Sushi, Brasilian Style

Sushi, Brasilian Style

After a couple of days of all steak, all the time on my trip to São Paulo, I was in the mood for something a little different. There was a sushi place across from the hotel and another that I'd found on a walk around the neighborhood.

So, after the like-clockwork afternoon thunderstorm, my colleague and I took a stroll down Rua Borges Lagoa towards Gendai. The restaurant was very nicely laid out “Japanese style”, lots of wood, low seats, etc. We chose a quiet (meaning away from the tv screens with futbol on) outside.

After looking at the menu for a bit, I realized that Gendai was a chain of some sort. Not that there's anything wrong with that! An interesting menu, with a variety of sushi and other Japanese offerings.

Not being a sake connoisseur, my colleague offered to order for us and we got, what seemed to me to be a nice cold sake. I got some of my staples (avocado roll, gyuzo). There was also a good miso soup that came with the meal.

My next sushi stop was after a few nights of steak were again on my menu. My co-worker, who had made it out of Brazil between  the snowstorms on the East Coast that trapped me, had eaten lunch at São Paolo – Toky and gave the sushi only a mediocre review. I was tired of steak, however, and didn't want to go back to Gendai, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I avoided the sushi and got a mushroom stir fry and fried gyoza (and some tasty miso soup). No sake on this night, but had a nice cold beer. The restaurant was crowded and lively. I had a good seat to people watch by and enjoyed a tasty (non-sushi) meal.

Gendai-Vila Mariana
Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 6 February 2010
Rating: ***
Address: Rua Borges Lagoa, 245, São Paulo, SP, 04038-030
Website: http://www.gendai.com.br

São Paolo – Tokyo, Gastronomia Japonesa
Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 10 February 2010
Rating: ****
Address: Rua Borges Lagoa, 1.172 - Zona Sul - (11) 5081-6444
Website: http://www.saopaulotokyo.com.br

Pleasures of the Flesh, in Brazil

2010-02-04-IMG_6030
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Pleasures of the Flesh: Grill Hall Prazeres da Carne

Most everyone by now as been to or at least run across one of the Brazilian steak houses back in the U.S. There are a couple of big chains (heavily advertized, I might ad in airline magazines!), Fogo de Chão and Texas de Brazil being the most common. While in Chicago a few years back, I had my first experience at one, Fogo de Chão, and it was quite interesting.

So, what do you get at at churrascarias? First off, don't bring your vegetarian friends with you. A churrascarias is not vegetable friendly. When going to at churrascarias your goal is to eat meat. Cow, lamb, pig (there might be some chicken thrown in, but why bother). Oh yeah, there's also a salad bar (placed there to distract the unwary from the primary goal, eating lots of meat).

So, when I went to Brazil, I was hoping to stop in at a churrascarias. And there were plenty to choose from, smaller places, and even Fogo de Chão. When my colleagues expressed interest in Brazilian steak, our hosts said they had just the place for us, Grill Hall Prazeres da Carne. In translation, The Pleasures of the Flesh! Ah, and how true!

We arrived early and our group of ten or so had a nice big round table that made for good conversation. The passadores (meat waiters) soon descended on us with shrimp and chicken, but our hosts to eat sparingly of the first offers (if at all) as the offerings get better as the evening goes on.

Wait you ask, how does this work? Well, each guest is given a token, red on one side, green on the other. As long as you are showing green, the passadores will come to your seat and offer you food. Feet is most often served on long skewers (or swords) and cut directly onto your plate.

And so, the meat came. Lamb chops, beef in various cuts (filet, sirloin, etc.), sausages, and more. As the evening drew to a close and the table was showing mostly red, a side of beef was rolled out on a table (too large for the swords) and tender slices passed around.

Not the kind of meal that you want too often, but for a once in a while treat, especially when on the home turf of the churrascarias, it was a great meal.

More photos.

Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 4 February 2010
Rating: ****
Address: Rua Borges Lagoa, 1065, São Paulo, SP, 04038-032
Website: http://www.grillhall.com.br/

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

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

2010-02-12-IMG_6564
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

2010-02-12-IMG_6604
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

2010-02-06-IMG_6107
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)

Viver a vida Lilló

2010-02-03-IMG_6012
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/