This week, Sietsema makes nice with the açorda at Alfama, which he describes thusly: "Ringed with shrimp, mussels, clams, and a pair of giant scallops, it arose like a volcano out of the rich seafood broth." Sounds good, right? But it wasn't always so.
The restaurant's açorda had once been a bone of contention with me. When Alfama first opened in the West Village six years ago, intent on attracting a gay clientele by dressing waiters in white sailor suits with blue-ribboned hats, the chef created a menu of transformed Portuguese standards that resembled their originals in name only. Açorda—a homely dish I'd learned to love in Portugal—was transformed into a fancy shrimp flan, with none of the comfort-food value of the original. Other Portuguese fare I earnestly craved was nowhere to be found.
But the greatest news this week is that Alfama, where appetizers are in the teens and entrees hover around $30, offers special fixed menus on Mondays and Tuesdays. Wait. What's like drinking pork barbecue at a Portuguese place? Go read the review yourself.
I lived around the corner when they opened, and they really did wear little sailor outfits. If they've lost those, then they've lost me.
Posted by: Dairy Queen at March 12, 2007 3:59 PM
I know the owners really well and they were not trying to attract a gay clientele by dressing the staff in sailor suits. If you knew anything about Portugal and its history, you would have made the connection with the sea, the age of discoveries, navigation and yes, the fact that Alfama is a bohemian neighborhood in Lisbon and when the ships come ashore, just like "Fleet Week" here in NYC, the sailors go to Alfama to hang out. THAT is the explanation for the sailor suits, NOT the ignorant comment you made about attracting a gay clientele!
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