is both Porto’s architectural masterpiece and music mecca. Daily tours in English at 4:30 p.m. (3 euros) take visitors through the whorls of the angular 17-sided building, designed by the Dutch star architect Rem Koolhaas and opened in 2005. Treats include the VIP Room, an angled salon covered with blue ceramic tiles, and the so-called Orange Room, whose floor gives off wild sounds — bird chirps, percussion — as you step on it. But the highlight is the main hall, decorated with gold tiger-stripe designs. Be sure to check the roster of concerts and monthly D.J. parties.
8 p.m.
8. FEED BETWEEN THE LINES
Books abound — holding the menus, lining the walls — at Book (Rua de Aviz 10; 351-91-795-3387; restaurante-book.com), a cozy, candlelit and self-consciously literary restaurant that opened this fall. Thanks to nouveau Portuguese cuisine that burnishes prosaic ingredients into poetic dishes (witness pork cheeks with tripe or veal steak in Torres wine sauce), the restaurant is already a best seller. Fish soup has a zesty tomato base, chunky texture, crunchy croutons and nuggets of local shrimp. The rack of lamb is also fine, thanks to a port wine reduction with hints of vanilla and spice. Sponge cake, a Porto obsession, arrives as a lush mush with orange and kiwi slices. The smooth house wine, a Terras do Grifo red, is additional proof that Porto can do more than just port. Dinner for two, without wine: about 55 euros.
10 p.m.
9. JOIN THE CONGREGATION
Formerly a haven of dowdy fabric shops, the neighborhood of Clérigos (Clergymen) now bursts with bars and a Mardi Gras-like crush of partiers — college kids, young professionals, 50-something socialites — who pack the streets by night. Galeria de Paris (Rua Galeria de Paris 56; galeriadeparis.com) is filled to its soaring rafters with vintage radios, old sewing machines and other retro finds. Even the pump that pours the Sagres beer (1 euro) is Jules Verne-ish. More contemporary is the low-lighted Baixa bar (Rua Cândido dos Reis 52; baixa.pt), where a boulder-size disco ball hangs over the dance floor, and cocktails like the Cosmo Porto (Cointreau, port wine, red fruit; 6 euros) are featured on the menu.
[...]"
The New York Times - Travel [http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/travel/36-hours-in-porto-portugal.html]
