|
|
 |
Eu nao ando so, so ando em boa companhia.*
| From Ponta do Arpoador, 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday |
|
| Taken during a morning jog after partying all night. |
One of the biggest benefits of being single is being able to wake up one day and say, "I think I'll take
a trip to Rio de Janeiro....Two weeks from now." (I don't recommend it, by the way. You need to scramble to get your Visa.)
I
didn't know much about Rio, except that I would be landing at the launch of Carnaval, the biggest weeklong celebration in
Brazil. Lots of eating, dancing, late night caipirinhas, 37 white sand beaches, feather headpieces, and some odd bikini phenomenon
called fio dental. Adrian Santos, who coordinated the trip, promised me dancing till dawn, a quick lesson in Portuguese,
and a grande time with our friends, Mark Sifling and Glen Shannon. This was going to be a far cry from the Rio I read
about in Richard Scarry's "Busy, Busy World."
|
|
|
|
| View of Sugarloaf from Corcovado |
Before I go into my fave restaurants: since most of you reading this are from Hawaii, I will give you a quick lesson on Rio
& Brazil, which I learned in planning this trip.
Brazil has the largest population of Japanese people outside of Japan. For some reason, after the war, Japanese people decided
to settle there. That is why, if you go to Sao Paulo, you will find a huge Japantown. When I got to Rio, I thought this
would mean that the Asians would look like me, since the climate is like Hawaii. Interestingly enough, the Japanese people
there all looked like they were plucked out of Berkeley, CA. Nonetheless, expect to blend in, and you can look forward to
great sushi and sashimi in Brazil.
Another thing that I forgot was that Brazil is a Portuguese colony. So many things there are imported from Portugal.....like
the ukulele. During Carnaval and Mardi Gras, it is not uncommon to find floats with men strumming ukuleles to festive songs.
Put that together with the above paragraph--do you see a new star for Jake Shimabukuro?
In addition to the ukulele, you will of course find portuguese sausage on everything. Portuguese sausage on a stick. Portuguese
sausage pizza. Portuguese sausage sliced to perfection. Portuguese sausage omelettes. Minced Portuguese sausage on garlic
fries! Why has no one in Hawaii picked up on that yet?!
Finally, my best lesson of all: Portagee jokes are universal. At a party one night, this guy named Pedro was practicing
his English by telling me jokes. Then he told me that they even have "jokes that make fun of the stupidity of the Portuguese."
Is that classic, or what? I'm halfway around the world and someone is telling me Portagee jokes.
The funniest thing about that is, being immersed in all things Portuguese, I experienced at least one Portagee thing per day
while in Rio. By the time Mardi Gras rolled around, I was doubled over laughing on the sidewalk, proclaiming that it was
a "nation of Portagees." Frank DeLima would have a field day in Brazil.
|
|
|
| Lucas at Copacabana |
|
| Mark, me and Glen enjoying a German oasis in Copacabana. |
You can get linguica garlic fries at Manoel & Joaquim, a chain in Rio with incredibly
cheap pupus. I am not sure what the entrees were like, but Adrian said they would be "super huge," so we declined the menu.
The linguica fries ($5) are topped with fried garlic and portuguese sausage, and although you can use ketchup, they give you
a shaker of olive oil for extra flavor. We loved the fried calamari ($9), which came with a tartar sauce that was more like
potato salad. Chicken tidbits ($5) rounded out our pupus--a dish like teri chicken with mushrooms, served with bread so you
can sop up the savory gravy as you sip their caipirinhas.
The national dish of Brazil is feijoada, a black bean
stew, which is traditionally served on Saturdays. You don't have to wait a whole week at Casa de Feijoada.
It is a touristy place, so here are two tips:
1. When the waiter comes with your bread basket and cheese plate, say no
unless you really want it. It will cost you 5.90R (about $2).
2. Unless you want it, decline the sausage that comes around
as well. It's also an extra charge,and you will fill up on the meal that follows.
A full feijoada meal includes
black beans, rice, fried potatoes, collard greens, pork rinds, manioc flour, and another pot of meat of your choice--you can
choose one, two, or all of the meats available. We chose all, since it's the same price ($42.50R) per person anyway, and the
boys made me eat the organ meats while they ate the linguica. For those of you who need to limit your salt intake, I need
to warn you that this is a delicious sodium fest. You will also be so full that you will need to walk a mile after dinner.
| Casa de Feijoada |
|
| Dig the Rio version of leis! |
One of the best meals we had was at Siri Mole & CIA, a Brazilian seafood restaurant.
Make sure you go with friends so you can sample everything. I loved the Bobo de Camarao (cheesy looking coconut sauce, 66.50R)
and the Carne de Sol (grilled steak with a tapioca-like sauce, 45R), all good with the potatoes gratin. Glen was particularly
enamored with the Moqueca de Peixe, a bubbling stew with fish in coconut milk (58R). He had about 6 helpings and licked the
plate to boot.
Lucas is a German oasis in Copacabana. Your lunch will
open with pupus of quail eggs, an elaborate bread basket, and pickled vegetables (pickles, carrots, olives, and cauliflower).
Glen had the tenderloin steak with mushroom sauce and creamed rice. The rice was very soft and rich, with a definite milk
aftertaste. The tenderloin itself was good, but the gravy! We smothered it over everything. I had the fresh tongue
in a wine spiked brown gravy with mashed potatoes. Lucas is good about serving only the soft parts of the tongue, and I ate
every last bit. In fact, I gave some tongue to the boys that day!
|
|
|
| Some of the freaks at Carnaval |
|
| Men in Rio think Carnaval is a drag! |
Meats are definitely a big staple in Brazil. One very popular concept is the churrascaria, where waiters bring
various meats to your table and slice them fresh to order. We visited a popular chain called Porcao,
which is mid-priced with a beautiful, well-lit dining room. I think I lost count, but I recall a parade of pork, chicken,
chicken hearts, frog legs, lamb, steak, meat covered in cheese, and two kinds of sausages making their rounds regularly past
our table like models on a runway. You can balance your meal with the ample salad bar in the middle of the restaurant, offering
fresh sushi & sashimi, asparagus, quail eggs, beets, mussels, crab mix in a scallop shell, risotto, and....oh, yes, some
salad. Although the meats and salad bar are included in one flat fee of about $25, side dishes (rice, beans, fried polenta,
farofa, fries, etc.) are available at an extra charge, as are desserts and alcohol. Dinner for four, including cocktails,
2 bottles of wine, dessert, too many sides, and an apertif each: $525 reiais (about $40-50 per person).
|
|
|
| Pizzeria Odeon in Centro |
|
| The kid in the back is the star! |
We spent one special evening at Aprazivel, a restaurant well hidden in Santa
Teresa up a mountain like Montmartre. The setting is like coming into Haleiwa Joe's, but with an awesome view of the city
lights. Mark had the Salmon Oriente Salad, which was fresh and wonderful (order this, not the house salad). Every entree
we had--chicken rice, seafood, or tropical fish--was all good, but I think the setting is what makes this place special, even
more than the food.
On the flip side, we happened upon Pizzeria Odeon when I dragged the boys to Centro
to take a tour of Santa Teresa. The staff is all young, local, fun, and earthy. The young man, in fact, grabs life with gusto--knows
various language phrases, and dances in the doorway to people passing with boom boxes. When we left, the staff and the patrons
all waved goodbye. Three savory pastries and 6 cups of demitasse coffee = 8.70R (about 3 dollars).
| Meat Vendor at the Hippie Fair |
|
| Forget the bon dance teriyaki sticks! These big, tasty meat skewers put them to shame! |
...and the snacks....
Traveling with guys, you can expect to snack a lot. Rio is a Snacker's Paradise, with cheap, yummy items at every turn.
One of the items we fell in love with was banana pizza, which you can find at almost any restaurant that serves pizza. As
freaky as it sounds, it is an item that is often served as an entree--bananas, cinnamon, sugar and cheese on a regular crust.
Adrian's friend Dora served it to us one evening and had us begging for more.
Other exotic wonders are juices and smoothies served everywhere in Ipanema. They are made with fruits from the Amazon, names
of which there is no English translation since they are found nowhere else in the world. Acai is a blueberry-like fruit and
is packed with antioxidants. Upon my return I found Jamba Juice had capitalized on it! Umbu tastes like a citrusy banana,
and jams are made from Capuacu and Baruti. The one fruit we voted down was Jaca, which we all agreed "tastes like ass."
Finally, don't turn your nose up at the street food. There are vendors with makeshift hibachis everywhere, serving up corn
on the cob, or skewers of shrimp, salty cheese (looks like tofu), fish, Portuguese sausage (of course), and chunks of marinated
meat. I discovered the last item on a Sunday, as I was trying to walk off the worst caipirinha hangover ever. I shopped
for hours at the Hippie Fair, turning down the tempting offers of gorgeous sweets at the two corner dessert booths. At the
end of the day, as the street parades got into full swing, I came upon a street vendor who sold me a huge skewer of marinated
meat drizzled with salsa and dusted with farofa....all for just 2 reiais (75 cents). She also had a whole Portuguese sausage
prepared the same way.
Finally, if you're up for one last free treat in Ipanema: the music store Toca do Vicinius (located on rua Vicinius
de Moraes, named after the guy who wrote The Girl From Ipanema) offers free concerts once a week from about 8 p.m.
If you like bossa nova, as I do, this free concert is the perfect way to end a tropical day in Ipanema.
|
|
|
*I do not walk alone, I only walk in good company. ~Vicinius do Moraes
Christmas 2006
|
|
|
|
