Pão! (CLOSED)

One of the pioneers of the west Soho dining scene, Pão attracts a fair number of eye-gazing couples to its tiny candlelit dining room and sidewalk tables. The menu arrives in gilded frames (cheekily suggesting that the cuisine is a work of art), while servers distribute fresh-baked bread in terra cotta flowerpots. The cooking, however, spurns gimmickry, with handsomely prepared dishes like meaty wild striped bass or bacalhau à braz, a rich, satisfying mélange of sautéed codfish, egg, onion and straw potatoes. The delectable cataplana, Portugal’s answer to bouillabaisse, has a pleasant spiciness, though regrettably appears only as an appetizer. An extensive selection of reasonably priced Portuguese wines provides a fine accompaniment to the Iberian dishes.