Sunday, October 25, 2009

KooZeeDoo - Portuguese in NoLibs

On on of those evenings of torrential rain, we met up with another couple at KooZeeDoo, the newly opened Portuguese BYOB in the Northern Liberties where Copper used to be.


Watching the pouring rain from dining room - exposed brick wall, dotted with little candle-filled alcoves, cork-topped tables and warm, earthy tones - we were all settled in for a hearty meal, which seemed to be KooZeeDoo's specialty. The lighting was great for ambiance, not so good for cameras (sorry about the blurriness on a few of these).


The main dishes here are served family style in different varieties of crockery. One of the favorites of the table was the Duck Rice. A baked rice with duck breast atop, the rice was studded with little bits of duck meat as well.

I did't get a chance to take a picture of the shrimp turnovers, but they reminded me of an empanada filled with a bechamel sauce.



The Rabbit Stew was tender and delicious - the rabbit leg and loin were standing in a dark brown broth of stewed vegetables and pork lardons. We fished around the pot for those little bacon-like croutons, scooping out dollops of the rich stew.


A more traditional pork and shellfish combo, the Pork, Clams and Crispy Potatoes came out of the kitchen piping hot. The little crisped potato cubes soaked up the clam flavors nicely, while the pork chunks were slow-cooked and very tender.


For dessert they offer a dish called Chocolate Salami - the waiter's explanation was quick to follow that this was not chocolate covered charcuterie but rather a log of different types of chocolate shaped and cut to resemble a slice of salami. Accompanied by a chocolate coated fig and a chocolate cream canelle, this was a perfect partner to a cup of coffee.

Although the family-style delivery of the dishes was the exact opposite of the tapas & little-plates theme, the overall impression was that the Portuguese dishes at KooZeeDoo are a great addition to the rustic Spanish-Mediterranean flavors that usually dominate that style of dining.

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