Great Pizza, Good Friends and "Muito" Hospitality

 It's a bit embarrassing for me to admit but I had one year of Spanish in High School - that's it for my foreign language education.  I think back on all of the excuses and reasons for me not to learn a foreign language.  It's a regret.   The result is that when I travel abroad I am at the mercy and gracious hospitality of my hosts for them to speak in a second, unnatural language.  By the grace of God, English - by default- has become the international business language; otherwise, I would not be able to make it. 

Thursday night we dined at Bendita Hora with our hosts - Mariano Gracino, Otavio Dias and his girlfriend Priscilla.  Earlier in the day I had asked Mariano if there was good pizza in Alphaville.  The gracious host that he is wasted no time in finding a recommendation - Bendita Hora.  We loved it!!  The pizza was fired in a traditional wood-fired, brick oven with an abundance of fresh toppings.  Tracy chose the "Tres Funghi" pizza and Priscilla chose the "Bareu".  The thin, crisp crust was perfectly cooked and paired well with Argentinian Carmenere wine. 

As good as the pizza, the company and atmosphere of the restaurant were even better.  Our hosts educated us on the Portuguese language, culture and the rivalries and history of Sao Paulo futbol.  Pele' played for Santos.  The best player today is Neymar and he is only 20 and plays for Santos as well.  Mariano and Otavio like Corinthians while Priscilla supports Sao Paulo.  With this group it was all good-natured fun, but I have no doubt on game day that the rivalry matches that of Louisville - Kentucky or Michigan - Ohio State.  Our hosts patiently answered our questions in English while we enjoyed good food and wine.



The next night Tracy and I ventured out to the Tambore' shopping complex and visited Agua Doce (translated as "Sweet Water").  It reminded us of Buffalo Wild Wings.  The beer was cold and the food was similar to bar/tavern food.  We liked the small meat pies that were stuffed with cream cheese and corned beef.  Our waiter for the evening was proud of his English and helped us through our dinner - much appreciated.

Chaos!! Driving in Sao Paulo

Driving in Sao Paulo is not for the faint of heart.  In fact, if you are here for a week or less, then my advice is simple - don't drive.  Like most things in Brazil, I struggle to relate the experience to my friends and family in the tame, relatively tranquil, predictable midwestern United States.  Yes, we have tornadoes and violent Spring storms but in some ways they are more predictable than driving and traffic in Sao Paulo.

First, due to the length of my stay the company arranged a car for my use.  I am grateful; it provides a level of control and flexibility that I enjoy when I travel.  We can explore where and when we choose.  Plus we can take some sidetrips on the weekend - the beach or mountains. 

The car is a 2012 black Honda Accord with a GPS.  One problem, the GPS only speaks Portuguese!!  We thought we had it programmed this morning to English, but no.  We'll try again tomorrow.  Other than the language the car is perfect - very nice.

Here are some of the challenges you face when driving in Sao Paulo (don't imagine that Rio is any different)...

•  I swear that there are 20 million people in Sao Paulo and 30 million vehicles
• There are no trains for freight in a country the size of the US which means that everything, and I mean everything moves by truck - all shapes and sizes, makes and models and some slow and some fast
• Although they drive on the right side of the road (Thank God!) the traffic patterns are very different.  One-way roads, traffic circles, very few left turns, turn-abouts and merging traffic everywhere are some of the differences.
• Then we come to pedestrians, motorcycles and bicycles.  They are everywhere.
• The motorcycles are the worst.  They obey no rules of the road that I know of.  They drive between the rows of traffic and weave in/out at will usually on both sides of the car.  Their single rule maybe simpler than I think - get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.

Say some prayers for us.  St. Christopher the patron saint of travelers is most welcome with us.

I'll relate one humorous story, my only regret is that I did not have my camera.  It was Friday night in stop-n-go traffic on the Castel Branco motorway heading west to Alphaville.  Cars were moving in and out of traffic and merging onto the highway while motorcycles sped between the rows of stopped vehicles.  A motorcycle passed me on the right with a large box duct taped around his waist and his chest. 

"Toto we're not in Kansas anymore."

Sao Paulo Day Trip - Embu de Artes

About 30 minutes outside of Sao Paulo, just off the Bittencourt Motorway you'll find Embu - often referred to as Embu de Artes.  It's a tropical enclave of artists and craftsman representing some of the best of Brazilian culture.  And what is a day of travel and exploring without a couple of surprises.

 Embu is an old city with cobblestone streets and mature trees that provide shade to the thousands of tourists that visit each weekend.  The draw is the 900+ shops and vendors with their arts and crafts.  We viewed paintings, sculptures, hand woven rugs and blankets, artisanal cachaca (distilled sugar cane spirits), a variety of leather goods and beautiful items to brighten any home.

One of my favorite pieces was the life-sized sculpture of St. Francis of Assisi in the photo below.  My pasty, white legs quickly identifies me as a "Nord Americano".  

 A couple of logistical notes on visiting Embu.  The weekends are crowded

especially on Sunday and parking is sparse.  Be patient.  Also, we thought we had seen most of the shops and booths but on leaving Embu we saw another side of town with more shops that we missed.  Explore a bit more and push the boundaries.

As it came up on 1:30 it was time for lunch.  We found a small table outside with shade and ordered "dois chopp" - two draft beers arrived frothy and cold.  The food was traditional Brazilian; not bad but not necessarily memorable either.  The entertainment is another story and was our surprise from Embu.



"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, running over the same old ground.  What have you found?  The same old fears.  Wish you were hear."  Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here

Meet Nell Filho, struggling but very talented musician.

Just as we were sitting down I heard the music and did a double take - that can't be Pink Floyd?  In English no less?  Nell sings American classics mostly from the 70's but there was some Garth Brooks thrown in.  He performed songs from John Lennon, Elvis, Bob Seeger, Bob Dylan and Southern Cross by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in impeccable English.  We spoke with him between sets to learn that he is native to Sao Paulo and has not travelled beyond Brazil.  We also learned that he does some nice accent work from south London and Dublin.  We would like to see him perform in the US one day.  We ended up buying his CD for R$10.

All in all, it was a successful side trip.  We bought some leather purses for our daughters and a handcrafted, leather map of the Americas circa 1640 that was beautifully reproduced.

How do you explain Brazil?

For folks like me who have lived in the midwestern United States, it's difficult to accurately convey Brazil.  A few words or a couple of snapshots do not begin to address the energy, size, contradictions or beauty that you'll find here.

First, we're in Sao Paulo.  It's the largest city in the southern hemisphere and one of the Top 10 largest cities on the planet at ~19 million inhabitants.  It's size is mind-boggling, especially for someone who lives in a community of 300,000.  It's also the business capital of Latin America.  You come to Sao Paulo for two reasons - visit family or business.  It does not have the tourism draw of it's more popular, smaller sibling - Rio de Janeirio.

So in the midst of the traffic, turmoil, noise and congestion you can find an occasional oasis of natures beauty and peace - Felix Bistrot. 

Felix Bistrot - Cotia, Brazil

The setting was spectacular and the food was classic French.  We had a table outdoors around the pool surrounded by lush, tropical vegetation.  It was quiet and peaceful - two commodities that are difficult to come by in a large city.

TripAdvisor rates this restaraunt 4.5 out of 5.  It's not too far off and maybe even a bit low from my perspective.  The oysters were some of the best I've had and the pistachio-crusted boar filet was unique and delicious.  All accompanied by a good bottle of Argentinian Malbec.  A great evening. 

We're looking forward to getting out this weekend and taking photos of Sao Paulo and it's people.  In short, the people are friendly and the food is fabulous. 

Homegrown and Homebrewed

In our pre-packaged, pre-assembled western world it's easy to lose sight of true craft and art.  Technology has removed much of the mystery that surrounded the foods we eat and the beverages we drink for thousands of years.    Thousands of years of collective lore, experience and technology have evolved to give us our food and beverages of today.  How did it all begin?  Who first learned that fermented barley with some hops added would yield a tasty, relaxing beverage we know today as beer?  How did the ancients learn to preserve food for the winter with salt? 

As I ponder life's mysteries, I like to return to our roots, learn a little craftsmanship and marvel at God's world around me.  As you watch a seed sprout and grow to bear fruit and a homebrew come to life you can't help but marvel at the mysteries of life and universe.  It's far easier to see the mysteries in lGod's creation when watching your homebrew come to life instead of popping the top on a cold can from your refrigerator.

We have a small home garden.  This photo was taken on March 25.  You can see the spinach and onions in the foreground.  I've also planted lettuce, swiss chard, leeks, radishes and spring peas.  We'll harvest spinach on Monday night for a nice salad before we leave.  I'll admit that I enjoy watching the garden come to life and bear fruit.  It's very satisfying to walk out the kitchen door and pick your vegetables for dinner. 

Back in February I began a batch of homebrewed beer.  I had recently come to appreciate the Kolsch-style ale by the Schafly Brewing Company of St. Louis and wanted to replicate it's flavor.  The homebrew supply store was very helpful and pointed me to the ingredients I would need for my Kolsch.  It's an all-malt beer with a combination of cracked Vienna malt and two cans of malt extract and 2 ounces of Hallertauer hops.  It fermented about 4 weeks before I added the priming sugar and transferred to the 5 gallon keg pictured below.

  

About the time that I bought the ingredients, my daughter and son-in-law purchased homebrewing equipment on Craig's list.  We now have homebrewed Kolsch on tap.  This is the best batch I've brewed - good balance with the hops and smooth with no funky flavors.  Each year the yeast available for homebrewing get a little better.  You can

see the result in the cold, frosty mug.

Get back to basics and learn a little about God's mysteries around you.  Start a small garden from seed, start a batch of homebrew, make some homemade sausage or make some corned beef or sauerkraut.  Just take a few minutes to appreciate the gifts that God gave our ancestors and has passed along to us.

Happy Easter!!

Modo Mio - "My Way" Philadelphia, PA

It seems to come back around to good food, family and a few good friends.  Do we really need more than that?  Tonight was another good example of living the good life with a special emphasis on really good food at Modo Mio in Philadelphia, PA.

When traveling put your guide books aside (no offense to Zagat's or Fodor's) and talk with the locals.  They know the best food and the best values in the locale.  It helps if you know a local who shares similar tastes and values.  I'm fortunate to have a foodie friend in Philadelphia - Joe Demarco.  So tonight it was Modo Mio on Girard Avenue.  Modo Mio is not a restaurant that I would ever likely choose for a few reasons....

• It's more than 5 miles from my hotel
• It's small and advertises little
• It's not in the suburbs.  It's not in a bad part of town either, but is grittier.
• You need reservations

You don't go to Modo Mio for the location or the decor - you go for the food and the ambiance.  The interior was functional with two rows of closely spaced tables.  We had a nice conversation with the couple next to us.  The service was top-notch - friendly, unpretentious and knowledgeable.  They were happy to answer our questions without looking down at us for asking questions - much appreciated.

Now the food.  We went with the "tourista" package - four-course tasting menu - highly recommended.  My choices...

Appetizer - veal sweetbreads with aparagus and crispy pancetta
Pasta - papparadelle with rabbit ragu
Main course - duck breast with cherries and blue cheese

I'll cover dessert later. The first three courses were all superb. Sweetbreads were tender and tasty; the fresh made pasta was thin and delicate while holding the rabbit ragu perfectly and Joe and I both loved the combination of duck with cherries and blue cheese.  It all worked.  Kim's pasta course was tortelloni with goat cheese and cauliflower - very nice.

We shared three desserts at our table - zuppa inglese, flourless chocolate torte and a blueberry/almond tart. While all three were delicious the biggest surprise was the blueberry tart that was served with a paper thin slice of pecorino romano cheese on top.  We were all a little leary of the cheese but after tasting agreed that it added a saltiness and depth of flavor.  It was impressive.

Lastly, it is intimate and friendly.  As we were leaving the couple next to us shared their Limoncello as an apertif.  It was a fitting end to a great meal with cheers/saluds to all.

Many thanks to the Demarco's tonight for a great evening.

Sweet Potato Waffles

What is it exactly about sweet and savory that many of us find so comforting?  We ran across this recipe last night on Flipboard.  The recipe is Alton Brown's from the Food Network.

Sweet Potato Waffles

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sweet-potato-waffles-recipe/index.html

I cut the recipe in half.  It was still enough to make 4 or 5 8"- round waffles.  They turned out light.  (I was concerned that the sweet potato would make them too dense.)  The most important ingredient is the orange zest.  Don't omit it.

What is the best side dish to serve with waffles and maple syrup?  That would be salty, crispy, pan-fried bacon.


Today is a travel day for me.  I leave this evening for Philadelphia.  Tuesday night we're having dinner at Modo Mio.  If this menu gets close to my expectation, it will be quite a meal.

Enjoy your Sunday with good food and family!!