Vila Algarve has much in the way of potential

Vila Algarve’s name officially ends “Portuguese Seafood and Grill,” and of course “Algarve” refers to the country’s southernmost coastal region.

But its website says the restaurant’s flagship is in Johannesburg, South Africa. And our charming server’s soft accent spoke tales of neither South Africa nor Portugal, while it and a few references on the menu offered hints that owner/management appears to be of the Bulgarian persuasion.

Welcome to Vila Algarve, a restaurant for our times.

Despite the “seafood” subtext, we decided pretty quickly to pass on that part of the menu, in large part because of a lack of affinity for bacallau (salt cod to you and me), although there were some other choices. No, we were more interested in the other traditional Portuguese dishes, including the beef espetada ($18.99), large chunks on a skewer suspended over the plate from a special hanger and designed to dazzle — that was clear from the server’s expression. The beef was nicely flavored, simply seasoned with garlic and salt but on the tough side. With it we chose the vegetables, which were superbly prepared, slices of zucchini and carrot sauteed just until they had caramelized. We also chose the rice, a very lightly seasoned white that was appealing with the beef.

We’d started with another Portuguese classic, trinchado, this time choosing pork ($7.99). This was simply prepared meat cubes and a couple of olives; it was the creamy sauce that made the dish, a silken, savory dream more mild than many. There were triangles of toasted white bread to soak it up, but we wished it had been better and that there had been more of it. And while the pork cubes were tender, they were a tad dry.

While the Mozambican curries definitely tempted, we decided on the half Portuguese chicken ($10.99), a fresh, hot, grilled source of argument, in that one of us thought it was dry while the other thought it was just right, especially with the crispy skin. With it came a simple salad that we dressed with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table, and plank-style, wide french fries that were perfectly crisped, obviously in fresh, hot oil.

Service throughout was great, and our server was charming and polite. We absolutely loved the decor, with sparkling fish tanks, mirrors and twinkling lights that belied its strip-center location.

Our dinner at Vila Algarve had a few flaws, but this hybrid with Portuguese food (the only one in town, I might add) has plenty of potential.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Email Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at bestoflasvegas.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.