Gabriela’s Authentic Portuguese Cuisine - [www.nytimes.com]

[Mario Ferreira]

URL: http://events.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/ny ... inenj.html

March 23, 2008
Dining | Somerville

Portuguese Delivered in Name and Taste

By KARLA COOK

WHEN I lived near the Ironbound section of Newark, I made a habit of eating at its Portuguese and Spanish restaurants, but got out of the habit of ordering paella. Why bother with what too often was bland, dried-out rice with overcooked, undercleaned seafood?

Then, a couple of Saturdays ago, I changed my mind, on a visit to Gabriela’s Authentic Portuguese Cuisine, a long, skinny restaurant in Somerville. We had to wait a few minutes for our table — long enough to get restless and walk from the waiting area to the edge of the dining room, where I could spy on what others were eating. The place was packed, the din was happy, and people were smiling. Some diners had big steaming bowls before them; others had platters from which they were serving themselves.

I took a chance. I ordered paella. And now, I am wishing that Gabriela’s had opened up in my town; a vat of this fragrant, delectable Portuguese version of the Spanish casserole, with its perfectly cooked, impeccable seafood studding a base of saffron-flavored rice, dotted with roasted red peppers and fresh parsley, would be a steady takeout lunch. Or dinner. Or both.

There is more good food at this restaurant. Grilled calamari rounds arrived in a light broth flavored with lemon, olive oil and pale ovals of thin-sliced, pungent garlic; sautéed shrimp with Portuguese sausage was a pleasant yin-yang of dark and light, sweet and smoky, with shards of sautéed garlic softened and sweetened by the heat, then sparked by bright, grassy fresh parsley. If the bread had been better, those leftover juices would have disappeared, too.

Mussels in tomato sauce were equally satisfying. And the codfish croquettes, served as part of a mixed appetizers plate, almost persuaded me to order the main course version — a grilled steak of the salt cod called bacalhau, with roasted red potatoes, house-roasted peppers and onions and olives.

A Caesar salad was overdressed and differed from the classic version, without the whole romaine leaves and with less anchovy flavor, but its lightness of green was a welcome respite; the food at Gabriela’s is homey and very hearty.

Many of the recipes are what Jennifer Mendonca grew up eating at home in Somerville. She and her Portuguese mother, Gabriela Mendonca, who came to the United States in 1974 and for whom the place is named, opened the 66-seat restaurant in January 2007.

The menu is two pages, with a printed specials list that on one night held treasure — a traditional Portuguese stew of monkfish and stingray. Served in a covered pot, it was an appealing mélange, with tomatoes, peppers and onions, steamed clams and a preponderance of sliced potatoes. The flavors melded very nicely, and the few morsels of monkfish were tender, but the bones and cartilage of the slippery stingray were too much trouble to deal with. I abandoned the stew, as delicious as it was, for more paella.

On another visit, another stew, cataplana de marisco, was a table favorite, with its clams, shrimp, mussels, scallops, sausage, presunto (a cured Portuguese ham), tomatoes and fresh cilantro. So was a Portuguese-style grilled steak topped with a fried egg, more of that cured ham and house-fried potato chips, some of which were crunchier, less oily and thus more enjoyable than others. The dish of sautéed pork loin cubes with shrimp (another version comes with clams) and fried potatoes was a strong contender, though I found the pork overcooked. Less successful was the pan-seared chicken breast with sausage, ham and Mimosa cheese. The meat was tough and overcooked, and the sautéed vegetables, though generously portioned, lacked interest.

As for desserts, stick with either the housemade flan or, if available, the torta de coco, an almond-coconut roll, made by a friend of the family. It’s as satisfying as this restaurant.

Gabriela’s Authentic Portuguese Cuisine
42 West Main Street
Somerville
(908) 526-7070
http://www.gabrielasrestaurant.com

GOOD

THE SPACE Long, thin room with a kitchen carved out of the front and a narrow walkway to the dining room behind. Wheelchair accessible.

THE CROWD Pleasantly noisy; capable and attentive servers.

THE BAR Bring your own. The staff will add your wine to fruit-filled sangria pitchers, which cost $6 for a small one and $11 for a large.

THE BILL Sandwiches, stews and plate lunches, $7 to $15. Dinner entrees, $15 to $25. (Discover card not accepted.)

WHAT WE LIKE Grilled calamari with garlic, mussels in tomato sauce, shrimp and Portuguese sausage with garlic and parsley, house appetizer tray, seafood stew in white wine, paella, sautéed pork cubes with shrimp and fried potatoes, steak with fried egg and ham; flan, almond and coconut roll.

IF YOU GO Lunch: Monday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dinner: Monday to Thursday, 4 to 9 p.m.; Friday, 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturday, 4:30 to 10 p.m. Reservations recommended on weekends. Street parking, plus lot parking free after 5 p.m.

Reviewed March 23, 2008