For The Love Of Port

I have only had this a couple of times and it is absolutely great. I need to find the "best" version of this in Porto!

If you are not sure what it is ... then clearly you've never enjoyed this before, 'cause you'd never forget your first!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesinha

Oh my yes, a Francesinha is an amazing sandwich!

The Pestana Porto makes a good one, but I can't judge it relative to any others because that's the only one I've had.

You better be hungry, though!

From bottom to top: bread, beefsteak, sausage, cheese, bread, country ham, a different sausage, a different cheese, more bread, special sauce, and finally more cheese! Served hot with the top layer of cheese nicely toasted. The ones we had were basically cubes the size of a slice of bread, and they were heavenly!

Glenn,

There are a few places that do a really great job with this type of sandwich but I must say that you writing that down has created a steady stream of drool. Jeez they are so good. Is it possible nobody else here knows what this is? I know that I have never had them served on our tours, but when I arrive early or stay late ... ALWAY make sure to have it once, when possible.

My personal favorite is Cafe Majestic, some say Majestic Cafe, on rua Santa Catarina. It is one of the coolest spots in all of Porto. In fact, a little known fact at that (often mistakenly written otherwise) this is THE PLACE where Harry Potter was penned initially. But back to "the sandwich" ... this is the place to have it. They served good coffee (so I am told as I don't drink it almost ever) and have nice wines offered too. But if you are truly looking for a GREAT version of the Francesinha ... this is the place to take it all in. If you've never been here and are a "Porto" lover (not the wine ... the place) you gotta check this out at least once. It is like going to the market "Oriental" you just must see it to believe it.

I've been by the Majestic, but we didn't have time to stop and eat. Next trip we'll make sure to plan lunch there to sample the Francesinhas!

Loved it at the Cafe/Restaurant we were in on Sunday. Waiting to try the Cafe Majestic version.

Eric,

I had dinner there on Monday but had seafood and on Tuesday just snuck in before closing at midnight and had another Francesinha there. It is very good, but not up to the greatness of Cafe Majestic. I promise to take you there next time!

I just tried my hand at making this at home.
I made some french toast, then used this as a base. Layered seared sirloin steak, salami, and pork sausage with guyere cheese and made a pressed sandwich. Covered this with more guyere, broiled it to melt the cheese and covered with a brown gravy in which I simmered some diced tomatoes for a while.
It turned out pretty well. Maybe not quite so authentic, but not bad.

Nice job Eric!

I noticed that at the restaurant where we had this together, their brown sauce was quite spicy. I wonder what their secret was? How did you feel the gruyere cheese worked in this?

Yeah, I think a spicy/zesty sauce is a "requirement" for an authentic Francesinha. Any idea what spice(s) they might be using? I've tried duplicating Portuguese dishes several times and they never come out right. I'm pretty sure it comes down to the spices being used, but I just have no idea what they might be using liberally in everything in Portugal that I'm missing! :wall:

I used paprika in the sauce. It worked pretty well. Maybe a abit of red pepper flakes next time.
I like gruyere so I liked it in the dish. It also melts well.

You don't know what tasty francesinha is until you go to Buffet Fase, in Rua de Santa Catarina, Porto! It's the best of all.

It has room for 10 people, so if you want to go make sure you arrive early, 12pm for lunch and 7pm for dinner.

Oscar,

That is right near Majestic Cafe. Do you have an exact address?

Also do you know what type of spices and cheese are used in the dish?

Here it is: Rua de Santa Catarina, 1147
Tel. +351 222 052 118

It is in the same street of Majestic (but it is not in the pedestrian crossing), 10-15 minutes walking, in the direction of Praça do Marquês, uphill at the left.

No clue about cheeses or spices... I just know the sauce takes over 5 hours to be cooked and is delicious. The secreat of a francisinha is not the content but the sauce. That really matters!

I also am rather fond of Francesinha and can attest that the "upscale" version at the Café Majestic is memorable indeed. I have a modest collection of cookbooks on Portuguese cuisine in several languages (Portuguese, French, and English) and most of the recipes for the sauce - which is an all-day endeavor like Oscar mentions - seem to either contain paprika, crushed pepper, tomato pulp, and even piri piri for the heat and color.

If you are in the USA, there is a television program entitled Three Sheets hosted by comedian Zane Lamprey. Lamprey has one 1/2 hour episode in which he goes to Portugal (Porto, Gaia, Douro) and tastes Port Wines, Vinho Verde, Portuguese Beers, seafood, and yes, a Francesinha. The show can be watched for free in the US, via HULU.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/20073/three-sheets-portugal

Enjoy!

I´am a francesinhas fan, I´ve tasted lots of them in different places, and my secret spot is CHAMIÇO restaurant:
location:
Rua da Constituição 1057 - Porto
4200-202 PORTO
If some of you have the opportunnity to visit Porto don´t miss it, afther of course having a of good Ports.

Goncalo,

Hello my friend. I am sorry I have not been here for a couple of days to properly welcome you to

I am very pleased to have you join us. I know it has been three weeks since I saw you last and want to thank you again for providing some fun evenings at Vinologia.

I will take you and Oscar up on your suggestions of places to have Franceshina sandwiches. It is funny, on almost every occasion, I wind up eating Francesinha BEFORE having Port wine.

Looking forward to our tour in October and seeing you and Jean Philippe again and Gustavo of course!

Melhores cumprimentos.

With all my pleasure, Roy, you and Oscar are both my guests in this francesinha tasting :lick:

Thank you Gonçalo! Lets make it, I want to try that Chamiço's francesinha. And as a proper tasting we should also give a chance to Fase's francesinhas..!!

How about this? I am serious about this and not kidding!

We do a BEST FRANCESHINHA IN PORTO contest?

We could have the restaurant featured in an upcoming FTLOP newsletter.

We use the three restaurants ... that we've suggested. We go to all 3 of them and share 1 Franceshina in all 3 places and rate them on a 1-10 scale. I could have a fancy award printed up from FTLOP and ship it to the winning restaurant. Do we need to include other places or just these three?

Heck, we could make this part of our upcoming Port Harvest Tour and have everyone do the ratings.

CHAMIÇO restaurant
Cafe Majestic
Buffet Fase

Oh boy, I better bring the Rolaids along this time. I think I'm gonna need them in October.