For a number of years Michele and I have been talking about going to Lisbon and this year we finally made the decision to go
We statyed at the Hotel Portugal and it was in a great location for walking and for transportation to restaurants and all the major attractions.
We asked friends do give us recommendations for restaurants and came away with a very long list.
Here are some of the places we really enjoyed:
The first night we went to restaurant Gambrinus, about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. This is an upscale restaurant with very good attentive service and it was a true dining experience.
Michele and I shared some fried calamari to start.
Then I had grilled lagoustines.
while Michele had the roasted hake baked with coriander seeds, garlic and olive oil.
For dessert, I had a typical cake called Toucinho do Ceu.
At the end of dinner I ordered a glass of 1978 Port , fantastic!
and then finished with coffee made in the restaurant’s unique style.
The next afternoon we went to The Wine Cellar for Port. The waiter, Ricardo, was very knowledgable and we had a long discussion about the different types of Port. 
Ricardo suggested a few and and I tried a glass of the 1985 Colheita. I liked this so much I bought two bottles to bring home.
Ricardo suggested an unfiltered single vineyard vintage port 2012 for Michele. This was the first time I had a single vineyard unfiltered port, it was very good but needed much more time to develop.
We also tried the 20 year old tawny. 
We had some excellent aged sheep’s milk cheese with the Port. It was accompanied by quince jam.
The next afternoon we went to a restaurant Bica Do Sapato about 1 mile from the center along the water with a great view. It is partially owned by the actor John Malcovich. The service was friendly and the wine person was very knowledgeable. 
I started with fried Calamari, but it was done in a completely different style from the previous day. It was accompanied by chopped tomato and onion salsa. 
Michele loved her starter: roasted figs with toasted sheep’s milk cheese on toast, drizzled with a fruit sauce. 
She followed this with had giant red shrimp. They were tender and very tasty.
I had roasted cod on a bed of creamy beans cooked with peppers and bits of pork.
The wine person suggest this wine and it was perfect with the food.
For dessert I had almond cake with figs and cream cheese ice cream.
Michele had quindim, a coconut pudding with passion fruit ice cream.
At Sea Me restaurant we sat at the counter and spoke with the bar tender about wine, food and Lisbon.
We shared one Tiger shrimp and two giant red shrimp, so that we could compare them. The tigers were a bit chewy, but both were excellent.
Then we had roasted octopus with roasted potatoes. The whole dish was topped with a generous amount of garlic sauce. 
The wine was an excellent combination with the food.
We each had dessert.
I had ice cream. There were 3 flavors: ginger, hazelnut and ginginha, made with a sour cherry liqueur that the Portuguese are very fond of.
and Michele had nut cake with ginger ice cream and almond crumble.
On the afternoon before we left we went to Cantinho do Avillez, one of several restaurants owned by the chef Jose Avillez.
We had 3 starters.
Tempura fried green beans, came with two sauces for dipping.
Little pheasant pies.
Melted sheep’s cheese with honey, and rosemary, topped with presunto ham.
We both ordered the giant red shrimp which was served in a Thai sauce with rice. Once again, they were great.
We had the Pluma Reserva which had more body than the other whites we tasted. It was a good match with the shrimp.
For dessert, I had the restaurant’s signature dessert, A salty hazelnut mousse.
We really enjoyed exploring Lisbon and look forward to returning once more.