New York City 2024 Travel Log: Day 2 — An Epic Dinner of Brazilian Delights at Berimbau

My brother took us out for an epic dinner of Brazilian food at Berimbau:

Mussels: Mussels with bell pepper, tomato, coconut milk, and dende broth
Espeto de Cogumelo: Mushroom skewer with chimichurri and Brazil nuts
Feijoada: Black bean stew with smoked pork cuts, dried beef, collard greens, rice, and farofa
Costela Cozida: Slow roasted beef ribs with poached yuca, watercress, red onion, and chili crunch
Arroz de Pato: rice, duck confit, duck sausage, collard greens, Szechuan pepper, and tucupi
Sagu de Coco: Tapioca, coconut cream, cashew purée, and caja sorbet
Cheesecake de Caju com Paçoca: Peanut crust, cream cheese mousse, cashew juice jelly, and honey tuile

One of my favourite things about visiting my brother in NYC is trying brand new foods and cuisines that I've never tried before, and this is one of those times. My only experience with Brazilian food up until this point was the all-you-can-eat Brazilian BBQ at Touro. Brazilian food in general just isn't that popular here, and definitely not outside of the Toronto downtown core. But man, the dishes we ate tonight were phenomenal. Inspired. Incredible combinations of flavours and aromas. I can't believe it took me 37 years to try this. This is definitely one of the most memorable meals I've had in NYC.

Berimbau Brazilian Kitchen

3 W 36th St.

New York, NY 10018

(212) 763-7121

Instagram: Winter 2014/2015 — Food Edition

I haven't put up any food posts recently, so I thought I'd share some photos of the awesome noms that I've had the pleasure of eating and posted on Instagram over the past couple months. I don't always bring my camera with me when I go out to eat but I tend to Instagram all those meals that I don't blog about here. For those who do follow me on Instagram, I apologize for the re-post here... but, hey, you can never get enough of food porn.

Dinner with Cynthia at Shiso Tree Cafe: Potato cream soup, shrimp okonomiyaki spaghetti, wagu seafood spaghetti, and mango mousse cake
Dim sum (part 1) with Viv and Dan at Casa Victoria: Pan-fried turnip patties, steamed pork dumplings (siu mai), deep-fried octopus tentacles, and shrimp steamed rice rolls
Dim sum (part 2) with Viv and Dan at Casa Victoria: Steamed scallop dumplings, deep-fried taro dumplings, milk custard tarts, and steamed shrimp dumplings (har gow)
Korean BBQ with Viv, Suzie, Helen, and Thax at Chako Barbeque Izakaya
Dinner with Liz at Annona: Crab cakes with avocado salsa and aged balsamic reduction
Dinner with Liz at Annona: "Surf & Turf" — Grilled beef medallion, shrimp and scallop, peppercorn jus, red pepper beurre blanc, lobster mash, and spring vegetables
Dinner with Liz at Annona: Strawberry gateau rhubarb basque with vanilla ice cream, spiced strawberry syrup, and strawberry rhubarb compote
Dinner with Cynthia at Tikka Tikka Indian Delight: Samosas and pakoras, coriander and tamarind sauces, butter chicken and lamb korma, and butter naan
Brunch with Viv at Cora's: "Raspberry 4 Lucie" — Crêpe filled with raspberries and cream cheese with raspberry coulis, honey, and English cream
Shabu shabu with Viv and Dan at Rolling Pot
Dinner with Hannan at The Pickle Barrel: P. B. House Burger
Dinner with Ronsee and Viv at Planeta Mexico: Guacamole, beef chimichanga, chicken gorditas, and steak enchiladas
Brunch with my brother at Cora's: "Breakfast poutine" — Roasted potatoes, cheese curds, frankfurters, bacon, caramelized onions and red peppers, topped with an egg and hollandaise sauce
Dinner with my brother at The Keg: Mushrooms Neptune
Dinner with my brother at The Keg: New York striploin steak with garlic mash
Christmas pot luck dinner with the fam: Assorted maki rolls
Christmas pot luck dinner with the fam: Toro sashimi
Christmas pot luck dinner with the fam: Assorted sashimi and sushi (including uni!)
Dinner with my brother and my mom at JOEY Markville: Pesto shrimp flatbread, ahi tuna burger, herb crush salmon, and rotisserie chicken
Dinner with Viv, Suzie, Helen, and Thax at Touro Churrascaria: Cheese popovers, yucca fries, and deep-fried plantains; "salad" plate; all-you-can-eat meat!; and grilled cinnamon pineapple
Dinner with Viv and Dan at Asian Legend: Steamed pork soup dumplings, Peking duck (!), green onion pancake rolled with sliced beef, and shredded duck lettuce wraps
Dinner with Austin at Milestones: Pesto chicken penne asiago
I've been avoiding the scale.

Instagram: Birthday Dinner Edition — Touro Steakhouse, Il Postino, Red Lobster

Remember how I said my birthday could be summed up as delicious? Aside from Momofuku Shōtō, I was also treated to not one, not two, but three other dinners. Yes, I am indeed a lucky, lucky girl. Food as a birthday present is always a win in my books. I didn't have my actual camera with me on those nights, but I did capture all of it with my phone, so I thought I'd share some snapshots here (if you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen these, so I apologize in advance). It started on Wednesday night, when my girls Vivian, Amanda, and Thax took me out for all-you-can-eat meat (!!!) at Touro Steakhouse:

Cheese popovers, yucca fries, and deep-fried plantains
Pork sausage, chicken wings, beef ribs, and garlic steak
Grilled cinnamon pineapple, picanha, flank steak, parmesan sirloin, and leg of lamb
A little birthday cupcake
And then on Thursday, my friend Stephanie took me out for dinner at Il Postino:
Crostini with cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella
Antipasto platter: salami, prosciutto, cheese, crostini, and olives
Linguine with calamari, scallops, mussels, tiger shrimp, and sweet tomatoes
Garganelli with prosciutto, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and buffalo mozzarella in rosé sauce
And then my friend Austin took me out for dinner at Red Lobster on Friday night:
Neverending basket of the most delicious cheddar biscuits
Ultimate Feast: Maritime lobster tail, garlic shrimp, Walt’s Favourite shrimp, and coconut shrimp
Best. Birthday. Ever.


Touro Steakhouse 125 York Boulevard Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B4 (905) 738-6876
Il Postino Ristorante 186 Main Street Unionville, ON L3R 2G9 (905) 940-1555
Red Lobster 7291 Yonge Street Thornhill, ON L3T 2A9 (905) 731-3550