wine in Brazil

February 24, 2010

We at weirdcombinations love wine. That’s it: we just love it.
So it was marvelous to be at a swanky party in Vitória, ES, Brazil a couple of weeks ago in the height of the tropical summer sipping cabernet from gorgeous stemware talking about whether or not chardonnay would be a good wine to [...]

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Perequim, Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil

February 23, 2010

Hegui has warm memories of this seaside restaurant situated in the resort town, Ubatuba, along the northern coast of São Paulo state, from numerous delightful previous visits. I’m glad that I’ve gotten to know it, too, as the food, ambiance and service are all wonderful. For you handful of weirdcombinations readers located in [...]

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sweet guava memories

February 22, 2010

Guava is a very popular fruit in Brazil, particularly in my home state of Minas Gerais, where it’s grown all over. As a kid I remember climbing guava trees in the woods behind my house and gorging myself on those delicious, flavorful fruits. Mmmmm!
Guava can be pinkish-red or white. They have a “tropical [...]

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jatobá

February 19, 2010

One of the things that I most enjoy while visiting Brazil is sampling tropical fruit. Naturally, they’ve got a huge variety to choose from and unlike here, it’s usually at its freshest, ripest and tastiest. I’m a huge fan of papaya, guava, starfruit and even cashew fruit. If I weren’t allergic, I’m [...]

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cachaça

February 18, 2010

Cachaça is best known in the U.S. as the fairly obscure Brazilian liquor that is mixed into caipirinhas, a cocktail that enjoyed a lot of success in New York about ten years ago (it came into fashion after the mojito). In Brazil, it´s quite another story.
Cachaça is the second most popular alcoholic beverage there [...]

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tofu with sugar snap peas

February 17, 2010

I’ve been struggling with jet lag upon returning from Brazil this week. It’s a six hour time difference right now. That’s a killer in the evenings when it’s time to prepare dinner. We got back on a Sunday and went shopping at Trader Joe’s. I was half-delirious so got a bit of everything. On Monday, [...]

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suco de abacate AKA avocado milkshake

February 16, 2010

We´d been traveling in Brazil for a week or so when I was confronted with one of the food-related things about the country that most alarms me: sweet avocado juice. I´m not completely naive and do realize that this is not that uncommon, at least in other places far from where I live. In fact, [...]

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PART.ALTO, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil

February 15, 2010

PART.ALTO is a casual place near the beach in Vitória, ES, Brazil. It´s a favorite of our dear friends, Luís and Sávio, with whom we recently stayed. Thank you both so much for hosting us in your beautiful home!
The dining is all open to the ocean breezes, the service is unrushed [...]

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mushrooms with red quinoa

February 12, 2010

This is a simple to make dish that’s both nutritious and elegant. It makes a wonderful side dish. I served it with sautéd red snapper fillets in garlicky clam and mussel sauce. It’s as easy to make as rice. The color of the red quinoa is stunning and I think stimulates the appetite. [...]

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Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery, Sonoma County

February 11, 2010

Ferrari-Carano is at the northern end of Dry Creek Valley, quite near the dam. We went there after visiting Sbragia on a rainy Sunday afternoon. We wanted to taste their wines and have a picnic lunch. Unfortunately they don’t have covered picnic tables at this majestic chateau-like winery and it was too [...]

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