Visiting, in short order, Mirasol Restaurant in Sea Bright , Pearl of the Sea in Long Branch and Heart of Portugal in Howell.  Readers; here are a few important things you should know about dining-around Monmouth and Ocean Counties that you may not be aware of: First, we’re lucky to have some of the best Portuguese restaurants anywhere – all within easy driving distance.

Second, Portuguese food is not only delicious, it provides a distinctively different and welcome change if, like us, you’d had your summer’s- fill of French, Italian and “Continental-style cuisine.”  And, best of all for us perhaps, Portuguese restaurants – and especially the three we visited during our recent binge – specialize in big portions of really fresh food…at really reasonable prices. 

            The first place we decided to try – mainly because we were driving by, but also because it’s right on the Shrewsbury River, with a nice water view if you come early enough  - was Mirasol. (It’s also right across the street from the Atlantic Ocean beach, where you can work up the hearty appetite you shouldn’t come without - OR - walk-off all the food that’s set in front of you that you won’t be able to resist.

            Our big group started with grilled mushroom caps stuffed with crabmeat (delicious, but not terribly “Portuguese” we thought) and “Clams Portuguese” – a big portion of littlenecks, simmered in olive oil, lots of garlic and cilantro, which disappeared in a flash. My wife, who’s still on her pork-kick ordered the chops – monster-sized but tender and juicy – also with plenty of garlic. Sons two and three had a double order of Mariscada – a classic dish of mixed shellfish, including shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops and lobster – in green sauce. (Don’t let the “green-sauce” label put you off. It’s indescribably good!) Grandpa had Mariscada with red sauce – also delicious, but no match for the green, to my taste. Daughter-in-law had stuffed shrimp – huge ones, perfectly and crisply fried and stuffed with crabmeat. My first-pick – roast suckling pig – was sold out, to my dismay. But it provided a great excuse to have another truly classic Portuguese dish - Pork and Clams. Now don’t let this unlikely-sounding combo put you off either! When you try it, you’ll wonder why YOU never thought of such a perfect pairing of flavors.

            We were so happy with our dinner we thought, “Let’s try another place next week” – a place we’d been MEANING to try for some time, Pearl of the Sea. Here, we had a very similar series of the Portuguese “classics”: “Camarao Em Molho De Vino” (clams in wine sauce) and “Cogumelos Recheados” (stuffed mushrooms). Our slightly smaller group this week sampled the “Mariscada Verde” and the Mariscada Vermelha…which by now you may be able to recognize as shellfish in green and red sauce, respectively…and I had to have the “Carne de Porco a Alentejana.” (Yup, the pork and clams). All as good as last week’s, though just different enough to make it seem like a set of new experiences – just as you’d hope to have from two different kitchens.

            The following week, former neighbors and dear friends from Jackson NJ called to remind us that we hadn’t gone to dinner in way too long. “Have you ever had Portuguese food?” we inquired. “How about trying Heart of Portugal, which is near you?” Now here are a few words of warning for you: First, go slow and look hard on the Northbound (easterly) side of Route 9 in Howell or you’ll miss it. And second, don’t be put off by its mini-strip-mall location or by its modest and unassuming appearance. Once inside, we loved its cozy and “authentic” appearance…and we loved the warm and friendly welcome we got too. Most of all, we loved the “authentic Portuguese” food…where, once again, we sampled a very similar set of classic dishes. This time, however, the fish-lover in our group ordered the oven-roasted cod. Cod, in case you don’t know, is a Portuguese staple, both in its fresh and dried-and-reconstituted forms, (In fact, historians now thing that Portuguese fishermen were working their “secret” cod-fishing grounds – off what’s now called Cape Cod – long before Columbus blew in!) You’ll never go wrong ordering cod in a Portuguese eatery we say.

            Two final notes: Be sure to stick with Portuguese wines. Not only are they authentically Portuguese, they’re “different”…distinctive…delicious…and very well priced. (Heart of Portugal is still BYO). Last; Don’t fail to try the Sangrias at Mirasol and Pearl of the Sea.