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Brazilian Recommendation


cat lancaster

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Three of my friends and I are spending Thanksgiving week in NYC. One of them used to live in Brazil for 5 years, and one of the other ones has visited there often. They would like to eat at a Brazilian restaurant while we are on our trip and I'm looking for some opinions.

I searched Chowhound and found:

Via Brazil

Delicia

Zebu Grill

How do people feel about these three?

I used to eat at a restaurant in DC called The Grill From Ipanema, so if any of you know that place, something of that quality level would be great.

Thanks,

Cat

cat lancaster

catchi@ix.netcom.com

Portland, OR

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I have not tried any of the three you mention. I used to eat at a Brazilian place on 46th Street in Manhattan that was good but they closed a year or two back. Are you up for a short but worthwhile subway ride? Take the PATH train to the Penn Station Newark stop (in NJ just across the river - it's about a 10 - 15 minute ride from Manhattan). Then walk or take a three minute (literally) cab ride a few blocks to the Ironbound section. It's loaded with Brazilian and Portuguese restaurants. I like Brasilia for rodizio and Seabra's Marisqueria for seafood but those are just a few of the many good ones. Check the NJ forum for Ironbound discussion and you'll get plenty of ideas.

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I used to eat at a restaurant in DC called The Grill From Ipanema, so if any of you know that place, something of that quality level would be great.

Thanks,

Cat

I had the pleasure of dining at The Grill in DC a number of times - I don't think you'll find that level of Brazilian food in Manhattan. West 46th St. between 5th and 6th Avenues has a number of Brazilian places, but I think they're pretty much hit or miss.

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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If you wish to make your way into Astoria, I've always loved Sabor Tropical on 30th Avenue (near the N/W/R/G lines). To be honest, I haven't been in about a year, but everything there was really good, and they make killer caipirinhas.

Karen C.

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During the World Cup I tried out pretty much every place on 46th Street, but this was after heavy drinking starting with the Japan match at like 8am, so it's all a blur of green and yellow...

There was also a place on West Broadway and Grand, I think, that was decent

If you are looking to do the Churrascaria thing, I have heard good things about the new Porcao on Park Avenue South, which I have not personally tried, but the Plataforma in Midtown West was excellent when I went there a couple of years ago.

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Thanks for the replies everyone - it's appreciated.

I also posted this request on the Portland, OR food board, as a lot of our posters are ex-east coasters (like myself) and someone recommended, Casa

http://www.casarestaurant.com/

Is anyone familiar with this restaurant? Looking at the website it appears to have the quality that I'm looking for.

Thanks,

Cat

cat lancaster

catchi@ix.netcom.com

Portland, OR

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it seems like you have three options (excuse my poor spelling throughout):

the stuff on Little Brazil street (46th) is in midtown-- a part of the city generally more crowded in the daytime and always with many tourists. the restaurants cater to match this--pretty straightforward, solid quality standard brasilian food (feijoada, moceuque). a safe, if potentially boring choice. you can pretty much pick any one on that street.

churascarias: there are a couple upscale, pricey choices in manhattan already mentioned on this thread. i prefer porcao for the neighborhood. near union square-- you could always go to a bar called Coffee Shop (on union square) afterwards. they make good caipirinhas and it is a classic nyc experience for your Brasilian friend

casa: in the west village--much smaller and homier. actually a similar menu to the stuff on 46th. great pao do quejo (sp?). a lot of character and authenticity. great neighborhood. for my money, the best choice in my experience

the out borough stuff: unfortunately for me, i have never been so i can't weigh in on these

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Thank you everyone one, it was very nice to hear the different opinions and that aided in me making my choice.

This dinner is the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, so unless the restaurant isn't open, we're going to go with Casa.

{And in one of those strange flutes of life/it's a small world - my friend that lived in Brazil now lives in Germany and is flying in to NYC for the weekend. She's the one that especially wanted Brazilian food that week, so I sent her the link to this restaurant. She has only been to NYC twice, and one of those times ate here and loved it. Go figure...}

Thanks for your time,

Cat

cat lancaster

catchi@ix.netcom.com

Portland, OR

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  • 1 year later...

I've eaten at Casa quite a bit, and it's very traditionally brasilian food. I always speak Portuguese immediately upon entering a brasilian restaurant, and if they don't reply in kind... well, it's hard to get excited about it. All the places below live up to it.

Here are the places I've been to:

Casa: Probably the smallest yet completely brasilian restaurant. It's a great date place (caipirinhas have that effect), and all the dishes are authentic. Between me and my wife we've had the "Pao de Queijo" (very well done), linguica (brasilian pork sausage, not spicy), stroganoff (big German population down South in brasil makes this a brasilian dish), picanha (special cut ouf of the top sirloin, the farofa is great), the beef with onions and the moqueca (brasilian style fish soup, very thick, similar to south asian fish soup due to coconut milk, but brasilian due to dende oil). I'm personally not big of feijoada, but I'm sure they make a good one.

La Palette: The child of a franco-brasilian couple, this place carries both a french (crepes mostly) and brasilian menu, although at least at the greenwich street location, it's far more brasilian - everyone speaks portuguese rather than french. I know for a fact that they make a mean "cheese tudo" (brasilian sirloin burgers with "everything", including primarily an egg), good strogonoff, cheese bread and pastel.

Plataforma (churrascaria): This place rates alongside Porcao below as the two big churrascarias in town. I go to both about equally, as each one has it's strengths and weaknesses. Apart from the fact that this doesn't do the better version of three of my favourite brasilian dishes (picanha with garlic, cheese pastel [you have to ask for these or they won't bring them] & picanha with cheese - not sure they have chicken hearts either), its probably the better overall restaurant.

Porcao (churrascaria): They don't have as many off the menu items that you can only get by asking, since I've pretty much seen them bring everything out, even chicken hearts. The starters are great here, since they give you four different ones (pastel, kibe, bolinho de bacalau, pao de queijo) and you can just ask for more of what you like. Don't miss the garlic beef or the cheese beef, both are exceptional.

Rio Bonito Supermarket: Out in Queens, this 100% brasilian supermarket (stock up on guarana and frozen cheese bread!) has a restaurant buffet style in the back. They pretty much have the same things every time, braised fish, braised tripe, oxtails, beef, chicken, pork ribs and rice and beans. The real treat for me here is the "coxinha de galinha" (mini chicken "thighs" - actually more like a dough ball) that they keep heated in the corner. There is also a full brasilian butcher here, selling raw linguica and cuts like picanha, alcatra and fraldinha.

I suppose you could be pressed into saying "Sushi Samba" is Brasilian, and in point of fact their moqueca is very good. But you'll be very hard pressed to find anyone speaking portuguese, and apart from the moqueca it's not very traditional fare at all.

I haven't been to "Delicia Brazil"

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