Dining at Northern Liberties BYO Koo Zee Doo is like settling into a meal with the Portuguese family you never knew you had. Named for the phonetic spelling of “cozido,” meaning “cooked” in Portuguese, this cozy newcomer will tempt you with more than just its inventive cuisine.
After a two-block walk from the Spring Garden SEPTA stop, a giant silver rooster hanging above the door greets you into the 50-seat space formerly home to Copper Bistro. The copper still remains in the form of utensils and pots adorning the stark brick walls of the main dining room. Inlaid mosaic window boxes dot the walls, and the completely open kitchen occupies a corner of the room, showing diners that when it comes to the food, Koo Zee Doo has nothing to hide.
Husband and wife David Gilberg and Carla Goncalves, who have experience at a number of Philadelphia eateries including Ugly American and Matyson, run the show and have put together a menu featuring a number of Portuguese staples. Everything on the menu, except the soups, is sized for sharing, making choosing among the diverse options a collaborative process.
Luckily, you can chow on broa and pao, a duo of traditional house-made breads, while you decide. Although they look similar at first glance, their textures and tastes vary. Broa is a denser, less-sweet cornbread than your usual American variety, but pao is much lighter, and it tastes more like a fresh baguette. Once you’re down to the crumbs (it won’t take long), hopefully you’ll have settled on your choices.
Among the moélas (braised chicken gizzards) and the pastéis de bacalhau (salt cod croquettes) on the list of entradas, the rissóis de cogumelos (creamy mushroom turnovers, $8) stand out. Inside a fried breadcrumb hides a deliciously gooey stuffing of fresh mushroom and onion, the perfect start to a memorable meal.
Follow up with either of the featured soups. The caldo verde ($6) is a vision, with delicate strands of collard greens and perfect circles of reddish chouriço sausage swimming in a light, creamy potato broth. Canja ($6) may look like your mom’s chicken and rice soup, but it packs a more flavorful punch courtesy of hunks of fresh tomato, bits of mushroom and tender chicken.
The meal’s true star, though, was undoubtedly the bife à Portuguesa ($28). Presented on a silver platter fit for royalty, the generous pieces of ham-draped steak share space with lightly fried golden potato discs, a mound of broccoli rabe, and two fried eggs. The meat was perfectly seasoned and cooked to a satisfying medium, and the eggs paired with it seamlessly. The rabe almost stole the show, however, its bitterness muted by tinges of spice and citrus.
If you’re not sufficiently stuffed, the sandes de salame de chocolate ($7), a trio of chestnut and chocolate stuffed figs, a dollop of chocolate whipped cream and chocolate “salami,” a dark chocolate log filled with bits of fig and cookie, will do the trick just fine. If you are understandably unable to eat anymore, ask for the check and your fantastic server, who all night will have treated you like the only customer in the place, will present you with the handwritten tab, one last taste of homemade authenticity.
Koo Zee Doo 614 N 2nd St. (215) 923-8080 Don’t Miss: Bife à Portuguesa Skip: Coming alone Bottom Line: Delicious, SEPTA-accessible Portuguese homecooking
