Europa
489 Granby Rd., South Hadley, 539-2551
Hours: Sun. noon-9 p.m.; Mon.-Wed. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thu.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Entrées: $17-$25.
www.europasouthhadley.com
uropa is probably the nicest restaurant in its vicinity—which isn’t a difficult feat along this lonesome stretch of Rt. 202 in South Hadley. It’s an ambitious complex including outdoor patio seating, a casual bar/lounge, fine dining room and banquet facilities. But unlike many restaurants of its kind in these parts, Europa doesn’t offer a bland mishmash of vaguely Yankee and Continental specialties, but rather a more unusual blend of Portuguese and Mediterranean cuisines.
Europa has also seized onto the recent trendy redefinition of “tapas” as just about anything served in small portions. A wide-ranging selection of tapas choices is available every night, but this style of dining by sharing plates is most popular here on Tuesdays, when four tapas dishes ranging from sliders (mini burgers) to skewered meats to salt cod fritters can be had for $20, instead of $7 or $8 each.
The best tapas I sampled are inspired by chef-owner Mike Rodrigues’ Portuguese heritage. Shrimp Europa bathes remarkably flavorful shrimp in a spicy, tangy tomato-based sauce. A vinegary onion relish dresses grilled calamari that are lightly charred and quite tender, though crying out for a pinch of salt. Chicken pinchos, strips of marinated meat grilled on sticks, were similarly undersalted but heavily seasoned by a pungent spice rub tempered by a cool cucumber tzatziki sauce.
Europa’s wine list is particularly well suited to a tapas experience, offering more in-depth coverage of Portuguese, Spanish and South American labels than most. I enjoyed a fruity Portuguese rose and a pale, mineraly Albarino made from one of the grapes commonly used in Portugal’s popular Vinho Verde. Happily, wines from the regions dominating Europa’s list tend to be quite affordable.
Europa offers another bargain opportunity on weekdays in the form of a three-course prix fixe dinner for $20. Opting for one of these four tapas, entrée and dessert combinations selected from the regular menu can significantly reduce your bill here, since many of the main dish choices alone will normally cost you at least $20. Portions are pared back, however, and the paelha, for instance, is topped with just shrimp and chourizo, omitting the lobster, clams, scallops and calamari normally served with it. The version I sampled also lacked adequate salt and ample cooking time to take the crunch out of the rice.
My preference for Europa’s Portuguese specialties nevertheless continued into the main courses, where I chose the bacalhau frito over the filet mignon. Salt cod is a staple of Portuguese cooking and Europa serves a large, intact filet that retains its distinctively strong, salty flavor but is remarkably moist and flaky. Be advised, though: bacalhau is definitely an acquired taste.
Some of the other Portuguese seafood dishes on the menu are a little more accessible. Mariscada sautees a mélange of shellfish with onion and green pepper; unfortunately, mussels were substituted for lobster the night I dined. Alentejana pairs plump clams and crisp potatoes in an intensely savory broth of garlic, cilantro and white wine that is worth sopping up with the bread on the table. It would have even been better, perhaps, with just bits of pork throughout rather than the bland, thick-cut pork chop occupying the bulk of the plate.
More authentic versions of many of these highly flavorful Portuguese dishes can be enjoyed in Ludlow, but it’s a treat to find them this far north. Europa’s upscale setting might seem out of place in its environment, but the tapas and prix-fixe bargains, not to mention a new take-out lunch menu and live music on weekends, go a long way to broaden its appeal.
—carolinepam@gmail.com
