AlwaysInvestigating: New York’s Best Pão de Queijo

Arthur Bovino — January 08, 2010

Cross-section from Churrascaria Plataforma’s Pão de Queijo.

If you’ve visited Brazil you know about Brasileiros’ love for Pão de Queijo (learn more), the addictive, gluten-free cheese gougère made with tapioca starch. Like arancini in Italy, doubles in Trinidad, pizza in New York or pan con tomate in Spain, pão de queijo is one of Brazil’s most iconic snacks.

Natives of Minas Gerais may contend this, but some of the Brazil’s best pão can be found at São Paulo’s Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo. There is nothing in New York that approaches Haddock Lobo, but a few places go a long way to giving you a fix. We set out on a mission through three boroughs to find the City’s best, eating pão de queijo at a total of 14 places in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, and keeping in mind the following criteria.

• Size: Domed and about three inches in diameter.
• Exterior: Slightly crispy and without a gummy coating.
• Interior: Light and airy with holes, semi-hollow and slightly gummy.
• Flavor: Savory and cheesy. Adding salt should be unnecessary.
• Temperature: They don’t have to be piping hot but at their best they’re at least a little warm.

We discovered a few things about the state of New York’s pão de queijo. One, it’s easy to mess up. Two, the City’s renditions are smaller by almost two thirds on average, and often, heavier. Three, for the number of Brazilians living in Astoria, we were surprised that so few of the pão de queijo in that area ranked near the top. Lastly, New York’s best pão de queijo are free…with drinks. You’re welcome!

Without further ado, New York’s best pão de queijo, worst to first.

Click Here for a Search for New York's Best Pão de Queijo >>

AlwaysPartying: Brazilian Day Festival 2009

September 04, 2009

The “Little Brazil Street” sign at 46th Street and Avenue of the Americas.

Man, Brazilians know how to party anywhere. They’re using a three day weekend for the 25th annual Brazilian Day Festival on Sunday (September 6th). What better way to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers than by drinking caipirinhas and eating salgadhinos and grilled meat, then using an American national holiday on Monday to recover from the fun?

The festival (view site) takes place on 6th Avenue from 42nd to 56th Streets and on 46th Street from Madison to 7th Avenue. Festivities should start around 1pm on Sunday. About 25 blocks will be taken over by people celebrating with food, live music and vendors selling Brazilian items. The organizers, which include TV Globo Internacional, are expecting a record turnout.

AlwaysHungryNY.com has its own little tribute to Brazil today, a round-up of previously published posts about Brazilian food and Brazilian restaurants in New York City.

Food in Brazil:
Pizza Rodizio at Pizza à Bessa pizza, served rodizio-style in Brasília, Brazil‎.
Tapiocas rolled tapioca crêpes filled with sweet and savory things.

Brazilian Food in New York:
Pao de Queijo an addictive, South American salgadinho.
Rio Bonito Astoria’s Supermercado Brasileiro, sells Brazilian products like açai and catupiry.
Batidas milkshakes made with cachaça.
Açai Na Tigela frozen açai pulp with granola and banana.

If we’ve piqued your interest in eating some Brazilian food (like Casa’s moqueca, right) read our review of Casa or visit a Churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse) or one of the other AlwaysHungryNY.com approved Brazilian restaurants. As with any cuisine, you can use use AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Very Advanced Search to find a great place to eat. Just click on the dropdown menu for Cuisine and select Brazilian. You’ll get a list including the restaurants below. Click on their names to visit their restaurant pages for more information including recommended dishes.

BarBossa 232 Elizabeth Street
Churrascaria Plataforma 316 W. 49th Street
Churrascaria Riodizio Tribeca 221 W. Broadway
Esperanto 145 Avenue C

Or, if you’re just hankering now for some good South American food, use AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Very Advanced Search to find something that’s just right for you. Just go to cuisine and select South American from the drop-down menu and it will provide you with a list of AlwaysHungryNY.com approved restaurants.

AlwaysParting: NY Sake Week

Jeff Zalaznick — May 31, 2009

The day has finally come, an entire week dedicated to doing nothing but drinking Sake. Starting today and running through Friday (June 1-5), more than a hundred restaurants will be participating in the first New York Sake Week. The event, organized by Monica Samuels, Sake Ambassador for Southern Wine and Spirits, will be marked by special food pairings, tastings, and educational events.

Here is a list of the participating restaurants that are AlwaysHungryNY Approved:

1. 15 East
2. Bao Noodles
3. Chinatown Brasserie
4. Churrascaria Plataforma
5. Churrascaria Plataforma TriBeCa
6. Double Crown
7. Ed’s Lobster Bar
8. Elettaria
9. Greenwich Grill
10. Harbour
11. Matsuri
12. Megu TriBeCa
13. Public
14. Sakagura
15. Shang
16. Soba Totto
17. Sushi Ann
18. SushiSamba 7th
19. SushiSamba Park
20. Tse Yang
21. Woo Lae Oak