Atasca

A visit to cozy but lively Atasca is like a short holiday in Lisbon. Olive-skinned men laugh and sip red wine at the bar, while the smell of linguiça and seafood stews pricks the senses. The waitstaff is top-notch, always willing (even eager) to offer suggestions. And while Portugal may never compete with Tuscany or Provence as a vacation destination for Americans, once you've devoured the queijo fresco com tomate (white Portuguese cheese with sliced tomatoes), the gambas grelhadas (shrimp with a hot piri-piri sauce), and the very traditional bacalhau de cebolada (baked dry salt cod), you'll be looking to reserve the first flight out.