Caravela Restaurant In Danbury’s Portuguese Cultural Center

Having lived in the Danbury area the past year, I’m forced to observe that it doesn’t enjoy the embarrassment of culinary riches that some other metropolitan areas in Connecticut do. But one of its bright spots has been its Portuguese offerings.

One of my favorite places to catch a good home-style meal is Caravela Restaurant in the Portuguese Cultural Center. According to its website, portugueseculturalcenter.com, there are some 12,000 Portuguese Americans living in the Greater Danbury area, and an estimated 30,000 Portuguese-speaking area residents. About all of the Portuguese I have learned is “obrigado,” but the phrase has come in handy as I have had much to be thankful for.

One thing I have been thankful for is Tuesday nights at the Portuguese Cultural Center, when dinner specials cost only $7.99. And now, according to General Manager Tony Santos (not pictured), those specials have been extended to Wednesday nights as well.

The Portuguese Cultural Center is an interesting place to visit, filled with historical mementos. On prior visits, I have enjoyed watching male club members play soccer games in the gymnasium. I have wanted to jump right in (I was a pretty fair soccer player in my day). On my most recent visit, the sweaty competitors filling the hallway just after a soccer game were a group of young women.

One of the nice things about Caravela is that its wines are affordable. Pretty Carina, who always seems to be waitressing when I visit, brought us a bottle of Gatão Vinho Verde. Between the similarity to the Spanish “gato” and the logo on the label, even I could figure out the meaning of the wine’s name.

My friends, Allie and Bob, enjoyed Caravela’s beautifully-appointed dining room with its mahogany-colored furniture, cobalt blue tablecloths, stirring mural of a seagoing galleon and lighthouse-shaped birdhouses decorating the tables.

The dinner special at Caravela includes a generous vinegary salad such as is popular all across the Iberian Peninsula.

We tried all three specials offered on our Tuesday visit. One was a version of the famous Portuguese pork and clams dish.

The second dish featured battered hake with red beans and rice. My family, which traditionally summers in Maine, often made a corned hake dish popular with lobstermen that undoubtedly has Portuguese origins.

The third dish featured steak and mushrooms served with rice and French fries (in lieu of the more common, hand-cut, freshly made Portuguese potato chips).

Finally, we finished with a scrumptious slice of orange cake.

The Caravela is open to the public. The setting is very attractive, the staff accommodating and the food delicious. Culturally enrich yourself—check it out for yourself!

Caravela Restaurant, Portuguese Cultural Center, 65 Sandpit Road, Danbury, 203-748-2017