It was about a ten minute walk from the hotel. We took a left from the hotel and walked down a narrow cobblestone street, and followed the tram line to a even narrower one lane street. There, I saw a stern looking gentleman, and some secret service looking people. I asked the stern looking man for directions to A Travessa, he pointed left. We walked up the narrow alley, and saw a residential looking neighborhood. Next to one of the doors, a small sign said -- A Travessa. We walked inside, it was a nondescriptive reception area, but we were led to the main dining room of the restaurant. It was a narrow room, but the curved ceiling is made of bricks, the walls are decorated withh classical paintings. Candles lit up the tables... where people were having intimate conversations.
Before we even ordered, several appetitizers arrived... there were peppers, cheeses, mussels, and a waiter came up and gave each of us two pieces of steak, delicious! Then we were served with simple carrot and celebry soup but it was incredibly tasty!
I ordered Red Deer (aka venison) since I've never tried it before. It went well with the red wine we had. It was on the rear side, yet without the raw meat taste, it was tender and subtly seasoned. The plate was elegantly presented. Two pieces of venison, a burgundy roasted pear, some baby asparagus and roasted cherry tomatoes to finish off... just delicious.
For dessert, I had creme broule... I probably missed one of the accent marks here, but what the heck...
Oh, I forgot to mention, the patron who sat next to us was none other than Jeb Bush and his wife and some friends/or family... it was interesting to bump into him over there. Now that explains the secret service looking people at the entrance!
After dinner, we walked back to the hotel. The sky was navy blue, with a clear moon and twinkling stars. The neighborhood was more or less deserted... the cobblestoned streets were shiny and quiet. We walked up the hill and back to our hotel..
