My friends and I stumbled into Little Brazil in Astoria, Queens almost by accident back in July for the World Cup final. The game had ended and Germany was crowned the rightful champion. A couple of fights had broken out at the bar we were at. I was beer soaked, tired and hungry. We roamed the streets of Astoria trying to find a place to eat and get away from the masses of mostly angry Argentines. It was fitting that we stopped at a Brazilian buffet, one of those little holes in the wall to have what I can only describe as the most gratifying post-game meal I could have asked for. The lady who served me rice and beans looked at the television and muttered under her breath something that sounded like “hijos de puta” when the Argentine team came on to collect their 2nd place medals. I knew I had to come back to this neighborhood some day.
I picked Brazilian food to be my first stop for this project. I have enough familiarity with Latin American food, but no substantial interaction with Brazilian food unless we’re counting that time I had 10 caipirinhas back to back. (SOOOO GOOD). I also don’t think those generic chain steakhouses really count as far as truly experiencing the culture. My husband, Stephan, and I hit up “Favela Grill” this evening, a cute establishment playing Bossa Nova in the background. We had caipirinhas to start, a drink I truly love, but Stephan wasn’t a huge fan of because it goes overboard with the sugar. It’s lemonade, with rum like booze called “cachaca”.
Coxinhas. No idea how you pronounce this.
Our appetizers consisted of a mix of fried pastries called Coxinhas de frego (pastries with chicken), Bolinhas de Queijo (balls of cheese), and Risoles de Camaro ( pastries with shrimp). Each little fried ball was a complete surprise as far as what the filling was since they all looked the same. Tangent – how is the entire Latin American region not morbidly obese? I swear 80% of our foods are fried. For the main course I had the Moqueca de Peixe. Fish stew. To say it was good is an understatement. The stew came paired with rice, beans and pirao ( a vegetable puree.) The strong point was simply just how perfectly seasoned it was, and how well all the components complimented each other. I don’t think I could replicate that at home if I tried. The highlight of the night was the Brazilian version of Dancing with the Stars that was playing in the background. Let’s just say these Brazilian celebrities are way better dancers than their American counterparts. Brazil, you get an A.
1 down. 192 to go.
Add rice and I’m a happy camper.
Gourmand 