By MERIDITH FORD
Journal Restaurant Critic

MIDDLETOWN -- A meticulously renovated cab garage with a peculiar -- yet alluring -- glass painting of a mermaid stands there on the left of Aquidneck Avenue, heading toward Easton's Beach.

Apparently, she's caused Gertrude's Galley's chef-owner Christine Reed more trouble than she bargained for. The siren's ample decolletage caused a bit of a stir with the city's zoning officer and building inspector.

Now she wears a little black bar in just the right place, attached to a string so that it can be lifted for the curious at heart. The incident has been covered by news organizations ranging from the Associated Press to the BBC.

It's a lot of hullaballoo for a mermaid. Especially since the real reason to go to Gertrude's is for Reed's Portuguese-inspired cuisine.

Reed gives new life to classic dishes from Portugal -- caldo verde, the kale and chourico soup; peppery shrimp with Mozambique sauce; and pork Alentejana, the favored pork-and-clam dish from the region of the same name. Reed has updated their flavors to appeal to the yuppie in all of us, as well as to die-hard Portuguese fans. Neither will be disappointed.

Reed, originally from Portsmouth, earlier showed her artistic flair through fashion design. Self-taught as a chef, she opened the restaurant in March.

The menu at Gertrude's (Gertrude is a boat, incidentally) is loaded with seafood, from fried cod and chips to crab salad. Most, as in the stuffed quahog, derive flavor and inspiration from Portuguese cooking as well.

With such a strong Portuguese backdrop, Reed has managed to include a few edgy dishes that have loads of appeal. A fig-and-goat cheese salad, for example, could survive on any bistro menu. Here, it not only lives, it thrives: plump, candy-like Port-poached figs highlight dots of creamy, snappy-tasting goat cheese amid lots of freshly mixed field greens. Thinly sliced smoked ham spruces things up a bit, as does a pungent drizzling of balsamic syrup.

Risks make all the difference

Grilled pizza is part of the usual fare, as well as an evening's special, where it was dressed to the nines in caramelized onions, grilled fresh peaches and more of the tart goat cheese.

The peaches were a delicacy -- juicy and ripe -- but almost too sweet, even with some contrast from the tart cheese. In the end, I would have preferred them alone in a dish with more of Reed's intoxicating balsamic syrup, leaving the crunchy-crusted pizza with the excellent combination of the onions and cheese.

Yet it is just this type of risk-taking that makes Gertrude's so much more than a Portuguese restaurant or a clam shack. A simple, freshly made cole slaw -- an accompaniment to crunchily fried cod and spicy French fries -- is made special by the perky addition of pickled cauliflower and carrots.

The building was a risk, too. It presents a plethora of problems for a restaurant, not the least of which is an upstairs dining room with a downstairs kitchen. There is a very casual dining area downstairs, but it is geared towards beachcombers looking for a quick bite.

Reed has managed to turn lots of potential negatives into pluses -- the upstairs dining room has a retro-chic hipness, with minimal but well-applied decor, such as deco glass cubes embedded into the front of the bar and a three-paned plate glass window that gives a panoramic view of Easton's Pond.

Old-fashioned candle votives -- the red, wavy-glassed orbs that used to be covered in netting at pizza parlors -- add a kick to the tables.

Everyone from Reed (who was casually perched on a downstairs table eating from a bowl when we came in) to our waiter seemed ready, willing and able to make the evening comfortable.

Calamari worth the trip

Paella, which is traditionally Spanish but often seen on local Portuguese menus, makes a good impression, although Reed's interpretation of this peppery-seasoned rice with clams, mussels and chicken could have been a little juicier and was missing one of its most important ingredients -- spicy chourico sausage.

But her racy version of fried calamari, served Mozambique style with a spicy, peppery, piri piri (pepper) sauce, was worth the trip.

For dessert, a triple-layered chocolate number had lots of panache. A layer of sweet cream, a layer of airy chocolate mousse and a fudgy layer of chocolate was particularly popular with my six-year-old daughter. It's chocolate, right?

But a rice pudding, made in-house, was what I wanted, and got. It was creamy and rich, with a hint of lemon, its dappled surface sprinkled with cinnamon.

In Gertrude's, Reed has created a bit of a conundrum: I'm not sure if it's a Portuguese restaurant with lots of local seafood or a local seafood spot with great Portuguese dishes.

Either way, it comes up a winner.

Gertrude's Galley, 146 Aquidnick Ave., Middletown, 846-8411. Casual. No reservations, but call-aheads are accepted. No smoking. Wheelchair accessible on first floor only. Open daily for lunch from noon to 4 p.m., for dinner Sun-Thu from 5 to 10 p.m. and Fri-Sat from 5 to 11 p.m. V, MC, AM. Parking. Two highchairs.

Dinner appetizers, including soups and salads and raw bar items, are $3 to $12. Entrees are $10 to $25. The wine list exclusively features Portuguese and Spanish wines, with bottles from $18 to $27 and a good by-the-glass selection.