Flavors of Portugal in West Town

[rating=5] One of the bright spots of our city ( and surrounding area) is the great dining that can be found. Sometimes, when we use the words “can be found”, we are truly telling it like it is. Restaurants are often called “destination dining”. That is because they are not easy to spot and in fact, even with the address in your calendar, you may not be able to find them. Tonight, for example, Frank and I were to meet for the opening weekend of “Homestead on the Roof” in West Town. Frank had the address-1924 West Chicago Avenue, just one block East of Damen Avenue, but could not find the entrance. In order to have the experience that will “blow your mind” and “tickle your taste buds”, you have to enter another restaurant at that address-“Roots Handmade Pizza”, walk to the rear where you will find a staircase that will take you to heavenly dining- outdoors!

Homestead on the Roof is a member of the Fifty/50 Group. It is a rooftop open oasis with a warm and comfortable feeling, and open to the sky and the stars. They do have an indoor area (just in case) and portable heaters if needed. Our server for the evening was the amazing Hector, who knows the small menu from front to back. We ordered cocktails to start our experience. They have some great wines and beers as well as specialized cocktails. I am one for trying something different and in particular if it is a house special, so for me, the “Honey-I’m Home” (vodka, cocchi americano, honey lemon juice, calamansi and ginger beer). In reality, the Portuguese Moscow Mule. Frank did the Coastal Custom- gin, dolin,  blanc, guava, lemon juice and Cava. Cary selected the El Camino (tequila, aloe liqueur, lemon juice, aperitif, cava, cola bitters and pandan. Jane took it easy and enjoyed her ginger ale.

The restaurant’s menu is divided into areas called STARTERS, ENTREES, LARGE PLATES and SIDES- as well as Desserts. We were greeted by Chef Christopher Tiexeira, who was trained as a bakery chef, but with the opportunity to be the master of this domain, and be allowed to do a menu from his homeland, Portugal, put together a menu of great foods that he grew up on using family secrets as well as new tastes that he has created for the Homestead on the Roof. I must say the flavors were terrific. Even items that I am not particularly in love with were tastier than ever before.

For our starters, we enjoyed some delicious Papo Secos ( Portuguese rolls) warm and with port butter that will bring a smile to your face. With that we also enjoyed Prawns Mozambique ( these were amazing), Croquettes (salt, cod, potato, olive oil, dill, and aloli that made a special taste and then baked eggs over peas, mint and linguica that we spread over toasted bread- I would love to have this every day. We also enjoyed one of the three salads offered on the menu- The Brussel Sprout Salad- bacon, manchego, orange, raspberry vinaigrette- delicious and enough for all 4 of us.

From the Medium Plate section, we chose Charred Octopus ( watercress, parsley and lemon). This was as tender a dish as one might anticipate. The amount of time that chef Christopher prepared this dish shows in the tenderness of the dish. We also had the Piri Piri Pork Belly ( with pineapple and Fresno) that made us all think we had died and gone to heaven. The Entrees selected were the Bistro Steak ( done to perfection with peppers and garlic and for once medium was truly medium) and the Scallops that were dynamite (celery root, puree’ , sausage and escabeche- a pure delight).

Our sides were Duck Rice (confit duck, herbs, apricot and fried eggs) and  Smashed Confit Potatoes (chili oil ,parsley pimenton) fried in a way that the outer skin is crunchy, and the potatoes soft- wow!

For our dessert, we opted for all three of the choices as we were caught between a rock and a hard place. Of course it is easier to just order them all and see for ourselves which was the best. The Malasada ( fried dough) is just a glorified donut/with no hole, and while it was tasty, it ranked third place. In second place, the Flan ( while it was one of the best, using blackberry and lemon compote and anise seeds to spark the flavor, nothing compared to the unique rice pudding created by Tiexeira. Most rice pudding is just rice made into a vanilla pudding. This was vanilla pudding, passion fruit curd, and a coconut crumble that added a uniqueness to the overall taste and experience that all four of us agreed, worth coming to the East part of Ukrainian Village just for this.

“Homestaed on the Roof is located at 1924 West Chicago Avenue ( upstairs in the Root Handmade Pizza Restaurant) and is open :Wednesday -Sunday from 5 p.m.- Midnight. CLOSED MONDAY AND TUESDAY

Their phone number is 773-904-1149 and website is www,homesteadontheroof.com

Street parking is fairly easy and the trip is worth it. The dining experience is one that will excite you and leave you with both a lasting memory and a desire to return. Once you have found them, you will never let them go- there are some other great items on the menu, so let’s do it again!