Ipanema

I’ve been hearing about Ipanema from a buddy of mine (hi Adam!) for years now… literally.  He raves about this place almost as though it were his or family owned so a bunch of us gathered on a muggy day to check out the goodies… Chorizo or was this kalabeza?  Spiced sausage, pretty tasty… I was picking this up and just eating it alone! Various empanadas filled with yummies… I like the croquette-like ones, deep fried mashed potatoes.  The extremely potent looking hot sauce.  I avoided this except to take a picture… Adam is insane.  He was [...]

Argentina: Day 6: Final Dinner in Buenos Aires, Rodizio

Still seeking our all-you-can-eat restaurant, upon our return to Buenos Aires (and the same hotel), our concierge directed us to Rodizio, of which I looked up the meaning once back in the States and discovered that Rodizio is the style of cuisine (where the Brazilian restaurants keep bringing you more and more meat), not churrascaria.  Oops!

This is going to be a picture-intensive post, so bear with me.  Also, keep in mind while looking at these pictures, this entire meal cost us $27 USD.

Bread with tangy butter spread on the table

As soon as we sat down, they served us this, which [...]

Caviar & Banana

Caviar & Banana
12 East 22nd Street
New York, NY 10010
P: (212) 353-0500
Cuisine: Brazilian fusion
Price: I’m a New Yawka
Ahh, haunted restaurant that you are.  (Rocco’s, of “The Restaurant” fame, was here before it went under.)
The decor was possibly the best thing about this restaurant.
No, I take that back.  The sorbets were definitely better than the decor, but it was a close one.
I started off at the bar, as I was a good 15 minutes earlier than my dining companions, and was a little surprised to discover that not one drink was under $10.  Most, in fact, hovered a little above at $12, [...]

Vela

Vela
55 W. 21st Street
New York, NY 10010
P: (212) 675-8007
Cuisine: Japanese/Brazilian Mix
Price: I’m a New Yawka
As we walked in, I believe we were all thinking the same thing: cool bar, but for dinner?  Seems a bit off… the atmosphere and decor were definitely more conducive to drinking, though this would be one of the few times that I refrained from alcohol during dinner (as I like to try drinks at all of these trendy places).
The person who greeted us seemed a bit surprised to see us, despite us having a 5:45 reservation.  He turned out to also be our waiter, and [...]