CombatCritic's TravelValue™: music

Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

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"

Saturday, January 12, 2019

Lisbon, Portugal: It Is Like Fado And Dinner In My Bedroom Over The Period Of A Short Nap

Mascote da Atalaia

R. da Atalaia, 13-15

1200-036 Lisbon, Portugal

Bairro Alto

Phone number +351 211 983 973

Website: mascotedatalaia.com

Prices: €€€€

Pros:

- The music was fantastic!

- The food was good with a decent number of options

- The service was friendly and efficient

- The price (€25/person) for a 3-course meal, including 1/2 liter of wine/sangria/beer and a live Fado show was a good value

Cons:

- The room holding 30+ diners, 3 musicians, and 2 servers running around with food and drinks was the size of our bedroom

- We arrived with a reservation for two five minutes early only to find one tiny seat by the door available - they had to tell a lady to move so we could sit down

- The tables and milking stools they call chairs were tiny, and the tables crammed together like dominos

- They stuck us in front of the door so, beside having a step (down) inches behind my stool (a safety hazard), I got hit in the back with cold air and people as they constantly entered and exited to go outside to smoke

- The toilet door was behind one of the guitar players, so going to the bathroom during a set was impossible

- During our two hour dinner, there were just 13 songs (4 sets of 3 songs and an encore), then we were expected to leave

The cons appear to have it, but we actually had a very good time. Even though the place is more like a "Fado factory" than a "Fado House", our meals were good with an adequate amount of quality food and drink and the entertainment was impressive.

Chorizo

Swordfish and Green Beans

Steak and Broccoli

Their focus seems to be more on cramming as many people as possible into each two-hour block than on providing a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere in which to enjoy this unique and historic Portuguese folk music. If you are expecting to have a leisurely dinner and listen to Fado over drinks over the course of a long evening, as we were led to believe, you are mistaken. Having said that, the quality of the food and entertainment, along with the fair price, made it a good overall value.

Pudding

Chocolate Salami

I have mixed feelings about this place, hence my rating. From all that I had read beforehand, a Fado House is an "experience" where you arrive after 9pm, eat and drink what you like (with a minimum of course) for as long as you like, and leave as late as you like (03:00 to 04:00 in some places). If you have just two hours, do not want to stay up too late, and want a condensed version of Fado, this is your place!

CombatCritic Gives Mascote da Atalaia 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Portland, OR: Live Music, Cheap Food And Drinks, HOOAH!

Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge

4830 NE 42nd Avenue

Portland, OR 97218

Northeast Portland, Cully

Phone number (503) 287-5800

Website: thespareroompdx.com

Prices: $$$$

Cheap drinks (Jim Beam and Coke - $3 - All Day/Every Day), food (ample menu and specials), and music (live/DJ/karaoke/free/cover) ... what more could you ask for!

Around the corner from my new temporary digs, I stopped by on Thursday night for a couple drinks and free, live music, unfortunately country on this night, but beggars can't be choosers. The bartender/hostess/server was very nice, well dressed, attractive and, most important, friendly. She also pours a strong drink ... HOOAH!

I did not stay long because I can only handle country in short bursts, but will return soon for one of their dinner specials (surf and turf, prime rib, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, etc.) and, hopefully, some rock and roll, jazz, or blues. The place is big and dark with an old fashioned feel, not extravagant and not seedy, just right. Two bars and dance floors in two adjoining big rooms with other spaces which I did not have a chance to explore. They also have gambling-type machines at the bar although I neither know Oregon's gambling laws nor if these machines are for used betting.

Most people seemed to know each other, but other than the bartender/server, nobody said a word to me or even looked like they wanted to although hugs abounded and conversations surrounded me. Not the welcome I would have liked, but as the new kid on the block, I expected little else.

CombatCritic Gives Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge An Initial 7 Bombs Out Of 10 With Room To Grow ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over 1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge on Yelp

Title: Portland, OR: Live Music, Cheap Food And Drinks, HOOAH!

Key Words: Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge, spare, room, lounge, bar, music, live, karaoke, Portland, Oregon, NE, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: S&G = "Shits & Grins"

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Varkala Bus Dancer

Energetic ... Infectious ... Brilliant!

I wanted to go to a beach a few miles from where I was staying in Varkala, Kerala (India) and as I was waiting at the bus stop, a bus full of students stopped and told me to get on. I though it was a public bus, but they were apparently on a school trip to a beach farther north up the coast.

As the bus started down the road, the music went on and the kids started dancing and singing. They all wanted to take a photo with me as we neared my destination and as I got off the bus I asked who I should pay and how much. They told me "don't worry" as they drove off into the Kerala sunset waving goodbye as they continued singing.

Enjoy "Varkala Bus Dancer"!

— Varkala Beach, Kerala, India

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic On Yelp And TripAdvisor ... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Varkala Bus Dancer

Key Words: Varkala Bus Dancer, Varkala, bus, dancer, dancing, dances, dance, music, video, Kerala, India, student, trip, road, beach, travel, value, TravelValue

Monday, December 15, 2014

Once in a Lifetime ... Secret Buddhist Ceremony in the Himalayas!

Title: Once in a Lifetime ... Secret Buddhist Ceremony in the Himalayas!

Key Words: YouTube, Buddhist, Buddhism, ceremony, prayer, prayers, monk, monks, secret, ritual, music, Himalaya, Himalayas, Dalai Lama, dalai, lama, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value

Sunday, December 14, 2014

CombatCritic"s TravelValue: Dharamsala, India

Title: CombatCritic"s TravelValue: Dharamsala, India

Key Words: YouTube, Buddhist, Buddhism, ceremony, prayer, prayers, monk, monks, secret, ritual, music, Himalaya, Himalayas, Dalai Lama, dalai, lama, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value

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