Out and about in Praia

Sometimes you just have to get out and about in town.  Especially when it is like being on a vacation.  As the weather is getting a little warmer and a little less windy, I am feeling a pull towards the beach.  I just want to go hang out down town and enjoy the scenery.

Last week, Ryan and I went to dinner one night at one of our favorite restaurants, La Barca.
We do not usually get an appetizer, other than bread, but I was really craving bruschetta that night.
I am so lame!  I order this dish every time I go to La Barca.  This is the pasta primavera and it is so light and fresh and the veggies are always perfect.  I can't resist ordering this.

Ryan on the other hand did order something different.  he always gets the tortellini, but on this night, he went with a cheese pizza.
Now, the real reason we went here was for our favorite chocolate cake.  When we asked if they had it, the waiter said yes.  So I ordered 2 pieces.  Nope, only 1 piece left.  Darn.  Ok, plan B.  I let Ryan order the cake and I ordered the ice cream crepe.
Ryan was nice enough to share with me.  I love this cake!
Another great spot in Praia is the market.  On Saturday we went down there to check things out before they closed at 12:30 that afternoon.  I was always hesitant to walk into the peixaria (fish market) myself, so with Ryan there, I was excited to go in.  If you are not one to look at dead fish pictures, stop reading now!

I think the fish lady thought I was nuts taking pictures of dead fish.  I should say fresh (but dead) fish.  These are caught at night and then brought in for sale the next day.  They have a time limit on this, so they are all guaranteed fresh if you buy from a market.  I think the grocery store can keep them for an extra day.  The restaurants go to fish markets like this, or the fisherman deliver right to them. 
These are boca negra.
I am not positive, but these are abrotea.  I have ordered these before and they are usually lightly fried fillets.
Bicuda...AKA barracuda.  These are different from the ones I think they have back in the States that are aggressive.  I never knew people ate barracuda until I moved here.
Octopus anyone?
Last up, eel.  I know some of you may eat eel with sushi.  The conger eel is the silver colored one and the moray eel (the super scary and aggressive) eel is the black with yellow spots.
While we were at the market we also picked up some fresh produce and bread, which you will see later made it into our from scratch meal over the weekend (I swear that post is coming soon).  While looking around, I spotted these fresh fava beans  The other day Andrea from Andreas Wellness Notes posted about some fresh favas and asked for ideas on how to prepare them.  I told her they love favas on the island, but I did not know if they had them fresh.  Well, I guess I found my answer!
QUESTIONS:  Did you go to a farmer's market over the weekend?  When dining out is there a go to or must order dish that you find yourself always ordering?  Do you buy fish at a fish market?

10 comments:

MelissaNibbles said...

Wow, what a place.
I love eel in my sushi. I can't believe how big it is there!
My local farmers market STILL isn't open for the season. I don't know what the deal is.

Shannon said...

I haven't been tot he farmers market yet this season. But I will soon. Love it! I also love fresh fish. Growing up on Cape Cod, we often cooked up what we caught that day.

Glad there was at least one piece of chocolate cake left. It looks wonderful! I don't eat out much, but I definitely have my favorite standbys....usually desserts!

Beth said...

We did go to the farmer's market this weekend. I got a ton of strawberries and rhubarb, both of which I froze.

Mari said...

So I just sat here staring at the cake! omg that looks divine...

I remember my mom dragging me to the fish market when I was little...I HATED it lol

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

So cool that you found fresh favas, too! I still have to post my recap...

There is nothing wrong with ordering the same dish every time... One of my favorite restaurants makes a really good, basic salad that I get every time. And whenever I see gnocchi on a menu, I just "have" to order them. It's my own little "gnocchi comparison" project. My friends and family always laugh when they see gnocchi on a menu as they exactly know what I'll be getting...

Rachel Lauren said...

I go to the farmers market every saturday! I'm sad the sweet pea vines are now out of season. But the indigo frissee is still available! I got lots of veggies and zeke's coffee.

I almost always order the same thing at my favorite restaurants.

That fish market looks awesome!

Unknown said...

we keep saying that we are going to get to one of B_more's many farmers markets but for now, the veggies and fish come from Wegmans, which is not too shabby...i just like to support local agriculture a little more :)

FoodFitnessFreshair said...

Ohh that pasta does look good! Tomorrow is my CSA's first farmer's market! Bunching all those vegetables takes a surprising amount of time. I love farmer's markets though!

Lele said...

Aaaaaaaaagh so jealous of the freshness of that fish!

And actually, I'd view that octopus as a fun challenge, cause I ate wonnnnnnnderful octopus in Greece and would love trying to recreate it!

Gina; The Candid RD said...

YUM times TWO! Nothing beats a good dessert, especially when it contains both ice cream AND chocolate. Also, I love fresh fish, even though I rarely get to experience it's deliciousness. Living in Ohio it's very hard to eat "Fresh" fish, but we try to get the freshest fish possible!

No farmer's markets yet. I can't believe it, I just haven't gotten there. I will soon, I must.

Post a Comment