Porto Alegre - Typical Food and Drinks

Rio Grande do Sul is a state with many particular characteristics, it shares some habits with its neighbors Uruguay and Argentina, among those habits is chimarrão, a mate infusion that the gaúchos drink hot, all they long, no matter if it's winter or summer.

To experience a chimarrão you need a cuia (bowl), a bomba (pump), mate, and hot water. Before adding water it will look like the following picture.
I suggest you to ask a local to show you how it is prepared. This is so cultural, that you don't experience chimarrão your trip won't have its true value... It is that serious! 

Another tradition that won't be difficult to try is the churrasco… the gaúcho way of making barbecue. It includes steak, lamb, veal, and many other delicious meat. Where should you go to experience the typical churrasco gaúcho?

Na Brasa - Rua Ramiro Barcelos 389, Floresta - Porto Alegre
They offer 12 different meat cuts, besides fish, and a huge variety of wine. You can make reservations on their Website or thru the phone (51) 3225 2205. During the World Cup the restaurant will be opened from Monday thru Friday 12h - 16h and 18h to 13:30. On Saturdays, all day from 12h to 23:30 and Sundays from 12h to 22h

Na Brasa

Galpão Crioulo Steakhouse - Parque Maurício Sirotsky Sobrinho, s/n - Centro - Porto Alegre
The place accommodates 600 people, besides the amazing meat, you will also enjoy traditional gaúcho and latin american dances and shop for typical products in their small shop to take home with you. They do take reservations. Website

Galpão Crioulo official website

Constantino Café - Rua Fernando Gomes 44, Moinhos de Vento
A cosy restaurant serving mediterranean food. If it's a cold evening, you can choose a seat by the fireplace.  Check more pictures here.

Constantino Café

Now, if you are more interested in nightlife, relax! Porto Alegre has many bars, pubs,  and I chose a tapa bar to suggest:

Rambla Tapas and Music - Rua Félix da Cunha, 977 - Moinhos de Vento - Porto Alegre

The bar was opened in January 2012 and was already elected one of the best cousines in its category.  They try to keep the Spanish atmosphere in it's decoration and on the menu. On the upper level there is music and you can taste a good beer or caipirinha.

Rambla - official website

For more steakhouses around the country check this post: Steakhouses 

Cuiabá - Restaurants

Dear readers...

Today I will show you some of the best restaurants in Cuiabá and tell you what you should try.

Mahalo

Mahalo - A contemporary restaurant of Brazilian food.
You can try Pintado, a fish from the rivers of the region, or confit de pato (duck).
Lunch: from Monday to Friday you can choose an entree + main course + dessert - from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. On Saturdays you can serve yourself entree from the buffet + main course + dessert - from 11:30 am to 3 pm.
Dinner: à la carte from 7:30 pm to midnight.
They also serve afternoon tea every Thursday from 4:30 pm to 7 pm.
Address: Presidente Castelo Branco, 359, Quilombo, Cuiabá-MT

Lélis Peixaria - Fish from the region.

The pescado from local rivers is the basis for basically every dish. Sounds appealing, right?

The menu is neatly written in Portuguese and English, so check it out.

And more... they have a special menu with many different kinds of caipirinha. Click here. 

Lélis Peixaria

Getúlio - eclectic restaurant, for everyone.
There are 3 ambients at Getúlio:
VIP - at lunch there is a nice salad buffet, at dinner there is a cold cuts and cheese buffet + à la carte.
Lounge: tapas and cebiches are prepared in front of the guests at the bar. At night the DJ comes to make to dance!
Outdoor - where you can order appetizers and cold beer.
Check dinner the menu here in English. Free wi-fi.

Okada - local fish, simple but this restaurant received many good reviews.
They serve lunch every day and dinner every night except Mondays.

It's a good option if you have small children, there is a nice play area.

Okada - www.peixariaokada.com.br

Di Pietro Vineria & Ristorante - for the wine lovers, an Italian Ristorante!

Live music, the restaurant is located in a beautiful house, serving excellent food and a big variety of wines.

Di Pietro Vineria & Ristorante

I really hope you have a chance to try the amazing cuisine from Cuiabá.

Belo Horizonte: Traditional Dishes

Hello everyone!

Thank you for stoping by again to learn more about Belo Horizonte and it's beauties,

Today I will show you why the food from Minas Gerais is one of the Brazilians' favorite and most famous. But first you have to learn the magical words: Comida Mineira.

The traditional Comida Mineira consists of rice, beans, pork, chicken, ribs, collard greens, tutu, farofa. They use fresh local ingredients cooked in iron pans, many times under a coal or wood-fired ovens.  For desert you can try doce de leite, fruits in syrup, puddings and much more, served with white cheese from Minas. 

Here is a list of places where you can try this delicious, flavorful food:

Xapuri: this is one of the best restaurants in the city. The food is prepared with fresh local ingredients in wood-fired oven. Ask the waiter how many people the dish serves, many of them are good for the whole family. The desert buffet has over 30 choices. It's a great place to bring the kids, they can either play at the playground or go for a horseback ride. 
Free wi-fi. 

Dona Lucinha: excellent buffet, they also serve à la carte meal, and colonial coffee. There are many products you can buy from Dona Lucinha's brand, including a recipe book in English, deserts, and an apron. Remember to make reservation. 

Paladino: it's located on a small farm, it's a good place to bring the kids, there's a playground, horses and a lake. They serve Brazilian food (one plate usually serves 4 people) and during the winter you have also the option of fondue. 
You should make reservations by phone (31) 3447.6604  

Fogo de Chão: the best steakhouse of the country. It's a more expensive restaurant, you pay per person, but the place is very comfortable and the food is excellent! To begin you can serve yourself some salad from the buffet and then just wait, the meat won't stop coming to your plate!

As I said before Minas is the biggest coffee producer in Brazil, so you can't leave without stopping for coffee and some other delicious specialties like pão de queijo (cheese bread) and cakes. Check also the post about Brazilian Coffee.

Café Kahlúa: one of the best coffees in BH, they offer national coffee and beans from South America, Central America and South Africa. You can order a piece of the cake of the day to go with your coffee or any other pastries from the menu. It's located at Centro. 

Armazém Dona Lucinha: Located at São Pedro, it is a good place to try pão de queijo, the traditional cheese bread from Minas Gerais. A must-try. You will also find other typical specialties and of course cakes, breads, an excellent place to have breakfast before heading to the stadium.

Belga Brigaderia: Do you know what a brigadeiro is? It's a little ball made of condensed milk and chocolate covered with sprinkles served usually at kid's birthday parties, but everybody loves it. This place is specialized in brigadeiro, they make brigadeiro gourmet with Belgic chocolate, they offer over 40 different flavors, and you can even take home a box full of them. Yum! 

Mercado Central: Visit the Central Market, there you will find cachaça, the Brazilian liquor used to make caipirinha and you will also find fruits in syrup, like fig, guava, orange, peach, papaya and so on. 

So, dear readers... what do you think? What dish would you try for sure? Would you share with us your favorite food from Minas Gerais? Take pictures and send to me, I will add the pictures here on my blog to share your experience with the travelers. Enjoy your trip!

Curitiba: Restaurants and more...

Nothing says more about the culture of a place than it's food, correct? So that's why I insist that you come out of your bubble and let yourself go through the flavors of the Brazilian cuisine, even if it has an European influence, because it does. But there are other ingredients that you will only find here.
To beging this post I want to reinforce that I'm writing based on the idea that my readers are coming to Brazil in June / July of 2013 and 2014, and that during these months it's winter in Brazil and especially cold in the South of the country where Curitiba is located. That's why I'm suggesting the foods and restaurants that follow:

Typical food from Paraná:

Barreado: is a slow cooked meet prepared on the day before it will be served, made with cumin, black pepper, garlic, tomato, anion, bacon and few other ingredients. If you take a train trip to Morretes, their barreado is one of the most famous in the state.
The Quintana Café & Restaurante serves an excellent barreado on Wednesdays, always with fresh ingredients. Curitiba, Batel.

Pinhão: is the seed of araucária, tree that is the symbol of the city. It is served cooked or as an ingredient for other dishes such as risotto.

Café Colonial: was introduced in Brazil for the German immigrants, it's a large table set with many different kinds of bread, juices, coffee, jams, fruits, cold cuts and cakes. It is usually served in the afternoon. I've chosen 3 nice places try the café colonial:

- Neuchatel at Batel: the café colonial is served from 2:30 pm to 9:30 pm

- Chez Arnold at Mercês: with fine recipes from Holland, Germany and Austria.

- Coeur Douce at Cristo Rei - from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 10 pm

For a hot chocolate after walking through the city...

Café do Paço - located at Centro, it's said to have the best hot chocolate in the city and an amazing pecan pie with wine sauce.

Other options...

Fondue: good option for the cold nights.

- Château de Gazon (Batel) - Besides fondue, you will find delicious European food as well.

Portuguese: Is totally part of the Brazilian culture, besides being very tasteful.

- Alma Lusa at Batel for a delicious codfish (bacalhau) in Portuguese Style.

Brazilian Cuisine:

- Brasserie Quatro Estações - located at Mabu Royal and Premium Hotel

Cosmopolitan Influence:

 - Forneria Copacabana: There you will find a mix of culture within the decoration, the menu, the ingredients, the music and of course the customers. A very pleasant ambient, with good food.

Bars: You won find any hard to find bars in Curitiba, if you go to Batel, just walk around and find the right one for you and your friends. 

For beers, at Batel you will find two nice places, Clube do Malte and Devassa. For a happy hour with live music go to Aos Democratas or the Guffo Bar. The Aurora Bar & Piadineria is good for the single ones and if you like Jazz, Nu Jazz is also at Batel.

I hope you fell in love with Curitiba, even under a cold weather and if you have a chance, come to see us at summer time.

Rio de Janeiro: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Hello readers! Today's post is about food. This is a though post because I can't list all the good restaurants in Rio and because usually the food will be good everywhere haha so I will need your help. I will list a few and you will share your opinion too so we have more options. Deal or no deal? 

Breakfast - Many hotels, and hostels include breakfast but if you want to have breakfast somewhere else, or if your hotel don't serve breakfast you can have a delicious breakfast at a bakery. Click here to read the post about coffee.

CONFEITARIA COLOMBO - served on the second floor at Bar Jardim from 9 am to 11 am. On Sundays there's a buffet with fixed price of R$37.00 per person.
Website: Confeitaria Colombo
Location: Centro

BISTRÔ CASA DO PÃO - Sat, Sun, Holidays from 9 am to 1 pm

Website: Casa do Pão

Location: Rua General Garzon, 10 - Lagoa - Rio de Janeiro

LA BICYCLETTE - French Café, excellent coffee. I love the banana and oatmeal cake, and the whole wheat baguette. Detail: the check comes in a cute basket.
Website: La Bicyclette - Portuguese and French
Location: Jardim Botânico

CEREAL - open to public on Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm.
Website: Cereal
Location: Santa Teresa

CONTEMPORÂNEO HOSTEL - Tue - Fri from 7:30 am - 10:30 am / Sat and Sun from 7:30 - 1 pm
Website: Contemporaneo
Location: Botafogo

GRINGO CAFÉ - Open everyday from 8:30 am to 11 pm

Website: Gringo Café

Location: Rua Barão da Torre 240 - Ipanema

Lunch - In Brazil lunch is a bigger meal than dinner, so you will find nice buffets worth trying, restaurants por quilo, that means you pay for the weight of what you put on your plate.

VIENA - per kilo (self-service)

Website: Viena

Locations: Barra Shopping - Barra da Tijuca and many other locations, usually inside malls

RÁSCAL - per kilo (self-service) - Mediterranean cuisine

Website: Ráscal

Locations: Shopping Leblon, Shopping Rio Sul and Casa Shopping

PORCÃO: Steakhouse

Website: Porcão

Locations: Many locations, you can check them all on the website.

Dinner - You can always go out for dinner and later on enjoy the nightlife in Rio. There are many nice bars where you can try out greatest appetizers and beers. 

POMODORINO - Italian Cuisine, they prepare an artisan pasta and serve with meat, fish or seafood.

Website: Pomodorino

Location: Avenida Epitácio Pessoa, 1104 - Lagoa

FOGO DE CHÃO - Steakhouse

Website: Fogo de Chão

Location: Botafogo

FASANO AL MARE (HOTEL) - Seafood

Website: Fasano

Location: Av. Vieira Souto, 80 - Ipanema

PIZZARIA CARIOCA DA GEMA - Brazilian and Pizza - The Pizzaria Carioca da Gema is next to the bar that carries the same name. Ideal if you want to eat and then enjoy the nightlife having few beers with your friends or to meet new people - 18 or older. Remember to make reservation - (21) 2221-0043 / (21) 2508-6952 

Website: Carioca da Gema

Location: Lapa

Sunset by Rodrigo_Soldon via Flickr

Churrascarias - Steakhouses

I bet many of you have heard of Brazilian Steakhouse and many of you have tried this delicious way of appreciating a good meat. The Brazilian barbecue, churrasco, is made with pieces of meat, chicken, pork sausage, lamb, and some other variations. 

http://garfoebombacha.blogspot.com.br

Churrascaria is the type of restaurant where the meat is fired roasted and served in slices.  Before starting you can serve yourself some salad and appetizers... then just wait for the fun to begin! 
In some restaurants the waiters, are dressed in a typical gaúcho outfit, they go from table to table offering a large variety of meat to each customer. In Brazil gaúcho is how we call those born in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where this process of roasting the meat placed on a skewer over pits of open fire began. 
Once you sit by your table you will receive a disk which one side is green, the other side is red. While your disk is turned with the green side up the meat will keep coming... if you wish to stop, just turn the red side up.  
If you wish for a specific type of meat, you can ask the waiter, you don't need to wait until they bring it.
Here are the best steaks you will find:

• Picanha: a prime cut of the top sirloin
• Alcatra: top sirloin
• Filet Mignon: the most tender cut
• Costela: ribbs
• Linguiça: pork sausage
• Cordeiro: lamb
• Vitela: veal
• Frango: chicken
• Porco: pork

Where do I find the best churrascaria?

Rio de Janeiro

Porcão Rio's -  located in one of the most beautiful places in Rio, where you have a view to Guanabara Bay, Corcovado e Pão de Açúcar. There are other locations such as Ipanema and Barra.

São Paulo 

Fogo de Chão - there are 4 locations in São Paulo: Moema, Santo Amaro, Vila Olimpia and Center Norte Mall.

Curitiba 

Batel Grill - it was recently renewed and now fits 480 people, they serve meat from Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Australia. Its wine cellar has over 1800 bottles.

Porto Alegre

Galpão Crioulo Churrascaria - very traditional, you will watch a typical dance performance while enjoying an amazing meal in a nice ambient. 

Belo Horizonte

Fogo de Chão - amazing meat and great service.

Brasília

Fogo de Chão - capacity for 500 people, there you will be seated close to very important people such as diplomats, magistrates, and judges. 

Salvador

Fogo de Chão - besides being located in Bahia they don't serve sushi, or seafood. Their speciality is meat, good meat!

fogodechao.com.br

FYI: Ronaldinho Gaúcho received this nickname because he was born in Rio Grande do Sul. The capital Porto Alegre is one of the host cities for the 2014 World Cup.

Please share your opinion with us!

Must try → Appetizers

It doesn't matter how many times I say Brazilian cuisine is excellent... you will only understand what I mean after you try it.
Today's post is delicious, smells good and it is crunchy!

Here are the appetizers you must try! 


Meat

Carne Seca com Aipim
barerestaurantefloresta.com.br

• Carpaccio - an Italian hors d'oeuvre consisting of thin slices of raw beef served with sauce. 
• Picanha na tábua - slices of picanha (red meat) served on a wooden board.
• Filé mignon no prato - filet Mignon served with slices of bread, sometimes it comes with lettuce, tomatoes and hearts of palm.
• Costelinha de porco - pork ribs
• Kibe - Kibbeh is a fried Lebanese appetizer, made of meat and lamb.
• Linguiça - pork sausage 
• Carne seca com mandioca or aipim - sun dried meat with yuca.

Bolinho de Bacalhau
http://goo.gl/Ime1O

Seafood

• Bolinho de bacalhau - deep fried cod fish cake in a ball shape. 
• Camarão frito - fried shrimp with garlic.
• Ostras frescas - fresh oysters.
• Tilapia frita - small slices of fried tilapia.
• Polvo - octopus
• Lula frita - calamari
• Acarajé - deep fried cakes toped with shrimp and hot sauce.

Pupunha
Folha de São Paulo - Divulgação

Others

• Pastel - a deep fried light pastry filled with cheese, meat, chicken or hearts of palm. 
• Tábua de frios - a variety of cold cuts like cheese, black/green olives, hearts of palm, sun dried tomato, prosciutto served with slices of french bread.
• Pupunha - is a type of heart of palm - served baked with herbs.
• Patê de beringela - eggplant spread.
• Frango a passarinho - small pieces of fried chicken with bones.
• Mandioca frita / Aipim frito - Fried yuca

Do you have any other suggestion? Write your comment below.

Tropical Fruits & Natural Juices

Dicas Guia Mais

Today's post is dedicated to one of the best things you will find in a tropical country; the fruits and of course the delicious natural juices and smoothies that can be made using them. In Brazil, in addition to those tasty, delicious fruits you will also find others that you never saw before. Right now I give my first tip: when in Brazil, go natural!
I'm dedicating a post to fruits and juices because it is very common to find tents where are specialized in natural juices, and they very present in our daily routine.

"I like going to Ipanema or Barra da Tijuca to have a natural juice at Bibi Sucos or Polis Sucos, my favorites are cupuaçu, graviola, acerola with orange or orange with carrots." Fabio Vicente from Rio de Janeiro

Cupuaçu and Graviola are fruits that you will find only in South America and are quite unknown outside of Brazil. The benefits are many, I will list a few: reduce mucus, combat cancer, bacteria, they are rich in fibers, vitamins, iron and much more.

At a restaurant my option #1 is usually a mix of pineapple juice with mint, it helps with the digestion, and is very refreshing. In Portuguese, abacaxi com hortelã.
I also love acerola juice, it has a very unique flavor, it's a citric fruit, very rich in vitamin C. You may need to add some sugar to it.

One of the Brazilians favorite fruits is passion fruit, here we call it maracujá, an oxidant, rich in vitamins, and is a source of fibers and minerals. It is used to make juices, tarts, mousses, whatever your imagination creates.

meioambiente.culturamix.com/blog

Well, since I am the one writing this blog, I'm allowed to suggest my favorite fruit! Guava, in Portuguese goiaba, which is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, lot of vitamin C. Goiaba also combats infections, hemorrhage, fortifies the bones and even increases physical resistance. In Brazil goiaba is used to make many kinds of desserts, pastries, and juices. I also suggest you to try goiabada, a creamy or thick mass eaten usually with white cheese, what we call Romeo and Juliet.

Watermelon here is very sweet as well! Great for juices, and perfect to eat by itself on a hot day. In Portuguese we say melancia, it keeps you hydrated.
Caldo de cana or garapa, molasses, is the juice extracted from the sugar cane. Very sweet, and delicious. Just a little detail, because of the amount of natural sugar, it makes you very sleepy.

Açai, this exotic fruit from Amazon and Pará is now very well-known in the whole planet. In Brazil we consume it with banana, granola and honey in a bowl. Açai reduces stress and fatigue, gives you energy and it is a powerful antioxidant.

Mixes are very common, as Fabio said above, you can order two fruits or more, add water or milk, and make a smoothie. Orange with carrot is common, specially if you need to work on your tanning! But pay attention if they are adding real fruit or frozen pulp.

Now, don't leave the country without experiencing something similar to what you see on the next picture... having green coconut water, or água de coco, by the beach! Do it, and send me the picture so we can encourage everyone to do the same when visiting Brazil. Coconut water is extremely healthy, it helps to eliminate toxins helping you to have a beautiful skin. Alright, did you write it down? Good!

Paulo Teófilo / Ag. News

Hey, how about you? have you been to Brazil before? Do you have any favorite juice or a nice place to share here? Please feel free to do so!

♥ Coffee Love ♥

Brazil is by far the world's largest coffee exporter, so you can bet our coffee is great!

I know you will have a chance to try some in your hotel, but when you are out there enjoy sitting in our coffee shops to appreciate this awesome beverage. If your hotel doesn’t offer breakfast, don’t worry, the bakeries (padarias) are perfect places to enjoy an excellent breakfast and brunch.

Café Colonial Bela Vista - Gramado RS

Café Colonial: This is a German tradition brought to Brazil that became very popular over the years. In the afternoon the table is set with a large variety of bread, cakes, pies, waffles, coffee, fruits, yogurt, jam, cheese and so on. I highly recommend!

By Marcelo Cabral

Brazilian coffee is stronger and darker than Colombian, the most common methods of preparing it is: boiling, filtering or pressure (espresso).

Here the coffee is served black in a small cup, what we call cafezinho. If you want coffee and milk, large, you better specify it all. You can even speak in the italian way: capuccino, machiatto... but the Brazilian version of cappuccino has cocoa in it.

\It is not usual to add cream to the coffee here, as well as drinking flavored coffee but you can always ask. Some places have hazelnut, vanilla, chocolate flavored coffee.

For those who like brands, here are some franchises you will find:

• Café do Ponto: located in almost every host city, you can also buy their ground coffee and take home with you.
• Casa do Pão de Queijo: besides regular coffee you will also find flavored coffee. Don't forget to order the traditional pão de queijo (cheese bread) or any of their pastries.
• Amor aos Pedaços: when you order a coffee it comes with a delicious brigadeiro, a Brazilian candy made of condensed milk and chocolate, very commonly made for birthday parties. They also make many kinds of pastries and cake.
• Kopenhagen: they are specialized in chocolate, there are more than 300 stores in the country. Take your time, enjoy your coffee and buy chocolate to the loved ones.

*There are Starbucks in Rio and São Paulo as well, usually they are located in malls, and they have free Wi-Fi.