It was March after a long winter, and the relentless gray showed no sign of yielding to spring. Richmond got it in his head that I just had to try his favorite restaurant in Fall River. I think it was a case of cabin fever, but I was ready for an adventure, so I took a day off from work and we set out across Carver's frozen cranberry bogs to Fall River.

Fall River is best known for Battleship Cove, and the cuisine of the US Navy is deservedly unsung.

But there is a strong Portuguese population in Fall River, too, and there are foodie delights for the intrepid explorer. Some of them are hard to come by in places that lack a Portuguese community. That was our quarry.

Our first stop was Chaves Market, at 49 Columbia Street. It's a big market, but they have no website or Facebook page that I could find.

They had an astonishing variety of chourico (shown here) plus some really interesting fish, including some types like fresh sardines and branzini that we don't usually see in our markets. They also had some salty-spicy preserved sardines that I got for a snack at home.  

There were liquors, produce, and other very Portuguese foodstuffs. I bought some wine, and we each got some chourico of different types. We each grabbed a little square of fried bacon just because it was there.

Fried bacon notwithstanding, our next stop was lunch. That's when we went off the script.

Sagres, Richmond's favorite restaurant and the reason for our trip, was not where he had left it. We searched around and got lost and unlost, and finally asked a police officer. That worthy fellow gave us the sad news that Sagres was destroyed in a fire some months ago. 

Happily, Sagres will be rebuilt, but that did nothing for our immediate lunch requirements. The officer suggested the T.A. Restaurant as another option for authentic Portuguese fare well-prepared in a nice setting.

We found the T.A. Restaurant easily enough, and it was excellent! I had the Polvo (octopus) special, shown above and Richmond got the classic Pork Alentejana, another of my favorites.

The Octopus was easily the best I'd ever had, better than my own efforts, documented on this site, and better than Greek and Italian styles I had tried. Now I have to get another octopus and try it again... Fortunately I know I can get it at Chaves Market.

I will post a Yelp! review soon.

The bar was pretty eclectic, too. There were many bottles there that I had seen only in the most Portuguese restaurants, and some I had never seen anywhere.

One of them, the Licor Beirao, I had seen often enough to know it is a staple of Portuguese fine dining, so I finished with that. When our attentive young server asked how I wanted it, I asked if her dad drinks Beirao after dinner. She replied in the affirmative, so I asked to have it the way he has it.

Licor Beirao is one of those European brandies that has been made unique with a secret blend of herbs and spices. It came in a snifter with a little ice. It was sweet and complex and very interesting; I will probably get some to have in the house for after the next Portuguese dinner I make.

We had a few more adventures in local markets and loaded up the car with goodies to cook at home. Before leaving Fall River, I wanted to be sure to get one more special Portuguese treat.

I lived for some years in Milford, MA. One of my favorite things is Mazzarelli's Bakery's white Portuguese cornbread, or Pao de Milho. They only make it on Wednesdays, so I would make a point to get it fresh whenever I could. It has a wonderful tough crust, a tender, moist crumb, and a wonderful delicate, naturally sweet flavor - there's nothing like hot Pao de Milho with fresh butter melting into it. I scored a loaf of that treasure too, and it was a trial to get back home without tearing into it!