Chico Elias

Algarvias Cuisines: Spanish

About

This is the special dining discovery of the area, the domain of the chef/owner, Maria do Céu, who is justly acclaimed as the most creative in the region. If you wish a special dish or a rare specialty, always call in advance to give fair warning. That specialty might be rabbit in a pumpkin -- we kid you not. It's delectable. Other good-tasting dishes include a fricassee of eels, roast kid, or roast cod with acorn-sweetened pork. Our favorite dish is duck with figs, followed by, of all things, snails with beans. Bacalhau (dried codfish) with corn bread sounds like real peasant fare, but it has won praise from dozens of visiting journalists, diplomats, and politicians who have been diners here. For dessert, we'd recommend the glorious "drunken pears."