1 Of America's Top 23 Dishes Is Right Here In MA

FALL RIVER, MA — The New York Times has scoured the country looking for the best dishes around and came up with "23 of the Best American Dishes of 2023."

Brian Gallagher of the Times wrote: "Some are high-concept — a Dungeness crab doughnut, for instance — while others are just perfect examples of beloved familiars like brisket tacos or fried chicken. What they have in common, though, is that months later they still jump to mind when we're asked, 'What were your favorite dishes of this year?'"

One of those outstanding dishes happens to come from a Massachusetts establishment's prepared food counter.

The Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa at Portugalia Marketplace in Fall River made the list.

Here's what the Times' Brett Anderson had to say about the dish: "Portugalia has always been known for bacalhau. That’s been true since it opened in a three-car garage behind a tenement house in the 1980s, through to its current incarnation, where the codfish counter is across a handsome grocery store from the wine department. So it logically follows that one of the few dishes you’ll always find at the prepared food counter is this classic bacalhau stew, a rustic, salty favorite in this Portuguese stronghold on the New England coast."

Portugalia Marketplace is described on its website as "a one-of-a-kind Portuguese specialty food grocer dedicated to promoting Portuguese culture and cuisine." The store was founded more than 30 years ago by Fernando Benevides and is now run by his two children, Michael and Jennifer.

The store includes over 1300 different Portuguese wines and spirits, a café offering Portuguese baked goods, a prepared foods counter, and a large, temperature-controlled room for salt cod, all of which allows customers to "truly immerse themselves in Portuguese culture and cuisine."

Dishes from other New England restaurants made the Times' list as well, including littlenecks at Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown, RI, fried chicken at Tavern on State in New Haven, and halibut chraimeh at Honey Road in Burlington, VT.

Check out the full list at The New York Times.

See related: Local Farm Wins Big, Christmas Markets, New Brewery: MA Food Week

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