Page 57 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL EATING IBERIA

the kitchen and the table was well choreographed.
They helped serve and visited every table to be sure
their customers were satisfied.
We dined at Pica Pica three times, and each ex-
perience was a good one. Chef Rui Oliveira works
wonders in his small kitchen. The dishes may be tra-
ditional, but his technique and style set them apart.
My first meal here was a moist and flavorful whole

Ithadbeenlessthanayearsincewelastvisited beach town Cascais about 20-miles north of the
Portugal -- we were even surprised we returned so city.
Soon. On our previous visit, we had enjoyed Portu- Cascais is a little more expensive than many of
gal and had explored it from from one end of the our Portugal destinations, but it is still far more af-
country to the other that we made an effort to fit it fordable than anything on the California coast.
in on a planned adventure in Spain that included a
It also has a nice blend of locals and visitors.
transatlantic cruise from Barcelona Because we
Too many visitors often turn a town into a Disney-
could only fit in a week, we decided to focus on our
land-likeversionofitself.Cascaisfeltreal,withgro-
favoritePortugaldestinationLisbonanditsfamous
cery stores, farmer’s markets, movie theaters,
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