A WEDNESDAY AT BAR ALIMENTAR
Some Wednesdays behave. This one didn't.
A couple of weeks ago we found ourselves at Bar Alimentar, on Rua Nova da Piedade in São Bento, for what was meant to be a simple dinner. It turned into something closer to a small holiday. It wasn't one. Nobody seemed to mind.
Bar Alimentar belongs to João Magalhães Correia: a very good friend from the good old days, and a client we are quietly proud of. João and his team wear our White T-Shirts on pretty much every project they build, from the first sketch to the last service of the night. Seeing them move around the room in them never gets old.
We came with Luís Andrade and Nadim, and a few friends & colleagues who needed very little convincing. The plan, loosely, was to try a few things. The plan did not survive the first round. Plates arrived one after another, small, sharp and generous. Portuguese at heart with an Italian accent: raw fish bright with citrus, soft stracciatella, polenta, a fregola that nobody wanted to share, but all had to. By the end we had eaten pretty much everything on the menu, and we are not entirely sorry.
The drinks followed the same logic.
We worked through the list, and then through the bottles that were never on it. And negronis, of course. Dry, precise, poured with the confidence of people who know exactly what they're doing. The kind you order once and then keep ordering.
Somewhere between the last plate and the next round, João told us about what comes next: Frigo Bar. We'll keep the details for him to tell. Partly because it's his story, partly because the negronis had their say. But we left curious, and already planning the next visit.
These are the nights that remind us why we care about the people behind the places. A room full of friends, a kitchen that cooks with real generosity, a team that shows up in white T-shirts and does the work. Good food, good drinks, and nowhere else to be.
Thank you, João, and the whole Bar Alimentar team, for having us. Same time next Wednesday. Allegedly.
