Yesterday was the rainiest day yet. We did go for a bit of a drive, hoping it might clear, but in the end it was just too wet to do much outside. We ate our packed lunch sitting in the car overlooking the ocean.

The highlight of the day was dinner. As mentioned a few days ago, we had stopped to find out the hours of Campo Raso Cafe in order to plan an evening to go for dinner. During that stop earlier this week, we met the owners and enjoyed a visit with them. The restaurant was closed but they happened to be there to do some planning. They stopped everything, invited us in, served us espresso and told us their story.

Monica and David are Portuguese; she’s from Sao Miguel and he’s from the mainland. They spent years in Toronto growing their successful careers and their family. When the world stopped for COVID, they had a chance to re-evaluate their life. Together with their teenage children, they made the huge decision to come home to the Azores. They are passionate about Pico and the way they are able to live here. Their children, now young adults, have decided to make their lives here too.

At the cafe, they use local ingredients where possible, and create incredible, mouth-watering meals. Monica is the chef and David works the bar and charms the customers. They are quite a team! The hospitality here is next level. After we had paid our bill, they poured us each a brandy made on the island from grapes harvested here. As we sipped, we heard the story of the production, and were promised that next time we’d try the one made with figs.

Tip of the Day:

Obviously, if you’re on Pico, go have a meal or two at Campo Raso Cafe. You won’t regret it!