Aldea

12/11/09

Hip place, Terrific food

by lindadrost at Citysearch

My friend took me here for my birthday and it was fabulous! I ordered the shrimp alhinho for an appetizer and the hanger steak for an entree. The food was perfectly seasoned, rich and delectable. I was pleasantly surprised--because I never had Portuguese food before and didn't know how much I would like it. The shrimp appetizer tasted like it was prepared with linguica--it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. The steak was incredible--the red wine shallot a perfect addition and the beans light and refreshing.

The service was terrific as well. When an obnoxious woman loudly insisted that she would wait for our table and refused to be seated elsewhere, my waitress graciously brought over a sample of port and told us not to rush.

I read the below review and can't believe we ate at the same restaurant! I for one, will definitely be coming back! If you are curious about this place, try it. I highly recommend Aldea.

• Pros: Food & Atmosphere
• Cons: Small Desserts

08/28/09

Great Service and That's About It

by niteowl11 at Citysearch

Went with my girlfriend on a Saturday night and while the service was great, the food was a major disappointment. We started with the shrimp alinho, sea urchin toast and gazpacho. While the shrimp resembled a classic mozambique dish, they were not nearly as tasty and were fairly overcooked. The gazpacho was flavorless and the sea urchin toast was average at best. For dinner we had the Arroz de Pato and the Niman Pork Loin. While the first dish was certainly flavorful, it's no different than any other Paella dish that you can get at most of the Spanish enclaves in town. As for the Niman Pork Loin, the consistency and taste was in line with that of airline food. As a man of Portugues descent, I assure you that a much better meal can be had for MUCH less in Southeastern MA or in The Neck in Newark.

• Pros: Service, waitstaff, presentation
• Cons: Food