Lugar Marcado offers a cozy space to try typical Portuguese snacks with unique flavors. The meat and fish dishes are made with fresh products and with a special touch from the Chef who adds a unique flavor to each dish. The warm and cozy atmosphere of the restaurant is very peaceful and they have a small "wine cellar" where you can pick and choose your own wine to accompany your meal.
I picked out the 2017 Bafarela 17 Superior, a red wine from Douro with an alcoholic content of 17%. The intense garnet color gives aromas of ripe fruit, hints of chocolate and merges with violet and fruit compote. The acidity is balanced and did not drink as strong as the high alcohol content. In fact, our server was a bit surprised and curious why/how I picked this one. Honestly, the wine wall was a bit intimidating and I just scanned quickly for a familiar region and reasonable price point to make my selection. My technique served us well, as the wine was lovely and went expertly with our meal.
We started with Seasoned Olives and Goat Cheese in the Oven with Jamon. It was a typical way to ease into our meal and unwind a bit and reflect on our day. With the wine, this could have easily made for a nice meal in itself.
For my main course, I really wanted some carbs - so I ordered the Seafood Linguini tonight featuring fresh cockles and shrimp. The cockles are similar to little clams and were cooked simply in garlic and olive oil and this dish satisfied my craving. I really liked them, as evidenced by my bowl of empty shells.
Keith ordered the Grilled Black Pork with a side salad. He loved the pork! With just a swirl of olive oil and fresh lemon juice, it was tender and flavorful and really hit the spot.
Overall, we had a nice dinner at Lugar Marcado and were able to easily get in without a reservation. The place is small, yet seemed to be more of a local spot than that for tourists.
Total Rating: 3.9
Food: 4, Price: 4, Service: 3.5, Ambience: 4.5, Accessibility: 5
