O QUE NOS ENCHE DE ORGULHO

Alto Alentejo, Unsung but Not for Long

Aromatic cheeses range from the firm, nutty Nisa to the runny, fragrant Queijo da Serras. The regional wines can be sophisticated and interesting, from the robust reds of the Quinta do Carmo, jointly owned by the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), to lighter wines made from local trincadeira grapes




A perfect example of the Alentejo’s gastro-rustic cuisine is Restaurante a Maria, a small establishment in sleepy Alandroal, where the owner and chef Maria Monteiro serves exquisite local fare in a room decorated to look like a village square. Classics include queijo de Ovelha (an orange-crusted round of gooey sheep’s milk cheese), pato em molho de vinho tinto (duck in red wine sauce) and migas a Alentejana (fried pork with bread soaked in pork fat). Culinary awards plaster the walls near the entrance, and there is a seriousness about the diners that is in keeping with the quality of the food.
Like Maria Monteiro’s unself-conscious fare, many of Alto Alentejo’s Old World charms are served up in a straightforward and unpretentious manner. All of this may change when, in addition to the new highway from Lisbon, a high-speed train between Madrid and Lisbon starts service as expected in 2012, with a stop in Elvas, making Alto Alentejo even more accessible to tourists and weekend house buyers from throughout southwestern Europe.
But for now it is an uncomplicated place, inexpensive and appreciative of visitors. “This is Tuscany 30 years ago,” Mr. Smith, the former hotelier, said.

Pode ainda ver um slideshow não só do Restaurante a Maria como do Palácio Ducal de Vila Viçosa abrindo os seguintes linkns:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/08/travel/20091108-alentjo-slideshow_6.html


http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/08/travel/20091108-alentjo-slideshow_13.html