When a Dame friend visited from Chicago, we decided to support Veranda, another Dames’ restaurant, with chef George Mendes formerly of the now-closed Aldea. With George at the helm, we knew to expect some Portuguese touches. Dames, by the way, are members of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a philanthropic organization of women leaders in the fields of food, beverage and hospitality. The narrow restaurant is on the second floor just above Grand Street in SoHo. It’s designed in a greenhouse fashion with a retractable ceiling.

I started with their unusual and nicely flavored margarita made with reposado tequila, muddled charred shishito peppers, wasabi syrup & togarashi salt garnished attractively with a charred shishito pepper. With that, we shared their summer flatbread ($18) topped with wood-fired veggies (eggplant and squash), covered with sheep’s milk ricotta and cooked in their wood oven. I’d recommend.

After that, we cleared our palate with their lightly dressed little gem and red oak lettuces ($17) with cucumber, radishes and pickled spring garlic.  Next, we shared their roasted beet and ricotta-filled agnolotti ($20) served with bitter greens garnished with poppy seed and pistachios. With that, we sipped a Spanish Godello Dominio do Bibei Ribeira Sacra “Lapola,” 2018 ($78), a white wine with earthy notes from Galicia, Spain.

Before the service of their chicken rice from the hearth for two ($47), the manager moved us to a quieter table as we had requested. We had been sitting by a group of screaming patrons, who disturbed the entire restaurant. At least at our new table, I could again hear my tablemates. Their chicken dish is reminiscent of George’s Arroz de Pato at Aldea. It’s his modern take on paella with Portuguese flavors.

They served us the delicious Pasteis de Nata ($8 for three), a Portuguese sweet egg tart that I’m familiar with from the shop in Bethleham, Portugal Pastel de Belém, where I first sampled the taste of ancient Portuguese sweets.

Veranda
SoHo
23 Grand St (in ModernHaus Hotel, formerly the James)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 201-9117
verandasoho.com