Fogo De Chao San Jose - Preview Dinner

 Brazilian churrascaria chain, Fogo De Chao has opened a location in Northern California and they have chosen a prime corner spot in Santana Row. I attended the preview dinner earlier this week and was privileged to try most of Fogo's offerings. 

Churrascarias specialize in Portugese style barbeque. In layman terms, food comes at you from all directions in a dim sum cart manner except it is wielded on large skewers and slivers are cut onto your plate. Fogo would be my 4th churrascaria experience: the first in Long Beach, the second at Pamapas in Palo Alto, the third in Brazil. Check out my experience and first impressions.

Caipirinhas are special to Brazil. Made of sugar, limes (or fruit juice), and Cachacas (sugar cane rum), they are often sweet and fruity. There's about half a cup of sugar in each drink. Full of calories but worth a try. 

I ordered a passion fruit caipirinha which was one of my favorites in Brazil. This version was ok, a bit sour, and definitely does not hold up to the Brazilian version which had fresh passion fruit juice - seeds included. 

The spacious dining room suits the upscale Santana Row vibe. Along with all you can eat meat, diners can peruse the salad bar for greens, cured meats, cheeses, olives and peppers, and pasta salads.

One of my favorite foods in the entire universe is heart of palm. I was so excited to see they had a huge plate of fresh heart of palm, the thickness of a PVC pipe (sorry couldn't find a better comparison). This reminds me so much of Brazil which actually produces and exports heart of palm in preserved jar form. Here is the fresh version, sticking up like pillars. Why didn't I eat more?!

Each diner is given a disc with green and red sides. Per your standard stop light party rules, green means go and red means stop serving me anymore meat! Waiters bring skewers of roasted meat to your table and slice your choice cuts which you grab with tongs.

 All dat meat! I can't tell which cut is which. We really liked the lamb and I personally liked the picanha which my friend thought was a bit too salty. Top right: Fogo's special side dishes of polenta, caramelized bananas, and garlic mashed potatoes.

Fogo's highly recommended dessert is the flan made with condensed milk (left) and the papaya cream which they ran out of. I substituted with the grilled caramelized pineapple and ice cream (right). Grilled pineapple was actually kind of a big thing in Brazil when I went so this makes perfect sense. They were both delightful. I think the flan is more worth your money because it is actually a dessert as opposed to fruit.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

I thought Fogo De Chao was decent. There were some elements I came to love from Brazil that they did well like the grilled pineapple, fresh heart of palm, and the lamb. The meat is definitely different than in Brazil. One can hardly blame them though. Brazil raises some of the best grass fed cattle in the world and it would definitely upset me if they shipped them all the way to San Jose because that's costly and not environmentally friendly. However, Brazilian beef is different and better. The diffrence is most obvious in their picanha, Brazil's specialty. I can't find sourcing information on Fogo's beef. Stick to the lambs and anything with a bone, they were good. Ask for rare if that's what you like.

The salad bar items were very fresh which is great. It lacked variety though and I don't believe I've seen meat and cheeses at a Brazilian churrascaria. I think the American audience appreciated it very much.

Almost forgot to the mention, the selection of Argentinian wines are really good. Try the Malbec!

Full press release for Fogo De Chao - Santana Row below

http://www.fogodechao.com/home/

Restaurant Figueira Rubaiyat - Sao Paulo, Brazil

 Now that you have read about the best restaurant in Brazil, it is time for the runner up to get some attention. Restaurant Figueira Rubaiyat in Sao Paulo was my vote for the second best meal I had in Brazil. Better known as the restaurant with the tree, Figueira Rubaiyat was built around a gigantic and very old fig tree.

 You can see one branch of the tree in the background of this group picture. The ceiling is made of glass and wood beams to protect the foliage and figs from falling on diners. It made for a unique ceiling view. The restaurant was dimly lit so most of my pictures were bad. This entry is composed of a collection of my classmate's photos some of which had lighting issues as well but I need to show you the awesome food. Excuse the blurriness.

These 3 lucky gentlemen had the pleasure of dining with 7 beautiful ladies that night. This was most definitely a fun table to dine with.

"I'm top shelf, you're top ramen."

The bar with its endless bottles of cachacas to make caipirinhas.

 The three seasonings for the steak included 

left: crushed red peppers, very commonly found in Brazil

middle: Olive oil compote thingy. I don't remember this one much

right: coarse sea salt

Kiley and I each ordered this monstrous steak with baked potato. I forgot the cut of steak. It was melt in your mouth fantastic. Medium rare for me of course! I ate half of the steak and didn't even touch the potato. Filled up too much on bread. Not wanting to waste any bite of this great steak, I brought it back to my hotel where I proceeded to eat it cold for breakfast the next morning with my bare hands like a savage. No microwave or utensils in the room. And you know what? It was still good for breakfast. mmm so savory.

A couple people at our table ordered the steak that came pre-cut and served on a smoker. I had a few bites of one piece and it was even better than my steak, which is really hard to top. As we have all heard about Brazil, they really have great meats.

Trip Advisor link for Restaurant Figueira Rubaiyat

Garota de Ipanema - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

 Introducing, Garota de Ipanema, "The Girl from Ipanema", restaurant in Rio de Janeiro. This was one of the foodie highlights of my Brazil trip. A true diamond in the rough of piles of baked cheese and meat pastries. But first, let's start with how I get there.

Me and 3 other friends rented some bikes for the day and biked from our penthouse to the lagoon. We had no plans for the day except to bike around. Then we spotted paddle boats and I love paddling anything.

 Here I am paddling our boat.

 A swan boat to be exact. Look at me, getting tanner and chubbier.

I hate to put this woman's (or man's?) hair on blast here but look at the doggie!!!

A short bike ride later and we found Garota de Ipanema.

 A refreshing melon (melao) juice for me and classic caipirinha for Brandon.

Fried medium sized shrimp (camarao) with crispy onion and garlic bits on top. Soo good. Oh so good. It really hits the savory spot. I ate them with the shells on. Didn't even bother peeling. That's where all the flavor collects. Phil would have been so proud of me.

I was copying one of my fave food blogger, Melody Fury's signature prawn head suckage pose. She does it much better.

This was broccoli rice in a tomatoey shrimp sauce on top of white fish. In a few more posts you will see a different version of this. Garota made this in a jambalaya kind of style. Mushy, saucy, flavorful. Very good.

On another occassion, I also went with a larger group to feast on Garota's dishes.

Salsa topping for the beef.

Mini pastels (pastries with meat inside). There were a mix of shrimp, beef, and cheese ones. Shrimp was the best.

Fried rice with fries. We really did not need this plate. It was delicious but put us over the top on the gut busting meter.

 One thing I do have to note about Brazilian food is that they really know how to do the thin crust pizzas right. This one was so good.

Grilled white fish with manioc cones. On many of the menus it would list "Brazilian white fish" which could be any type of cod, pollock, haddock, etc. Manioc is also yucca roots. They are very starchy and mostly flavorless.

The beef is really what Garota and all of Brazil is known for. At Garota, picanha (top sirloin) portions come out on a hot grill, seared all around and rare in the middle. As you eat, you move pieces to the middle to cook them some more. I like rare so I ate them as is. This type of portion is meant to be shared with a group.

Both times I ate at Garota, I left fully satisfied and happy. We all told ourselves several times that we were so full of meat we would not come back again. However, a group of our friends ate here 3 nights in a row. Shout out to our friend Colin who probably went here 4 times and tried just about everything on the menu. Garota de Ipanema was the best restaurant I tried in Brazil. Definitely worth a visit if you go to Rio de Janeiro.

Garota de Ipanema is named after the famous song of the same title. Composer Vinicius de Moraes saw a young girl stroll by while he was at the restaurant.

Virtual Tour of our penthouse rental in Rio de Janeiro

*I tried to remove the shaking but this video may still give you a headache.

We rented this very nice penthouse in Rio de Janeiro for 4 days. On one of the days we gave our housekeepers some money to buy food and cook a nice home style Brazilian BBQ for our pool party. Check out the yummy times!

Pool side. Ocean side. Roof top.

Black beans with sausages. Mmm tasty.

Regular black beans

A weird oily salsa. Too different for my taste.

Left: greens with olives, onions, and hearts of palm. I really miss heart of palm. It was so common in Brazil and so expensive in the US. Tastes like a giant pickled artichoke heart.

Right: Potato salad

Really dry tiny chicken thighs

Dining on the top floor overlooking the ocean is how all meals should be eaten.

Watching the moon rise from said top floor with ocean view is how nights should always end.

 Looking at the Christ Redeemer all lit up from your roof top is what everyone should see before they sleep.

 Walking back to your room by your lavishly lit pool is how everyone should prepare for bed.

Night night. All tuckered away on a gigantic white leather couch. (This was me napping from a previous night)

Reflections on Brazil + Strozzapreti and Buttered Chicken

Hello friends! I have been back from Brazil for about a week and still adjusting. I got over the jet lag quickly since the time difference is only 4 hours ahead of PST time but I still have mental jet lag. I jumped right back into a busy schedule and am trying to catch up with reality. Food pictures from Brazil still need to be organized before I can blog about it. In the mean time, I share with you my general reflections on Brazilian food, culture, and business.

Food:
My first meals in Brazil were overly salty, creamy, sugary, and fatty. 2 cities and many restaurants later, I have eaten nothing but all the above flavors at intense degrees. There is an abundance of fresh fruits and juices which were mostly delicious. If you want a meal though, expect to be overwhelmed by most of the menu options. Meat and cheese is everywhere and it is in everything, even in a baked pastry for breakfast. Traskerias, the famous Brazilian buffets, are delicious if you really love meat. There are other options too but its really all about the meats. A homemade Brazilian meal usually includes rice and beans. Salads come in small portions with no dressing or dressing on the side or soaking in dressing. Sometimes the elements of the salad are separated, ie. a bed of greens with a pile of shredded beets and a pile of shredded carrots with no dressing. Is this a mix it yourself situation? I conclude that they don't have a good grasp of the salad as an entree concept. Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan so there were quite a few sushi restaurants. However,their population of other Asian ethnicities was very low so there were few options for other Asian cuisine. I also came back really craving soup that didn't come in a creamed pea or creamed vegetable version.

Culture:
All the above aspects of their food really resonate the elements of lifestyle and culture. Brazil is always awake. They rise early and stay out late, especially in Rio de Janeiro. Their personalities are outgoing and vivacious. They work hard, play hard, and love passionately. PDA is very common and couples are making out any and everywhere you look. The fashions are colorful and flashy. Tight bright pants, showing lots of skin, dental floss bikinis!!! A very proud and confident culture with very friendly people. They don't care if you don't know the language, just that you try to communicate. Of course there are transexul prostitutes in certain dark alleyways and cab drivers that rip you off, but overall I can't say I've seen the "true Brazil" yet to comment on these things. I was surprised to find that the night market merchants did not bargain even if you try the walking away tactic.

Business:
Our class visited various companies of different industries. Surprisingly, Brazil functions much like America in the business world, WITH a few key differences. There are prevailing issues in government that are far messier than what we know. Many of these issues affect business functions, limit their growth, and prevent companies from starting. The corporate culture dislikes conflict unlike in America where we are encouraged to speak up. Sao Paulo is the hub of corporate Brazil, housing its stock exchange and its equivalent of a Wall Street. Men and women are in suits on most weekdays here. It is customary to start work around 8AM, finish after 5PM or much later. Sometimes they go out for a late dinner at 9PM. See what I mean about being awake all day? Perhaps its the multiple cups of super strong espresso they drink a day. Have you heard of the "Brazilian way"? It's a synonym for make it work moments and that somehow at the end, they will finnagle their way through. It became customary for our group to take 2+ hours at a restaurant for dinner because service was slow and understaffed, or unluckily, a credit card machine breaks down. I have many more thoughts on business and government in Brazil but I save those for my class essay that I still need to write...

Chicken and pasta
My first meal when I got back was a piping hot bowl of pho with vinegar onions on the side and a cup of jackfruit smoothie at our favorite pho restaurant. Totally hits the spot. My first home made meal was Strozzapreti pasta with buttered chicken as you see below. Phil likes to say that my strength in the kitchen is making a tasty meal out of whatever we have in the house without needing to run out and buy other ingredients. After coming back to a house in which a lone husband has lived like a sad bachelor, eating white rice with hot dogs and a 5lb burrito and NOT! watering my plants in the garden, my skills of whipping up a tasty low key meal were desperately needed.

Phil's cousin brought back some Strozzapreti from Europe which has been sitting in the pantry waiting for the opportune recipe.

I shopped from my parents abundant garden and took all the harvestable grape tomatoes they had. Along with a head of garlic, a handful of red pearl onions, and a handful of basil leaves which were luckily still alive in our garden, I made a quick pasta sauce. First I cooked the garlic and onions in light oil, then added the tomatoes on medium heat, while boiling pasta. Once the rest of the pasta was about done, i added about 1 cup of pasta water into the sauce, turned the heat to high, and added basil 1 minute before adding in the pasta to the sauce. Salt and sugar to taste.

I have missed being in a kitchen. You have more control over what you eat this way. I am tired of dining out every day for every meal. And having hotel breakfast everyday, gah!

The pasta was cooked a few minutes past the package directions because the insides were still dry. This resulted in slightly soggy pasta but didn't affect the taste too much. Still deelish!

Our only remaining chicken thighs in the freezer were defrosted and brined for 30 minutes in a mixture of salt water, pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic powder, and Montreal chicken seasoning. Then they were patted dry and pan seared on both sides in a small amount of butter. I chose butter and not oil for the crispy tasty skin. About 3 minutes on high on each side then toss it in the oven for 6-7 more minutes at 400 degrees.

Voila! Pasta and chicken made from things we had at home or took from my parents' house when we visited. About 20 mins prep and 15 minutes cooking. Not the healthiest meal but definitely healthier than anything I've eaten in Brazil, you will see in a few entries...