Friday 17 February 2017

Food and Wine: the presidential train returns to Douro

In 2017, the event that puts the old presidential train in Douro’s Line rails grows in durantion, traveled distance and invited chefs. These are the news from The Presidential. 

Douro River


It’s rare, very rare, having a chef from a restaurant distinguished with three Michelin Stars cooking in national soil. But it’s precisely that what’s going to happen in this year edition of The Presidential, the event that, for the second consecutive year, will lead the old presidential train to go through the incredible Douro Line, with wine and gastronomy in the mix. The chef is the Danish Esben Holmboe Bang, from Maaeno, one of the youngest ever (and the youngest, currently) achieving the maximum distinction of the Michelin Guide. 

But that is only one of the news. The premiere edition lasted ten days and had the chef Dieter Koschina, from Vila Joya, in the cuisine. Well, this one will last 17 days, throughout May, and will have five chefs responsible for the tasting menu with 4 dishes that will be served in which tour, all of them with Michelin stars in the respective restaurants. Gonçalo castel-Branco, mentor and responsible for the event, advances that for now two names, the already mentioned Esben Holmboe Bang, that will cook in the first week (from 3 to 7) and from Porto, Pedro Lemos (cooking in May 10 and 11).

And the route also grows. If last year the tour was made between São Bento station, in Porto, to the Pinhão, already in the Vineyard Douro, now it continues to the beautiful Quinta do Vesúvio, where will happen a wine tasting with Porto’s wines from Graham’s. This means that, this time, the train will pass by the two banks of the river, allowing all the guests to enjoy the view to river.   

The trip back to Porto was also the target of reinforced planning: in the bar-carriage will be live music and another carriage will be transformed into tea salon. Moreover, the moto stills the same: “our objective number one is to promote the railroad and the romanticism associated with it”. 



It’s already possible buy tickets online in the event’s website. Which one costs 500€ per person – companies can acquire carriages or the full train – to the program that lasts from 10h45 am to 8h30 pm: it includes the tour São Bento – Quinta do Vesúvio – São Bento, the tasting menu with 4 dishes, the wine harmonization, the entrance in Quinta do Vesúvio, the wine tasting, bar with live music, tea salon and a gift bag with one autographed book from the chef responsible in that day. 

Source: Observador

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