LOCAL Houston | The City Guide JUNE 2015 | Page 19

Local June_FinalEDITED.qxp_002houston 5/21/15 7:23 PM Page 19

POLVO COM PATATAS

OPORTO FOODING HOUSE
CHEF: Rick DiVirgilio | CUISINE: Portuguese
3833 Richmond Avenue | 713.621.1114 | www.oporto.us
Mon – Wed 11am–11pm; Thur – Fri 11am–11pm; Sat 4–11pm; Sun 4–10pm
One of the most stylish eateries to open in Houston in recent months, Oporto
Fooding House in Midtown is one of those places that you can visit again and
again – with friends, by yourself, in the afternoon, evening or later at night.
The design of the restaurant (done by Michael Hsu out of Austin) is cozy and
intimate, with beautiful tiles, copper detailing and low-hanging chandeliers
that just draw you in.
There’s an attractive cocktail bar, raw bar, a pizza oven and a community
table staged right in front of the open kitchen, done in such a way that you
want to pull up a chair and share a table with the person next to you even
though you might not know who they are.
On the food front, it’s Portuguese food done with worldly flair, with a heavy
emphasis on Petiscos (the Portuguese equivalent to tapas). Chef and owner
Rick DiVirgilio is married to Shiva Patel of Queen Vic Pub, so Indian spices
appear here and there in unexpected, delightful ways.
To start, we loved batatas, smashed fingerling potatoes with spicy tomato
chutney, and the pao com chorizo, which is like a tubular hot pocket made
of potato bread and chorizo sausage. Other standouts include the scallop farrotto, a seared scallop dish with cauliflower and turmeric, and the caldeirada,
essentially a Portuguese-style fish stew similar to a French bouillabaisse. The
menu is extensive, so there’s plenty more to discover, and we look forward to
it immensely.

june 15 | L O C A L 19