When we walked in to A Taverna, a group of men clustered around the bar were watching a World Cup soccer game on TV. In between great gulps of beer, the men would yell and cheer, or, depending on what was happening, complain. It was loud, it was exuberant, and it was all in Portuguese.  We considered that a very good sign.

When you eat the food of another person’s culture, you better hope that they speak the language and prepare the dishes the way the food is prepared “back home”.

The jovial man behind the bar came to our table with menus. His name was Fernando and he arrived from Portugal only days before. His first words out of his mouth were something like “My English no good.” The second was, “You like tapas?”  When we confirmed that yes we did, he disappeared and returned moments later with a bowl of chicken gizzards, followed by a dish of pigs ear salad—and the hits kept coming: Olives, bread, cod fishcakes, more olives, big glasses of chilled Portuguese wine, Sagres beer. THIS was eating.

cod fishcakes

chicken gizzards

pigs ear salad

Eventually, we did order entrees after putting the brakes on Fernando’s generous, free-wheeling service. A young lady who spoke English came to our table to help us with ordering, but it wasn’t the same. She knew the dishes (more or less) but she didn’t know the dishes. Know what I mean?

It’s a Portuguese sister and brother who own this restaurant. Elza, the sister, has lived in Portugal most of her life but now she is here to cook bacalhau, suckling pig, sandwiches with names I can’t pronounce (but can attest that they weigh almost five pounds each and contain almost every meat you can think of), and a host of other fish and beef dishes with rich gravy and potatoes fried in a magical, golden elixir.

Suckling pig and potatoes

Bacalhau and potatoes

king-sized sandwich smothered in gravy

Halfway through the king-sized sandwich. Not very pretty, but extremely tasty.

Everything that comes out of that kitchen is authentically Portuguese and everything takes time to prepare. Don’t expect haughty service, fine linens and artistically prepared dishes here. And don’t expect it to be rushed, either.  My experience at A Taverna was one of the most enjoyable eating experiences I’ve had in a long time.

More about the dishes we tried at this little Delton neighbourhood gem (12118 – 90 Street) can be heard here on CBC Edmonton AM.