La Scarpetta in Vila Nova de Cerveira

One of our friends living near Ponte de Lima had her eyes on an Italian restaurant called La Scarpetta in a small town called Vila Nova de Cerveira. It’s about 75 minutes north of Porto by driving and lies on the banks of the Minho River, on the border with Spain, near its estuary. Frankly, we did not know what to expect. International food in Portugal is always hit and miss; the chance of a miss increases as the cities get smaller.

We got there on a beautiful day on a Saturday with clear blue skies but still moderate temperature. As soon as you drive in, you get that feeling that Vila Nova de Cerveira is a bit different than your typical Portuguese small town. Right as we entered the city, we saw a building hosting an international biennale, opening on that day. The town center was closed to car traffic, so we parked just outside and started walking towards the restaurant, where we met our friends, and the six of us stepped in.

Besides being in good company, one thing we like about eating in a larger group is that we can order family style and try different things. Also, sometimes friends will order things that we would have never ordered on our own, sometimes leading to a nice surprise. We decided that everyone should order one item of their choice. We also ordered a pizza to start: You know you’re in good company when everyone agrees to a pizza as an appetizer.

We ended up going with a couple of ravioli, a couple of gnocchis, baked pasta, and an eggplant parmigiana. The owner recommended that we start with ravioli plates after the pizza because they are milder and more delicate, and the later dishes would overpower them. We were happy to oblige.

The pizza was a good start, one of the better pies we had in Portugal. I really don’t care much about the toppings on a pizza as long as the dough and the tomato sauce are good, and in this case, they were.

Then the two raviolis we ordered arrived. One was with shrimp, cherry tomatoes, thyme, and olives. It was excellent, but it was the other ravioli that amazed us. Stuffed with pumpkin, they were served with caramelized onions, dried crispy arugula, coffee beans, cocoa, Parmesan, and pepper. All of that might sound like a bit too much, but I promise you, the end result was not only delicious but also one of the best pasta we ever had. My wife immediately compared it to another similar ravioli we had last year in Italy and remarked that this was better. It was.

The rest of the “heavier” dishes were served in a dough crust shaped like a bowl. The eggplant parmigiana and the baked pasta were both good, but the two gnocchis were show-stealers. The one with Ragu was our favorite, but the other with a thick, creamy Gorgonzola cheese sauce was just as good. In the end, we did not know what hit us, but in the best way possible.

Before we left, we had some desserts, coffee, and a nice chat with the owner. When we praised him for the pumpkin ravioli, he told us it took him two months to create that dish, playing with the various ingredients. I believe him.

We all walked to the town center together before parting ways. There were a lot of people hanging outside in the cafes and restaurants or just walking around. With how lively it was, it felt a bit more like Spain than Portugal. Maybe their proximity to the border (right across the river) plays a role.

The town's name translates literally to “New Village of Stag,” and you can see stag symbols as you walk around. There is also a large statue of a stag up in the hills overlooking the town. Before heading back home, we drove up there to the viewpoint for some incredible views of the Minho Valley as it made its way to the Atlantic Ocean. Looking the other way, you can see it snaking through the lush green Minho Valley, where it feeds countless farms and vineyards.