CombatCritic's TravelValue™: August 2022

CombatCritic™ ... World traveler - 42 countries and counting; Military Leader - Four combat operations; Amateur chef; Published author and producer - over 4 million visitors on seven platforms! Yelp "Black" Elite '14/'15/ '16/ '17/ '18/ '19 / '20/ '21/ '22 / '23 / '24; TripAdvisor ¨Local Guide¨, Zomato "VERIFIED CONNOISSEUR"; Booking.com "GENIUS"; and Foursquare "INSIDER". On the Front Lines in the Battle Against Mediocrity - Follow Me To TravelValue™ ... That's A Freakin' Order!

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Quatrim do Norte (Olhão): If You Are Hunting For Good Fish And Steak, The Operative Word Is 'Caca' at Clube Caça e Pesca Cavaquense

Clube Caça e Pesca Cavaquense

Quatrim do Norte, 8700

Moncarapacho, Portugal

Phone number: 927 419 607

Prices: €€€€

I had heard about this place from friends, located on a secluded little road off of the N-125 at Quatrim do Norte between Olhão and Fuseta, it really does not look like much from the road once you find it.

I was told it is a Brazilian restaurant with live music on Sunday's at lunch time, but the only thing Brazilian that I noticed were the servers because the menu is made-up of standard Portuguese offerings.

The food is adequate with smaller portions and higher prices than you can find elsewhere and the service is very slow.

After 20 minutes of sitting on the patio with nary a 'boa tarde' from the female servers, I went inside to order our drinks from the bar. When they arrived 10 minutes later, there were no wine or water glasses and they finally arrived another 10 minutes later.

We ordered two Picanha Grelhada (grilled skirt steak - €11 each), but only one side order of fries, salad, rice and beans were received. The amount of steak on the plate was probably half of what you would receive at most local restaurants and almost half of that was fat.

My wife's Bitoque de Porco (pork steaks with a fried egg on top - €10) was nicely presented and she was quite happy with it, coming with fries, rice and salad.

The meals did come with coffee and dessert, but the cheesecake was obviously straight out of a box, the mass produced variety that has neither cheese nor cake.

The highlight of the day was the wonderful Algarve sunshine and blue sky, along with the live music, a single musician and decent mix of modern pop, popular hits, Italian classics, and Portuguese/Brazilian favorites.

If you like live music while eating on a shaded terrace under the wonderful Olhão sunshine, then you will enjoy this place, but the food is mediocre at best, the service slow, even by Portuguese standards, and the prices higher than average, so ...

CombatCritic Gives Clube Caça e Pesca Cavaquense 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombas Are Melhor!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

Friday, August 19, 2022

Olhão, Portugal: Don't Be A Chicken, O Franguinho Has Good Fish, Steaks, And Other Selections As Well

O Franguinho

Estrada Nacional, 125 8700-145 Olhão Portugal

Phone number: 962 929 519

Website: ofranguinho.pt

Prices: €€€€

The food was good, having ordered the Cataplana Algarve (€30 for two) with large shrimp, clams, pork and potatoes in a tasty broth in a huge copper container (cataplana). It came with a HUGE order of hot french fries, nearly enough to feed a basketball team.

Cataplana Algarve €30 - Includes Fries

The service was so-so, the norm in Portugal. unfortunately, but the streetside patio was comfortable, enjoying the people-watching as tourists and locals strolled by with the park and Ria Formosa just across the street.

The prices are moderate for establishments along Olhão's restaurant row where businesses take advantage of tourist's deep pockets.

CombatCritic Gives O Franguinho 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Good To Go"

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Title: Olhão, Portugal: Don't Be A Chicken, O Franguinho Has Good Fish, Steaks, And Other Selections As Well

Key Words: Olhão, Portugal, chicken, O Franguinho, fish, steaks, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Monday, August 15, 2022

Olhão, Faro, Portugal: All Aboard ... Catch The Train To Petiscais Before It Leaves The Station

Petiscais

Av. Dos Combatentes da Grande Guerra

Cais Coberto da Estação dos Comboios de Olhão

Olhão 8700-440 Portugal

Phone: +351 918 707 936

Website: petiscais.pt

€€€€

Petiscais is located adjacent to the Olhão train station, so you might think that it would be very noisy, especially on their large, covered patio, but the local trains coast into the station and stop next to the restaurant, so the interruptions are minimally invasive. My wife did not even notice that two trains arrived and departed during our meal.

The menu is eclectic, having Portuguese classics with an international flair, pastas, meat dishes, fish, and even burgers. The prices are a bit high by Portuguese standards with entrees ranging from €10 to €38, but the food is tastefully presented and very good.

We started with the standard olives and fresh bread, accompanied by three spreads, butter, a mild tuna flavored butter pate, and hummus-style spread (€5).

For my main, I had the stewed pork cheeks (€16) in a plum sauce sitting tastefully atop a good portion of mashed potatoes and garnished with fresh herbs. The pork was tender, the sauce delicious and not overly sweet, and the potatoes firm, yet creamy. The portion was quite substantial and I left pleasantly satiated, but not stuffed.

My wife had the steak with beer sauce (€10), but being tomato intolerant, the chef kindly substituted the beer sauce, containing a hint of tomato, with a thinned, creamy gorgonzola sauce. The steak was good, the sauce a bit too runny, and the house-made 'chips', actually more like potato chips than fries. It was accompanied by a small, tasty salad on the same plate. For the price, she was quite pleased.

Our friends both had a pasta dish, bigoli pasta tossed with prawns and herbs in a unique sauce reminiscent of many Thai dishes I have had over the years.

The service was good, friendly, and everyone seemed to speak at least some English. The building itself appears to have been fashioned out of an old station warehouse updated into a comfortable dining room and large kitchen. The patio is also quite large with its own small bar.

Being just a short walk from our home, I was pleasantly pleased with our meal and wish we would have tried Petiscais much sooner than we did, having curtailed our restaurant ventures due to COVID and other unforecasted life events.

CombatCritic Gives Petiscais 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

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Friday, August 12, 2022

Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz, Spain: Mehbe I Walked Too Far For The Mexican Food At El Villano

El Villano

Calle de las Magnolias, 37 11500

El Puerto de Santa María, Spain

Phone: +34 956 853 845

Wesbite: N/A

Prices: €€€€

I walked one kilometer to eat here because, first, parking was impossible to find near my hotel and did not want to give up my space, and, second, the menu and photos made it appear that the food was nearly authentic Mexican.

The server spoke a little English, so I ordered a small pitcher of margarita, a half-order of nachos (€4.75) , and the Tacos Tijuana (€11.00).

The margarita was too sweet and had little alcohol. Meh!

The server told me that I could not order just chips and salsa and I thought he said that I could order a 'half' order of nachos, but when the nachos arrived, it was a full order (€9.50), obviously a miscommunication, so I let it slide. The chili was not bad and it came with a small cup of green salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, but the chips were not house-made as appearing in the photos I saw, they were Tostitos. Had I known, I would not have bothered. Meh #2!

The tacos arrived looking pretty good, four corn tortillas with a decent portion of carne asada and a liquified guacamole with small cups of green salsa and pico de gallo. They were pretty tasty, but four small tacos for €11.00 was not exactly a TravelValue.

Overall, the food was decent, not great, and the service good, so I will go easy on them even though I was told the chef was from Tijuana.

Meh...be I should not have walked so far for what I got.

CombatCritic Gives El Villano 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

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Faro, Portugal; Great Expectations, Oustanding View, But A Disappointing Breakfast Buffet