This is a story is worth telling.
The four of us were riding along N-222, a scenic byway along the Rio Douro on the way to Quinta do Cachao in S\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o da Pesqueira, when the low tire pressure light in our rented Fiat 500 (note to self\u2014next time arrange for a larger vehicle if you want to transport four adults and their luggage)\u00a0lit up in the town of Resende. We stopped at a gas station\/food mart (Tangerina Gas n Go) to see if anyone could help. Scott asked an attendant if she spoke English. She said no, but Brito did and pointed us toward him. Brito did not work there\u2014he had stopped for gas\u2014but was happy to check out the car for us. He spoke excellent English with a bit of an Irish brogue, having worked for an Irish\/English shipping company at one point. After he filled the tires, we asked him for a recommendation for a local restaurant. He said \u201cfollow me.\u201d
Not even a little suspicious, we proceeded to follow his truck up increasingly steep and narrow roads. I was planning to buy him lunch. I don\u2019t recall who said it first, but someone brought up the fact that we really didn\u2019t know where he was taking us and did anyone remember that movie when that family was lured into that trap with that man with the strange mask and the chainsaw…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, we continued to follow him up and up until we arrived at the Douro d Vista, a restaurant on beautiful grounds high above the Rio Douro. Brito took us into the restaurant and introduced us to his friends who worked there. We asked him to join us as our guest, but he was going home to eat lunch with his mother, so he declined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We had the best meal we have had\u2014and probably hope to have\u2014in Portugal. Between the bacalau, the pork, the beef, the clams, and the fixings, we couldn\u2019t say enough about how good the food was. It\u2019s location is the epitome of \u201chidden gem,\u201d as it\u2019s not easy to find, but it deserves a special place in culinary heaven. As does Brito.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are a few images from the drive from Porto to Sao Joao de Pesqueira. The Douro river valley is Portugal\u2019s Napa Vally\u2014know for it\u2019s excellent grapes for making port and other wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a story is worth telling. The four of us were riding along N-222, a scenic byway along the Rio Douro on the way to Quinta do Cachao in S\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o da Pesqueira, when the low tire pressure light … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/skipvia.com\/Portugal18\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/917D5184-EAE4-46A1-8AC9-343EA47647F6.jpeg\")
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