Dalama Adventures Tale of two corporate types ditching their jobs and traveling the world for 14 months... check out all photos, blogs & interesting tid bits at http://www.dalama.net

After chatting with our surf shop owner buddy, Celios, we're keen to try a real local Portuguese specialty seafood dish.  The Algarve coast is known for some very specific dishes; arroz con piexe (rice and fish stew), caldeirada (big pot with all types of fish, shellfish, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, onions), and grilled whole fish of durado, seabass, sardines and other delights.  The dining experience is also very local - these little mom and pop shops have the elder fisherman cooking outside their home cum restaurant, on a homemade brick grill, fueled by wood chips.  Every night there's one little place that stands out; the whole family - and we're talking generations here - hard at work.  The grandfather is smoking up large sardines, dorado, swordfish, seabass, squid, and other fresh catches of the day.  The grill is ablaze with smoke and flames.  The place is packed tonight and they have only one two-seater table left, inside the tiny cramped bar/restaurant entryway.  The owner's daughter comes out to take our order and shows us the remaining fresh catch.  We both order up the grilled dorado.  She quickly shuffles the order to grandpa who is now wearing a baseball hat and shades (it's 10:00 p.m.) so he doesn't singe his hair or eyelashes.  She serves us up some cool draught cerveja and brings out the typical "couvert" which are like the nibbles you might expect to see served in a US Restaurant - bread, dipping oil or spread, olives.  In Portugal it is culturally acceptable to decline the couvert, which might easily cost you 4-12 Euros each (prices are rarely published and are a surprise at the end of the meal bill).  We politely decline these yummy bits, as Portuguese servings of main portions are often so big that we could easily split a main between the two of us.  Our beers go down well before our smoking fish arrives, so we order up a couple more, and then comes the amazing two large whole fish, grilled up, eyes and all, along with salad and potatoes.  Very delicious, melt in your mouth fish.  This dinner from the sea is just what I needed to regain my faith in the grilled seafood experience here in Portugal.  The grilled dorado was an excellent choice, and now I'll always order the whole grilled fish, and avoid the grilled squid.