Enjoying the food..

Cafeina is a great spot for salads and sandwiches! Huge list of both, plus they even have English translation under each item- first place I have been to that I have seen English since I got here… it is VERY exciting! The restaurant itself is on the corner of Av Ataulfo de Paiva and Rita Ludolf (a nice tree lined street) and open so you can sit inside or outside.

Off to Ipanema for the afternoon I discovered Casa do Pao de Queijo (apparently it is a chain and scattered throughout Brazil, but I happened to discover this one). For those of you who don’t know what Pao de Queijo is, it is a type of ‘cheese bread’.  They come in a variety of sizes, and are baked, cheese-flavored rolls (the inside is chewy and moist).  They are a very popular/typical snack in Brazil (and one of my personal favorites!). If you have never had it, I highly recommend trying it. If you are reading this and not near a Casa do Pao de Queijo (since they are in Brazil, you are probably not near one) Pão de queijo can be bought frozen at supermarkets to be baked personally, look for brands like Forno de Minas, and Casa do Pão de Queijo. Additionally, cheese puff mix packages are easily found in most supermarkets,super easy to make on your own (if I can make them, ANYONE can!) look for brands like ‘Yoki’ and ‘Hikari’ (those are the more popular ones in the states). If you are in NYC visit Buzios Brazil Boutique located at 20 W 46th St (second floor) to get the frozen kind or the mix, otherwise try it the next time you are at a Brazilian restaurant!

For those of you who know me well, a day is not complete without ice cream…. and while searching for my favorite comfort food, I stumbled upon Sorvet Italia…

think I struck gold with this find! I can say with confidence I have never had such incredibly delicious, amazing, wonderful chocolate fudge brownie ice cream in my life, each bite was loaded with brownie! They don’t skimp out like they do at Ben & Jerrys does (you know what I am talking about, you dig and dig and maybe get 2-5 bites with brownie in it and are a little disappointed when you realize you’re left with just chocolate) well not here, you will be completely satisfied! They have a HUGE selection (I of course tasted a few flavors before deciding) and everything I tried was delicious, I will def be heading back there again!