Driving down Coral Way last Saturday, a few blocks before the start of Miracle Mile, I spotted in a small strip mall the words Portuguese Bakehouse. Because of my affection for Portugal I went in and found many familiar foodstuffs – the place, named Majestic, doubles as a bistro – including pasteis de nata, the famous egg custard pastries with the flaky crusts.
Traveling you often discover foods that, when you find them back home, invariably disappoint. There’s something missing; the quality of ingredients can’t match that in the country of origin. Biting into my pastel de nata I had the opposite experience. I had enjoyed the pastry in Portugal but, because it was so ubiquitous, I had never found it all that special. Eating it in Florida revealed to me its true magnificence.
