La Contessa em Cascais

17/04/2024: Even though I had looked at the menu beforehand, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was bowled over by the service, the flavors, the textures, the presentation, and the ambiance. The attention to detail by the service staff (the olive oil cart and explanations of the different choices), familiarity with the wine menu, and perfect timing of “food on the table” were appreciated and valued. I had three courses — a soft-boiled egg served over a bed of spinach (with pomegranate seeds and shaved pumpkin), maybe the highlight of the evening, a creamy vegetable soup, and the salted cod (the salt was pervasive, but not overwhelming) with a cabbage, radish, and mushroom ragout. If staying at the Miragem, I highly recommend this for a special dining experience.

10/04/2024: The Gourmet Restaurant in the Miragem Hotel is a lovely venue in a lovely hotel. The menu offered high hopes and overall it was good but not great. We were at the table for a little longer than should be before we were offered menus. We were asked about our water preference but not whether we wanted to order a drink. I had to ask for that. The dinner itself was solid but took way too long. Two people/two and a half hours is a little long. But I think the issue was the kitchen rather than the dining room staff. Also, we ordered a total of three glasses of wine and were charged for the entire bottle which would have been at least 4 glasses. It was an acceptable experience but not an exceptional one.