Behold, the house that bacalhau built! Did you know Portugal conquered the world thanks to the stiff milky-white cod fillets preserved in salt? Better known as bacalhau to Portuguese-speakers, the stuff has a whole page of the menu dedicated to it at the white-tablecloth Teixeira Portugal Restaurant. The kitchen grills, shreds, boils, fries, and stews the fish that's also called "fiel amigo" (loyal friend) into a bounty of dishes. For the bacalhau com natas ($22.99), the cod is shredded into shards with onions and potatoes and then whipped into a rich cream sauce fortified with garlic and topped with a white cheese that's melted until it forms a crisp brown shell. Teixeira isn't open for breakfast, but its bacalhau a bras ($20.99) is well suited for mornings. Supple shreds of the fish are scrambled into eggs, crisp potato strands, and sweet sautéed onions. Try the bacalao northern-style ($24.99), in which the fish is deep-fried, lathered in a creamy pumpkin-hued garlic sauce, and sandwiched between two heaps of mashed potatoes. Had enough yet? Of course not. Now you're ready to hop a ship and sail the seas with nothing other than the wind and bacalao fueling the voyage.
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