THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Caravela Restaurant

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Caravela Restaurant Restaurant Review:

Starting with the earthenware cup holding the olives, through the crusty rolls and on into the soup, you will welcome this rare find in the DC area: Portuguese cooking. When chef-owner Carlos Mendes appears tableside, as he must invariably do, you know you have just met a culinary maestro, a fact that is confirmed with the first sip of his caldo verde soup, a Portuguese classic that is a must-order on this menu. There's a limited but interesting main-course menu, leaning heavily towards that Iberian favorite, salt cod. But you can pick up other dishes as well, such as our favorite, a tidy cubed pork dish tossed with potatoes and bathed in olive oil. Mendes displays his skills in particular with his passion fruit mousse, a dessert that may or may not be a traditional offering, but one which in his hands transcends the ordinary heavy cream offering. Topped with sliced strawberries coated with a thin layer of passion fruit-infused liqueur, the trembling white pudding underneath slides like the finest heavy cream onto the spoon.