A river runs through Rui Correia in Greenwich.
But though he grew up in Yonkers, N.Y., and was head chef at the former Oporto restaurant in Hartsdale, N.Y., it”™s neither the Hudson nor the Bronx.
Rather it”™s the Douro, a major waterway that snakes across the Iberian Peninsula from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in Spain to its outlet at Porto (aka Oporto), Portugal”™s second-largest city and main port. It was there that Correia was born, and it is there he celebrates in his new hit eatery, Douro, on Putnam Avenue.
While Correia says he enjoyed his five-year run as head chef at Oporto, which has since closed, he longed for a place of his own.
“I wanted to do something for myself,” he says, savoring the lull between a packed house for lunch ”“ the restaurant seats 58 ”“ and preparations for dinner. “I”™d always admired Greenwich, which is the biggest dining area outside New York City. I felt there was nothing in the area to represent Portuguese cuisine.”
Indeed, the westernmost country in Europe is known for its blue-and-white tiles and textiles; its port, a sweet after-dinner wine; its fado music, a kind of Portuguese blues; even the great 1755 earthquake that leveled Lisbon. But its cuisine? Not so much.
And thatӪs a shame, because it means foodies may be missing out on lingui̤a, the spicy, fatty red sausage that resembles chouri̤o; calde verde, the collard green and potato soup served with slices of chouri̤o; p̣o, the zesty bread thatӪs a staple, particularly as a breakfast roll; Massa Sovada, the heavenly sweet bread thatӪs a holiday favorite; bacalhau, the salted codfish; and various creamy puddings and creamier custards.
Despite some fattening fare, Portuguese food is basically a traditional Mediterranean cuisine, which means lots of fruits, vegetables, seafood, olive oil and fresh herbs.
What sets Douro the restaurant apart, Correia says, is that it offers Portuguese cuisine with a twist. You don”™t, for example, usually find hummus on the menu of a Portuguese restaurant ”“ it”™s more eastern Mediterranean. But you”™ll find it at Douro. And Correia infuses the traditional pink piri-piri sauce (made from piri-piri chilies) with lemon and cilantro. (It really jazzes up the shrimp empanadas and the chicken honey mustard sandwich.)
“America is one of my biggest influences,” says Correia, who came to the U.S. when he was 8 and attended Yonkers public schools before being recruited to play soccer at Concordia College in Bronxville. “I have borrowed from all of the cuisines here.”
What Correia has also borrowed are the appetites of Greenwich workers and residents. Lunches are strong, with a $15 appetizer-and-entrée combination packing them in. (Dinner entrées range from $19 to $27.)
“Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are phenomenal,” says Correia, who hopes to add to his dinner and early-week patronage.
He says he and his staff of 11 can do it, because Greenwich is a diverse, welcoming community.
So good has the move to Greenwich been that Correia will soon be opening a second place on Mamaroneck Avenue in Mamaroneck. He points to a plate on the wall inscribed with “Piri-Q,” which will serve as the name and the logo of the new eatery. For now it”™s one of many dishes that accent Douro”™s river-blue and earth-toned contemporary décor, along with several ceramic roosters, symbols of good luck in Portugal.
Luck seems to be with Correia these days. Besides his restaurant ventures, he”™s ready to embark on a personal one: In the fall of 2011, Correia will wed Dana Cifone, who manages the front of the establishment while he concocts hybrid specialties in the kitchen. They are complements in other ways as well, his dark handsomeness matching her aquiline Princess Diana looks.
Since Cifone is of Italian-Portuguese descent, the wedding menu will reflect both heritages.
But will Correia be doing the catering?
“Ah, no,” he says with a decided laugh.
