266894 Thu Oct 06 18:15:52 -0700 2005 12 26 International 0 1407442 I'm planning a trip to Brazil.... will be going virtually everywhere I can. I plan to spend an extended amount of time there and want to try all sorts of regional Brazilian cuisine. Not interested in the best of anything other than Brazilian. I'm looking for recommendations for ALL areas of Brazil. Anything that comes to mind that was exceptional to you. A few upscale places are great but I prefer street food, side of the road stands, hole-in-the-walls.... you get the idea :) Big cities, small towns, beach...whatever! Obrigada Thu Oct 06 18:15:52 -0700 2005 0 junglekitte 1 1407453 I'll only be a little bit of help....I eat very basic Bahian-style food 5 days a week for lunch in the company cafeteria, so when I go out I look for other things - either other types of food, or more upscale places. One place to get some ideas is the Veja magazine website (link below). Click on "O Melhor da Cidade" and pick your city. The bar and restaurant choices tend to be more upscale but some of the comidinha choices are cheaper places. This site doesn't work without a password for Sao Paulo or Rio, but works fine for the other cities. Be sure to try some kilo restaurants which are really just buffets that charge by the kilo, many open only for lunch. Everyone has his or her favorites and they cover a full range of cuisines. They are also very good value. In Salvador I like Aogobom in Rio Vermelho(Chinese) and Oscarito in Vilas do Atlantico (grilled meat and salads). If you'll be coming to Salvador I have some other suggestions, so let me know. If you haven't been here before you might be surprised at the influence of Italian and Japanese immigrants. There were about as many immigrants from Italy as from Portugal, so pizza and pasta are as Brazilian as anything else, and sushi isn't far behind, at least in the cities. Link: http://vejaonline.abril.com.br/notitia/servlet/newstorm.ns.presentation.NavigationServlet?publicationCode=1 Fri Oct 07 08:43:18 -0700 2005 1407442 0 Chilanga 1 1407455 Wow, my country is huge and you can find great food everywhere. Can you be a bit more specific of what cities you are thinking? I can probably help you with Sao Paulo, Rio, Buzios, Salvador, Florianopolis, Petropolis, Teresopolis... Fri Oct 07 10:33:34 -0700 2005 1407442 0 Toot 2 1407469 i thought i was specific in saying i am virtually going to try and go everywhere!but i'll be specific on places i'm almost sure of going that i've listed for myself in my planning so far... i appreciate your help!!!!! rio, salvador, curitiba, belo horizonte, fernando de noronha, sao paulo, panantal, florianopolis, maceio, ouro preto, diamantina, olinda, manaus, iguasu falls, bonito, jericoacoara, illha do mel, fortaleza.... and more. (oh and if you can recommend i skip any of those places due to not being worth my time...i'd love to hear any nonfood related advice as well!) Fri Oct 07 23:33:17 -0700 2005 1407455 0 junglekitte 3 1407486 It seems like a fun trip! I think you have a quite good list. I believe all the places you mentioned are worth a visit. Foz do Iguaçu is a very touristic area, it's like Niagara Falls. But I heard it is very beautiful. I never went there but my American in-laws enjoyed their visit very much. São Paulo is food heaven! The best restaurant in Sao Paulo IMO is Fasano. The new space (well, not so new anymore...) is gorgeous, although very modern, and both the food and the service are great. It's expensive but with the dollar still relatively strong in Brazil you will get a pretty good deal for a restaurant of this level. Some other options: Massimo - also Italian, old school. It's considered one of the best restaurants in Sao Paulo. I went there only once as a teen and I remember having a great meal. D.O.M.- very good, it's the kind of cuisine people are calling "cozinha contemporânea". I would say it's a kind of "New Brazilian" where the chef uses traditional ingredients with a fancy twist. I had an excellent dinner there a couple of years ago. He uses tapioca, cará, palmito pupunha (kind of peasant food) in modern french inspired cuisine. Very good. Also similar to D.O.M. there is Carlota, famous for her goiabada soufle dessert and cupuaçu mousse (Carlota has also a place in Rio). Antiquarius is another excellent option. Very traditional in Rio it opened in Sao Paulo a couple of years ago. It's Portuguese/Brazilian. I only went to the one in Rio and I had a wonderful meal. I am sure the place in Sao Paulo is also wonderful. If you like Japanese go to Jun Sakamoto. Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside Japan and the quality of Japanese restaurants in São Paulo are outstanding. Jun Sakamoto won the Best Japanese restaurant last year from Veja Magazine (a popular/prestigious Brazilian magazine). It's not cheap but the food will be the same level of the best Japanese places in NYC and with the dollar so strong you will have a pretty good deal quality/value. If you are strolling in the Oscar Freire area (which you probably will because it's a nice area for shopping, people watching...) during the day get an espresso and a Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese rolls) at Pão De Queijo Hadock Lobo. Sat Oct 08 15:06:19 -0700 2005 1407469 0 Toot 4 1408555 Do you know the cross streets for the restuarants you mentioned? I am trying to find them on a map. Thanks Marianne Tue Nov 15 17:59:18 -0800 2005 1407486 0 Marianne 3 1407488 Portuguese/Brazilian: Antiquarius, it's really good, don't miss it. It's considered one of the best restaurants in Rio and IMO it is true... It isn't cheap, but it's worth the price. Try a cod fish dish and the amazing Portuguese desserts (if you like eggs...) Icecream: Mil Frutas - as the name says, 1000 Fruits. You can taste icecream made with different kinds of tropical fruits. White chocolate with passion fruit is my favorite. They have 2 locations: Rua Garcia D'Avila and Rua J.J. Seabra. Don't miss it! Juices: Rio juice stands are amazing. My favorite is a store in Ipanema, Rua Maria Quiteria with Rua Visconde de Piraja. Don't miss it! Don't be concerned about water or ice in Brazil. It's fine! Churrascaria: Porcão Steak House: Not Rodizio style, but the best meat you can get in Rio, Esplanada Grill, Rua Anibal de Mendonça Kilo: try a kilo, you pay buy the weight like in a NYC deli, but the experience is quite different, waiter service, great food. Fellini and da Silva are my favorites. It's a good way to try different Brazilian dishes since it's buffet style. Cozinha Contemporânea (a kind of "New Brazilian" Cuisine, traditional ingredients with a fancy twist): Carlota (try the cupuaçu mousse or the goiabada soufle for dessert!, Zuka and Ateliê Culinário. Go to a Botequim (a bar) after the beach, as the cariocas do: Bracarense and Manuel e Joaquim are 2 good options. You can have salgadinhos (Brazilian savory snacks) and beer. Manuel e Joaquim has dinner too. Bracarense is located in Leblon and Manuel e Joaquim has different locations in the city. Italian: Fratelli in Leblon, inexpensive and very good. In Ipanema: Gero (more expensive, but it's supposed to be great, I haven't been there yet) and Artegiano, inexpensive and very good. Seafood: Satyricon; avoid Tia Palmira used to be good, but went downhill. Drinks: Academia da Cachaça, Leblon. You can taste different kinds of cachaça, the liquor we make caipirinhas and batidas with. They also sell bottles from the different regions of Brazil, it's a nice gift idea. More casual places for lunch: Gula-Gula, Alessandro e Frederico, Pizzaria Cappriciosa, Fazendola Don't wear jewelry in Rio (this also goes for Sao Paulo and most of the big cities). Don't flash your camera and don't carry too much money. I wouldn't say that Rio is a dangerous place, as some Americans imagine it is. But you do have to be aware of where you are going and be smart about it. There are cases of mugging and they go for what they see. If you are wearing jewelry, an expensive watch or carrying an expensive camera you will become a target. Also be careful in buses. The subway is much safer, but covers a limeted area of the city. I most use cabs when I'm there. Cabs in Rio are very safe. Sat Oct 08 15:22:54 -0700 2005 1407469 0 Toot 3 1407490 Not too distant from Salvador (maybe a 5 hours drive?) is Mangue Seco, a fisherman village. If you have the time it's worth the trip. It's very beautiful. I went to Salvador last year and my favorite meal was at Paraiso Tropical. It was the best moqueca (fish stew) I ever had! They use all natural ingredients. I believe they have 2 locations. I went to the one in Rio Vermelho. Don't miss it! I also enjoyed very much Trapiche Adelaide and Galpão. They are more upscale places but the dinners I had there were delicious. Again, the chefs use many of the traditional ingredients with a fancy twist. At Galpão I remember having one of the best desserts ever: a bacuri mousse (bacuri is a tropical fruit) with white chocolat. I think was one of the best things I ever ate! Salvador is a lot of fun. Enjoy the Pelourinho area, but again, be smart about security. With regard to the other places you are going I don't have any specific food advice. I went to Ouro Preto as a child and I'm actually going there next month. The area is beautiful and rich in Brazilian history and art. It's also worth going to Congonhas, Mariana, Sao Joao del Rey (all in the same area). Comida Mineira (food from the Minas Gerais state) is really good. Try the homemade desserts (fruit compotes and doce de leite) and the queijo minas (a white cheese, very popular for breakfast). Tutu a mineira (beans with manioc flower), Stews, collard greens are other examples of the food in Minas. Sat Oct 08 15:39:31 -0700 2005 1407469 0 Toot 4 1407491 Tutu is made with manioc *flour*, not flower (don't even know whether there is such a thing, and even if there is, whether it's edible!). Sat Oct 08 15:57:44 -0700 2005 1407490 0 Toot 4 1407493 RE Salvador -- I'll second Trapiche Adelaide, it is lovely. It's the only place in town with a dress code -- no bermudas in the dining room at dinner! They have a lower priced bar next door. Galpao closed a few months ago, but don't despair. The chef just opened his own restaurant "Marc le Dantec" in the Ondina area - Brazilian-French and very delicious. The room is not as nice as Galpao but the prices are also a little lower. Someone new is opening in the Galpao space later this month. Supposedly the best place in town for Bahian food is Yemanja, but I don't love it. They get a lot of tour buses and I think they dumb down the food accordingly. Even for a lot of Brazilian tourists, Bahian food is exotic. We had a nice lunch today in the village of Arembepe, about 75km northeast of downtown, at a place called Mar Aberto. Cheese croquetes, grilled fish, cold beer and a great view of the waves crashing in. This is where I would have a shrimp moqueca, or at Mistura Fina, near the Sofitel and the airport. There are many acaraje stands. The famous one (Cira? or something like that) is in Itapoa, close to the Sofitel, it has a red awning. There is really only one meat rodizio in town, called Boi Preto. It's fine but I'm sure there are better choices in the south of the country. Barbacoa and Baby Beef are good for steak and veggies, and Barbacoa has a popular fejoida setup on Saturday for lunch. Heed Toot's advice on security in Salvador, it is not as carefree as some might think. Sat Oct 08 17:41:12 -0700 2005 1407490 0 Chilanga 1 1407485 I've been to a number of places in Brazil in the past decade, so here are a few thoughts . . . First of all, in general the quality of the food is outstanding. I'm talking about everything from street food to the expensive restaurants. The produce is beautiful and I don't think they suffer from the syndrome of industrialized farming and mass-distributed food that we suffer from here in the U.S. Try the salgadinhos. The word is Portuguese for "little salt," meaning, savories. They're like little snacks for the afternoon when you don't want a full meal. (My Brazilian wife craves them in New York, where it's hard to find something satisfying but smaller than a sandwich or a slice of pizza.) They include pasteis (plural of pastel), which look like what the Spanish-speaking would call empanadas, and are filled with chicken, beef, cheese, or palmitos (hearts of palm). There are also empadinhas, which are like tiny quiches, and coxinhas, deep-fried drumstick-shaped morsels of shredded chicken, with a center of cheese. And bolinhos, deep-fried also, with shredded bacalhau (dried codfish). You'll see pão de queijo everywhere, a nice snack with your cafezinho -- it's a cheese bread with manioc flour. Pizza -- I still can't figure out why Brazilian pizza is so amazingly delicious. Make sure you try it. Strogonoff -- This is a favorite comfort food for Brazilians, often served at parties. The Brazilians will be horrified if you ask for it over noodles; they are adamant that it is only served with rice, and they sprinkle tiny crisped shreds of potato over it. Not good for the waistline, of course, but delicious. (Either chicken or beef.) Fruits -- will depend on the season, but you should always be able to find something that tastes like it was picked ripe from the tree just that morning. Bananas, pineapples (abacaxi), papaya, figs. In February or March the persimmons (caqui) are unbelievably wonderful. In specific cities I've been to: Rio -- Antiquarius is a traditional restaurant, serving Portuguese cuisine. Not cheap, but not exorbitant if you're used to American prices. You won't find any place like it in the U.S., good for a special night out. I had the traditional goat stew (cabrito) last year, very good. There's a chain of churrascarias called Porcão; I've been twice to the one in Flamengo or Botafogo, it was excellent. There's a quilo-style restaurant (Chilanga writes about them) called Fellini, in Leblon. A great pizza place in a couple of locations called Capricciosa. An outstanding trattoria in Leblon called Artigiano. Florianopolis -- Known for its shrimp and also for its oysters; seafood in general, obviously. Didn't go to any outstanding restaurants while there, but did enjoy sitting at a little roadside bar and having cerveja and camarões. For oysters, and a great experience in a charming Azorian village, check out Restaurante Ostradamus (clever, no?) in Freguesia do Ribeirão da Ilha (www.ostradamus.com.br). Salvador (Bahia) -- There are many fine places in the historic (and touristy) city center called Pelourinho, and as Chilanga notes, Bahia is known for its unique cuisine. I've been to the rather commercialized Sorriso da Dadá and enjoyed it, also to the charming Maria Matamouro Restaurante where I had a good bobó de camarão. In a less touristy part of the city, Rio Vermelho, there's a wonderful place called Paraíso Tropical Restaurante, serving a contemporary take on traditional baiana specialties, and also wonderful bebidas, alcoholic (or not) beverages made from fresh fruits. Not far from there, also in Rio Vermelho, is Companhia de Pizza, highly recommended. This should get you started. Boa viagem! Sat Oct 08 14:32:17 -0700 2005 1407442 0 Puddle 1 1407494 You might want to have a look at my article below. It was written centuries ago, but the info has stood up pretty well, I think. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/writing/brazil.html Sat Oct 08 22:14:06 -0700 2005 1407442 0 jim Leff 1 1407536 Here's a link to my post from 2003. I was just in Rio and Paraty, but everything we saw, did and ate was amazing! Dave M.P. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/262793#1388550 Mon Oct 10 11:03:59 -0700 2005 1407442 0 Dave M.P.