Tales on the table

Serving only ten lucky diners per service, who are seated on a beautiful counter with a view to the action inside the kitchen, Lasai is definitely one of the best fine dining restaurants in Brazil.

@restaurantelasai is intimate, elegant and exclusive, perfect for special occasions. The restaurant is focused on vegetables, mostly from the state of Rio de Janeiro, showcasing the richness and diversity of the region that chef @rafacostaesilva is so passionate about ... alongside with his beloved soccer team Flamengo.

The menu starts with nine small and light bite-sized snacks, which are served in a fast paced way. A few of my favorites were the fried cassava topped with sea urchin and radish and the plantain with peanut butter and okra.

Once the snack section is over, the tempo slows down a notch or two and the restaurant serves three main courses, a vegetable, a fish and a pork dish. The first one consisted of a heart of palm with coconut and cashew nuts, followed by a steamed hake fish with masterfully cooked leeks. To close out the savory section, the pork loin was very tasty, served with their flagship reduced stock that takes three days to be made.

Desserts did not disappoint and were refreshing and well balanced, closing out on a high note a spectacular evening at this institution that has become Lasai.

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Having spent a great share of my weekends in the countryside village of São Franciso Xavier, I got almost embarrassed when I came across recommendations of the family-run restaurant @asoberanacozinhacaipira that I did not know at the time.

The place, led by Eduardo and his wife Juliana, is located in the backyard of their own house. Service is friendly and more importantly, personal. Everything there is authentic and their hospitality makes you feel at home. The wooden benches, the carefully thought decoration and the dog resting on the side completes the atmosphere.

Eduardo can always be found behind the wood-burning stove and is one question away from telling you all about his passion for cooking on fire, the cultural heritage of the recipes he’s preparing and how he decided to give up on his previous corporate job to follow his heart.

Much like Eduardo, his food also speaks for itself. His cuisine is a celebration of rural traditions and you can almost feel the flavors telling their own story. The dishes are comforting, but not strong on spices. They do offer, however, a homemade chili sauce on the side.

The place does not have a menu and the food prepared is the same for all guests. For starters, we had a mix of salami, “torresmo” (fried little bites of pork belly) and “goiabada” (a sweet conserve made from red guavas and sugar).

The main course consisted of “carne na lata”, an ancestral technique for cooking pork in its own fat, with rice, red beans, farofa (the triad of Brazilian food), “polenta” (a dish made from cornmeal) and some sauteed vegetables on the side. Plus a few homemade chorizo sausages that were packed with flavor after being smoked above the stove for the perfect amount of time.

I left my table genuinely happy, feeling the rush that good food causes on me. But having lunch at A Soberana is not only about food in itself, but also a powerful reminder of the beauty behind the truth of the rural lifestyle.

The combination of a special restaurant run by good people, in a little town, where fresh air, peace and quiet reign makes you reflect on life and gives a sense of appreciation and an opportunity to really put things in perspective. Less

A short drive away from the more touristy destinations of Jose Ignacio and Punta Del Este, @restaurantegarzon is the ultimate destination restaurant. Tucked away in a small “pueblo” with the same name as the restaurant, the place is headed by celebrity chef Francis Mallman and embodies his philosophy of using fire to bring out the natural flavors of ingredients.

While the steaks here were indeed great, my highlights and strong recommendations would go to the vegetable focused items on the menu, with a special mention to the “cara sucia” bread, a smoked flatbread with burnt oranges and arugula.

And please make sure to leave some room for dessert.

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A uma curta distância de carro dos destinos mais turísticos de Jose Ignacio e Punta Del Este, @restaurantegarzon é um destino gastronômico que por sí só justifica toda a viagem. Escondido em um pequeno povoado com o mesmo nome do restaurante, o local é liderado pelo chef celebridade Francis Mallmann e incorpora sua filosofia de utilizar o fogo para realçar os sabores naturais dos ingredientes.

Embora as carnes aqui sejam realmente excelentes, meus destaques e recomendações são para que você não deixe de experimentar os pratos vegetais do cardápio, com uma menção prá lá de especial para o pão “cara sucia”, um pão defumado com laranjas queimadas e rúcula.

E não deixe de reservar espaço para a sobremesa. Less

There is a saying that no food is as good as grandma’s. Well, neither of mine knew how to cook...But I can assume that whoever said it had someone like Dona Celia in the family. At 80 years old and with no signs of slowing down, she runs the show at Hotel Roma, in Porto Alegre.

Nearby the airport, this simple hotel holds on the ground floor a very special restaurant that in my opinion is not only one of the best in town, but also a national treasure.

Dona Celia is the person in charge of both the kitchen and service and I can assure you that she and the whole team will make you feel at home. Putting the food aside for a minute, because having a meal there goes way beyond the food in itself, you’ll feel welcomed and a positive energy all over the place.

The staff serve homemade food made with love and the impression that I had is that they’ve been working together for so long and with such joy that they’ve come to love one another. The result is that it is impossible to leave their table without a big smile on your face.

Having said that, we can now go into the food.

It all starts with a fresh plate of salad and then things escalate quickly and several different plates are put on the table, including rice, beans, gnocchi and beef ribs with cassava, both of which melt in your mouth like butter.

But the real magic happens on the rotating service of complimentary dishes. Thin slices of steak perfectly seasoned and served fresh off the griddle, as well as a tray of fritters that include their signature “bolinho” made with potatoes and filled with minced meat, and fried cabbage, my personal favorite.

Desserts are also very good, but it is hard to leave space for them, especially with Dona Celia coming by every now and then to insist that you eat a little bit more - just like loving grandmas usually do.

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On the way back to Punta Del Este from Jose Ignacio, you can almost smell from the highway the aroma of freshly baked bread coming out of this little bakery (is it Ok to call it a bakery?) in La Barra.

Medialunas are a very traditional pastry in both Uruguay and Argentina, that is often compared to its more internationally famous sibling, the croissant.

The pastries here are light, fluffy, sweet (but not-too-sweet) and delicious. Oh, and very aromatic. They sell it plain or stuffed with different options of savory and sweet fillings. I am all for the simple and traditional plain version of this carbo goodness, which is clearly their flagship item if you care to take a look around.

While medialunas are a great option for breakfast, the pro-move for me here is to have them in the afternoon, sit back and breath in as much as possible of that unforgettable smell before hitting the road again.

@mlcalentitaslabarra

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Na estrada voltando de Jose Ignacio para Punta Del Este quase que dá para sentir o aroma delicioso de pão saindo do forno desta pequena padaria (será que posso chamá-la de padaria?) em La Barra.

As medialunas são uma tradição nacional tanto no Uruguai quanto na Argentina, sendo frequentemente comparadas ao seu irmão internacionalmente mais famoso, o croissant.

Aqui elas são leves, fofas, doces (mas não muito doces) e deliciosas. Ah, e muito aromáticas. Eles as vendem simples ou recheadas com diferentes opções salgadas e doces. Eu prefiro a versão simples e tradicional deste tesouro na forma de carboidrato, que você logo vai perceber que claramente é o carro-chefe da casa.

Embora as medialunas sejam uma ótima opção para o café da manhã, para mim a tacada de mestre aqui é deixar para comer uma (ou várias) no meio da tarde, desfrutando e inspirando o máximo possível daquele cheiro gostoso antes de pegar a estrada de novo. Less

Great steak grilled the Uruguayan way on an impressively large parrilla, with a good bottle of red wine or local beer to wash it down. What else can you ask for?

Ok… there is more. Dulce de leche pancakes for dessert and a happy ending to a hearty and pleasant meal.

@elpalenque.pde also has a unit in Montevideo, which I am hoping to visit at some point.

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Uma ótima carne grelhada à moda uruguaia em uma parrilla impressionantemente grande, acompanhada de uma boa garrafa de vinho tinto ou uma cerveja local para acompanhar. O que mais você pode querer?

Na verdade, tenho certeza que tem algo mais que você vai querer sim. Panquecas de “dulce de leche” de sobremesa vão ser o complemento perfeito para uma refeição farta e deliciosa.

O @elpalenque.pde tem também uma unidade em Montevideo que pretendo visitar em breve. Less

With a very nice terrace dining room and a view to Punta Del Este’s harbor, @lodetererestaurante is a great restaurant to enjoy the best seafood that the Uruguayan Atlantic coast has to offer.

As if the dishes themselves were not enough, the restaurant works closely with local producers to encourage sustainable fishing practices with the goal of preserving the environment.

I became aware of this place given its frequent selections on @theworlds50best Latam lists and it quickly made the very top of my Punta wishlist. And now after visiting it I can only agree that it is a must when in town.

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Com o salão localizado num terraço muito agradável com vista para o porto de Punta Del Este, o @lodetererestaurante é um ótimo restaurante para apreciar os melhores frutos do mar que a costa atlântica uruguaia tem a oferecer.

Como se os pratos em si não fossem suficientes, o restaurante trabalha em estreita colaboração com produtores locais para incentivar práticas de pesca sustentáveis, com o objetivo de preservar o meio ambiente.

Inicialmente, fiquei interessado por esse lugar devido às suas frequentes seleções nas listas do @theworlds50best Latam e ele rapidamente se tornou um dos principais na minha lista de desejos em Punta. Agora, depois de visitá-lo, só posso concordar que é imperdível para quem estiver na cidade. Less

@barmadrid is another incredible option around Tijuca. The place mixes Brazilian and Spanish food, given the heritage of the owner.

Most clients are seated on tables displayed along the sidewalk. And they all should promptly order a passion fruit “batida” to open up the appetite.

The pepper sauce of the house is made with the addition of a few Spanish spices into the mix, giving it a special touch.

Bar Madrid is the type of place to stay for many hours, but if you happen to be in a hurry, I would recommend not missing the tongue croquette, huevos rotos (fried eggs with french fries and jamón), and their special pastel, filled with scarlet eggplant and a sausage from Minas Gerais.

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When planning my trip to Maldonado region, in Punta del Este, during the offseason, I quickly found out that several places that were in my wishlist would be closed and would only reopen closer to summer. After an initial feeling of disappointment, two main reasons got me excited for the upcoming trip.

The first one being that I realized that the perfect excuse to go back there during peak season had just fallen on my lap, and I love going back somewhere for a second time and get a new perspective on that place. I plan to do that soon which will hopefully lead to another batch of posts on restaurants that were closed this time around.

But the second and most important reason of all was that @lahuella.parador would be open. And that was the number 1 restaurant on my list given all its accolades and recognition.

High expectation means that the bar was automatically set higher, but the Parador did not disappoint at all. In fact, it still managed to over-deliver.

The food was excellent, with main-course options including perfectly grilled seafood over fire giving it a smoky touch, to go along with the starters. You can’t go wrong choosing from the menu here so I will keep it short on the food by just saying that I would not miss the silky smooth octopus with potatoes and paprika.

The place is casual, with a nice view to the Atlantic Ocean and a laid back but partyish vibe. Sit back, take your time, order some wine and have a good time!

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@bardafrente quickly became one of my favorite botecos in Rio. It’s also pretty close to the Maracanã stadium, making it the perfect destination for a pre-game ritual if you are a soccer fan like myself.

So that’s where I decided to start the day before last year’s Copa do Brasil finals. And what a meal I had! We started things off with a few great fried snacks, including their famous Bolovo and the “porquinho de quimono”, which is a local creation that basically consists of fried harumaki dough filled with a mix of pork ribs and a creamy cheese.

After a long snack feast and a few beers, the main dishes did not disappoint either. Especially their gnocchi with roast meat and fried rice with sausage and eggs.

There is no better feeling than enjoying great food with my dad in such a special place. Well, other than flying back home with a 1x0 victory in the bag. That feeling is still unbeaten.

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