Atasca
50 Hampshire Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617 621 6991
FaxL 617 621 6992

For a Google map, click here.

This is a superb Portuguese restaurant. It serves mainly seafood in an authentic Portuguese style. I had a cataplana ($16.95), which is a dish consisting of mussels, shrimp, clams, onions, red pepper, prosciutto, and linguica sausage steamed and served in a copper dish (called a cataplana). It was served over jasmine rice. It was freshly cooked and simply delicious. I also appreciated the fact that the shrimps came with their heads on, which is hard to find in the United States.

Very good little black olives were put on the table to start with. They also provided olive oil with herbs and roasted garlic to dip the (passable) bread into. (The bread was not crusty enough. I sometimes wonder whether American restaurateurs fear that their customers will sue them if they break their teeth of crusty bread. Hence, the floppy dough!)

The wine was a dry Muscat from Joao Pires, and excellent value at $25.00.

Other dishes at this restaurant included Bacalhau de Cebolada (baked dry salt cod with caremelized onion and roasted peppers) ($15.95), Galinha a Verde (14.95) (Boneless breast of chicken cooked in Vinho Verde with artichokes and roasted peppers), and Caldeirado de Marisco ($24.95) (Seafood stew).

The service was attentive and friendly. I would definitely return to this highly recommended restaurant.