La Ricotta

La Ricotta is located in the heart of Porto, near the Rivoli Theater, and offers Italian and Portuguese fusion cuisine with a selection of products imported from Italy like fresh pastas, risotto, and cheeses combined with a selection of Portuguese products with the Protected Designation of Origin label.  After a day trip excursion, we didn't have set plans for dinner this evening, so we walked over whenever we got hungry and were lucky to be able to get seated right away.

The restaurant was large with an entire second floor, where we were seated.  We ordered a bottle of 2017 Herdade dos Grous from Alentejo, Portugal.  This red wine was very bold with a dark ruby color, fruit forward blend with a subtle spicy finish.

To start, we shared the Buffalo Mozzarella with a simple salad of cherry tomatoes and olives with balsamic dressing.  It was fresh but on the small side.

The Pata Negra Ibérico - slices of Black Pig Dried Ham (3 Years of Cure) from Jabugo, Iberian were  plentiful and of very high quality.  I only wish we had more cheese to balance it out.

I was totally in the mood for pasta.  The selection was a bit limited, but I settled on the Ravioli w/ Cheese & Onion served with gorgonzola, parmesan, tomato, pepper and cherry tomatoes. The ravioli filling was sweet from the onion, and the large chunk of blue cheese on the plate was strange and overpowering.

Keith ordered the Veal with Tagliatelle.   The meat was grilled perfectly and overall he really liked it.

I found the food to be just okay, but the price and service were reasonable.  If you are looking to change up the traditional Portuguese fare, then check out La Ricotta in Porto for some Italian influence.

Total Rating: 3.4
Food: 3, Price: 4, Service: 3.5, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 5