Portugal befriends foodies

Cindy Adams

This week is Portugal’s sixth annual International Gourmet Festival of Michelin-starred chefs. The actual kitchen of our planet’s only Class-A cookout is in hotel Vila Joya. That’s in Albufeira-Guia. The Algarve. We’re talking a really large order of fries from your nearest Wendy’s.

The Algarve, the summer season’s Portuguese Riviera, is paradise. Tiny birds twittering. Red flowers blooming. Large mansions gleaming. Sixty degrees shining. The Atlantic kissing the shore. And two hours from Lisbon as the BMW flies.

Here it’s flowers, chocolates, Champagnes, fruit and goodies for hotel guests. And your breakfast coffeepot doesn’t dribble. And everyone smiles. It’s a long way from Obama, Romney, Newt Gingrich and the Second Avenue Subway.

To explain foodies’ devotion to this week’s global event, one Russian oil dealer flew in on an overloaded private jet. His luggage was seven mistresses. Seven. One for each day of the week. No waiting. His tab — 175,000 euros.

Me mixing with star chefs from New York like Laurent Gras and The Spotted Pig’s April Bloomfield? Epicureans? Please. My idea of cuisine is pastrami with mayonnaise. And if you load on the Hellmann’s, it beats sex.

Behind me on TAP airline’s nighttime flight to Lisbon snoozed Adrian Grenier of “Entourage.” Introducing his new red wine, which has a taste of syrah, he said: “It’s made by SHFT, my company. The grapes are grown in northern California, and we’re about to bring it to New York. Virgin Air’s Richard Branson has been its mentor.

“My mission,” says Adrian, “is to deliver world-class blends from sustainable vineyards made by environmentally responsible growers.” Adrian was accompanied by business partner Peter Glatzer. Also a guitar.

Mumm Champagne began in 1875. In 2011, it opened Vila Joya’s festival dinner. Beginning 7 p.m., it ended with basil, pineapple, green tea, lavender, chocolate, beet root, yogurt and olive oil desserts after midnight. First course, three amuse-bouches: cevenne onion, quinoa, seaweed, mushroom, lime plus Yakitori of Lupin (delicious but who knew what it was?) and some tomato/Parmesan thing.

Two-star chef Dieter Koschina organized seven wines and seven main courses. 1. Langoustine tuna, almond, field lettuce, tomato. 2. Scallops, carrot, cevenne onion, passion fruit, beans, anchovy. 3. Wild sea bass on herb sauce with Sauce Migonette. 4. Carbonara Tortellini with Alba truffle. 5. Délice of Veal with artichokes. 6. Black chicken broth with red dates. 7. Guava, basmati, cilantro, pandan, kalamansi.