NC_Chevalier

(see explanation of ratings below)

Not your daddy’s Portuguese place. This is upscale, hip and loud.

Love the leggy, lovely waitresses.

Try the sardines: large and tasty.

The risotto is to die for: served with a leg of duck confit.

About $90 per person, booze included, no dessert, excluding tip.

Chef spends a lot of time in the dining room.

About my ratings:

Only high-priced dining establishments can garner five stars. Until menuism realizes that a fast food joint cannot possibly be ranked equally with a $100 per person place, I need to draw the line somewhere. If we were only talking about the quality and presentation of the food, it would be a different story. But, as we know, menuism’s rankings take into account the entire dining experience.

Therefore, I divide restaurants into three categories (and I wish menuism would do the same):

1) fast food and “fast-casual”, low-priced (no table service).

2) casual, mid-priced dining (table service, average entrée price: $10-$20).

3) fine, high-priced dining (linen napkins, no plastic cups, no TV’s in dining room, average entrée priced at more than $20, can vary depending on the city).

High-priced dining can earn a max of five stars. Mid-priced dining can earn a max of four stars. Fast food can earn a max of three stars.