Agamat Restaurante at the Hotel California, er Travel Inn Live & Lodge

Agamat Restaurante at the Travel Inn Live & Lodge, São Paulo

When I checked into the Travel Inn Live & Lodge, I  thought I would stay for four nights and then be on my way. Little did I realize that it would turn into a Hotel California like experience. Well, not quite, I'm finally getting to both check out and leave later today (seven total nights); and, no pink champaign on ice, but plenty of mangos!

I only ate at the Agamat for the breakfast buffet, but it looked like a nice enough place.

For the breakfast buffet, there was a great selection of fruit, yogurt, a variety of breads, usually two kinds of juice (orange and one other), and coffee/tea.

In the hot foods, there were eggs and an interesting looking sausage that I didn't try and cold cuts.

A good value (free!) and an easy way to start the morning.

Meal: Breakfast
Date Visited: February 2010
Rating: ***
Address: Rua Borges Lagoa, 1209, São Paulo, SP, 04038-034
Website: http://www.travelinn.com.br

Chicken pie, river view: As Mulatas, Belém

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

As Mulatas

After arriving in Belém after a flight from São Paulo via Brasilia, it was still a little early, so I decided to take a walk down to the dock area and look at the might water. The river was even more awesome than I imagined and a cool breeze was blowing. After looking around for a while, I decided to have a little something in one of the restaurants along the renovated docks (now shops and restaurants).

I really wanted a cerveja (beer), but for some reason didn't seem to be able to get that across at the places I stopped.

Finally, I chose a place near the end of the docks, As Mulatas. Again, I tried for the beer, but didn't have any luck, so settled for a caipirinha. I also added a frango (chicken) empada and water.

I was expecting the empada to be similar to the more familiar empanada, but instead of a meat turnover, it was more of a little pie, with a pie-like crust and chicken filling. Tasty, but a little bit on the dry side.

The view and cool breeze was spectacular, so it made for a nice end of the afternoon.

Meal: Snack
Date Visited: 7 February 2010
Rating: ***
Address: Boulevard Castilhos França, 707, Belém, PA, 66010-020
Website: N/A

The fine art of a buffet: MAM Cafe, São Paulo

MAM Cafe:  Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo

Museum restaurants are either really good or downright awful. The MAM Cafe in São Paulo is certainly in the former.

The cafe offers a fabulous buffet full of very interesting foods. It was so good in fact, that after my first visit, I had to come back a second day in a row.

Over the course of my two lunches, I sampled a variety of choices: fillet kabobs, potato cake, asparagus casserole, a broccoli and cauliflower casserole, chicken stew, cod wrapped in something that was ALMOST a puff pastry – but wasn't, rice and beans, and more!

But here were my favorite: the chili con carne (a lush chili with tiny strips of meat and just a hint of beans, lightly seasoned and delicious), and deep fried leek wrapped in cheese. I'm not really sure how to describe this one, is it deep fried cheese wrapped around a leek? Or vice-versa? In either case, though it looked like an egg roll at first, on first bite, you had crispy cheesy goodness and then the hard resistance of the just done leek. You needed to work a bit, but then got a great taste of leak plus the wonderful taste of the cheese!

Service for drinks is fast and friendly; and though not cheap (about US$25 for the buffet and a water), it's worth it!

Meal: Lunch
Date Visited: 11 & 12 February 2010
Rating: *****
Address: MAM Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, Av. Pedro Álvares Cabral, São Paulo, SP, 04094-050
Website: http://mam.org.br

Going Coconuts: Parque do Ibirapuera Vendor

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Coconut Water Vendor

You see the stands all over São Paulo; so, when I went to the Park on a hot afternoon, it seemed like a good time to try some coconut water.

The vendor hacks off the tip with a large knife, then drills out a core, wipes off the coconut, sticks in a straw, and voila, there you go.

Not to be confused with coconut milk (which is the pressed flesh which yields a thicker and richer liquid), the coconut water is light and refreshing. The greener the better (and fresher!).

Meal: Drink
Date Visited: 12 February 2010
Rating: *****
Address: São Paulo
Website: N/A

Hotel Unique Sky Bar ... grounded

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Lobby Bar, Hotel Unique

After a long day of seeing the sites and museums of the Ibirapuera Park (Portuguese: Parque do Ibirapuera), I was all set to spend the end of the afternoon at the Sky Bar of the Hotel Unique. Touted in the guidebooks and websites as a “can't miss”, it sounded cool and refreshing to sit on the rooftop and look out over the city as afternoon fell.

So, I walked from the park, through winding traffic whizzing streets, just ahead of what seemed to be a big thunderstorm, found the hotel and …

Well, first off, about the name, the hotel is certainly, er, unique, as you can see from the photos. Looking like a slice of watermelon hung between two pillars, the rooms must be quite interesting …

… but I wasn't staying there, I was looking for the Sky Bar. So I asked in my, by now fluent Portuguese: “Uh, where's the Sky Bar?” (that's a word for word creation of my query). The answer was, “Er, Sky Bar, closed.”

I don't know if it was closed for just now, closed for some period of time, or closed for all time. Didn't make much difference because it was closed, “now.” Oh well …

Luckily the lobby bar looked nice and the friendly bartender poured a heavy shot of Plymouth Gin for my G&T. Caught up on some notes I was working on, finished up and caught a cab back to my hotel.

Sky Bar will have to wait for another time.

Meal: Drink
Date Visited: 19 February 2010
Rating: ****
Address: Avenida Brigadeiro Luís Antônio, 4700, São Paulo, SP, 01402-002
Website: http://www.hotelunique.com.br

To die for at the Mercadão: Tigrão Lanchonete

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Tigrão Lanchonete

On a day off, I took the subway up to the Mercado Municipal. I was expecting something amazing, but it was even bigger and full of more interesting foods than I thought.

The fruit rows had a wide selection of things I'd never seen before, as well as crates of pineapples, papayas, and bananas. The smell on those aisles was simply intoxicating!

In the meat areas, the most interesting shop was the one devoted to the "rest of the animal". No chops, steaks, or even legs. Just organs, feet, heads, faces, you name it.

In the fish rows, huge fish I'd never seen or heard off, both salt as well as freshwater.
Working up an appetite, I had the famed Mortadella sandwich from Lanchonete Tigrão. Huge mounds of mortadella, cheese, and sun dried tomatoes piled high on bread and served warm.

Meal: Lunch

Date Visited: 6 February 2010

Rating: ****

Address: Mercado Municipal, Rua da Cantareira, 306 – Sé, São Paulo, SP, 01024-000

Website: http://www.mercadomunicipal.com.br/ (site for the entire Mercado)

TAM flights, BEL to BRA to CGH

TAM flights, BEL to BRA to CGH

The two hops from Belém to São Paulo, via Brasilia on this trip were again the breakfast and light lunch. As before, the flight attendants handed out various toffees before taking off; I was told Brasilians have a sweet tooth, and I guess it's true!

JJ (TAM) 3499: BEL to BRA

Full flight from Belém to Brasilia, so a bit snug to eat. Also, onlly slept for 45 minutes or so the previous night, so I fell asleep as soon as we took off and missed the serving. Luckily, the fellow next to me noticed and called the steward back and I had my breakfast box and orange juice (suco do laranja as I know call it).

The box was different than on my previous TAM a.m. flight. Today it was a toast-like bit of bread with “grape” jam (more of a paste, curious). Also some white spread that I passed on. Lastly, a nice chocolate chip cookie.

Meal: Breakfast

Date Visited: 10 February 2010

Rating: N/A

Address: In the Air

Website: N/A

JJ (TAM) 3703: BRA to CGH

Fell asleep on this leg also, but was awake in time for food service. Just as on my previous TAM lunch service flight, I had the “classic sandwich”. This time, it was clearly ham, cheese, and tomato. Not a gourmet treat, but tasty in a fast food sort of way.

Meal: Lunch

Date Visited: 10 February 2010

Rating: N/A

Address: In the Air

Website: N/A

TAM Airlines, from São Paulo to Belém (via Brasilia)

TAM Airlines, from São Paulo to Belém (via Brasilia)



JJ 3702: CGU to BRA
Breakfast (somewhere over the Patenal)

Up at the crack of dawn to fly from São Paulo to Belém (via Brasilia), I didn't have a chance for other food, so I was counting on TAM for a nice something. TAM served a nice little breakfast in a attractive box. Inside was a small bottle of the popular drinkable yogurt, small dish of fruit, and a small sandwich of ham and tomato. I added orange juice and a coffee to top it all off.

JJ 3444: BRA to BEL

On the lunch flight from Brasila to Belém, the fare was an interesting hot sandwich, at first I thought it was an empanada, of cheese and turkey (or maybe chicken? or ham?). Not the greatest, but served its purpose.

Meal: Breakfast/Lunch
Date Visited: 7 February 2010
Rating: N/A
Address: In the air
Website: N/A

Viver a vida Lilló

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Livin' the Lilló life!

After landing in São Paulo and checking into my hotel, I took a stroll around the neighborhood, partly to scout out dinner locations and partly to see the local sites. Just a block or so from the hotel, I spied Restaurante Lilló, it looked quite promising. Later that evening, when getting back together with my colleagues, they too had spotted Restaurante Lilló and noted it's extensive wine list. It was a go.

The main dinning area of Restaurante Lilló is practically outdoors, basically, it's a covered alleyway with live trees and a wall of ivy. Quite nice! In terms of food, it offers a variety of main courses as well as pizzas.

By choice, chance, and happenstance, I ended up having three meals at Restaurante Lilló – and there's a possibility of a fourth upon my return to São Paulo!

What did we have, meat. Lots of meat. Yes, there were fish, chicken and pasta options, but each night, we pretty much stuck with meat. Carpaccio for an appetizer, and various cuts of beef with different accompaniments. The braised cheese side was a real winner, as were the two different risottos. Oh, and the fries were good too.

Never having had Brasilian wine before, I didn't have much to compare with, but the Cabernet and pinot noir were both quite good.

An excellent choice!

Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 2, 3, 4 February 2010
Rating: *****
Address: R Borges Lagoa, 1321, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
Website: http://www.restaurantelillo.com.br/

United 861: IAD to GRU, Dinner

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

United 861: IAD to GRU

Dinner (somewhere over the Atlantic, near the Bahamas)

Choice of beef or pasta. Wasn't in a pasta mood, so I went with the beef. Turned out to be a nice little Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes, corn, and a nice, slightly barbeque-y sauce. Side salad with a balsamic vinagrette and the popular United brownies and cream for dessert.

Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 2 February 2010
Rating: N/A
Address: In the air
Website: N/A