Feijoada

I have heard so much about Feijoada and finally had the chance to try it today. It's pretty awesome that the first time I am trying Brasilian food is in Brasil.

Amir and Caro


Oh my ! Feijoada !


Tomato/onions in vinegar. and faroufa


YES




Final plating


I <3 feijoada. It was especially good after a night of drinking and dancing! Afterwards, we went to a bar on the beach for some post-brunch/feijoada cocktails. hah!

Amir looking cool


Joe and his adorable gf, Kaka


Me and the adorable sisters, Caro and Kaka


The band that was playing

Bode (goat) and Samba

Went to meet a bunch of people at a place called "Entre Amigos." We ordered a delicious "bode" or goat stew.




Then we headed off to a samba club called Dona Carolina.


He's teaching me how to Samba !




Good times


This was after I puked the vodka shot I just had in the bathroom trashcan. Still had perma-grin! hahah. Classy.

Breakfast & Beaching in Recife

I woke up to a wonderfully prepared breakfast on the terrace of Amir's apartment which has a view of the beach. Life is freaking good.



Nice try, Amir!


After, we headed to the beach with some of his boys.




Naturally, I had to take some pictures of some nice Brasilian buns.


Amir and Rodrigo


Beach bums




I <3 this pic! Amir w/ his boys


After we drove around a bit.






The famous "penis of Recife"

First dinner in Recife by Chef Amir

After we got back from the beach, I passed out for a few hours. I woke up just in time for guests to arrive for a small dinner party prepared by Chef Amir.



Delicious risotto with basil oil - the way it's supposed to be made! (NO mushy porridge here!)


"Piperade" with Brasilian sausage to be paired with deliciously braised pork


Me and Amir


Bon app !


What a wonderful start to my stay in Brasil. We didn't finish dinner until past midnight. Everyone went out that night to a club except me. I couldn't hang since I was so tired from the flight. Tomorrow though!

Finally made it to Recife, Brasil

After "only 2 days," I finally made it to Recife, Brasil. At least I got upgraded to Business Class. Thanks, Daniel Gonzalez from Miami AA! The only competent AA rep I've met thus far...



Me and Amir


Queijo na brasa - Grilled cheese with oregano and Brasilian honey. GOOODDDDD


WORD. Caipirinhas with fried marcaxeira root (yuca). I am a big fan of marcaxeira root. They use it a lot in Brasil for various foods.


YES


Passion fruit, sugary coconut


Eating very young coconut after drinking the coconut water


A full afternoon at the beach, eating beach "street" food. Not a bad start.

Stuck in Miami, Florida

So my flight to Recife, Brazil was delayed an hour at SFO, therefore causing me to miss my connecting flight to Recife. They claim the earliest flight they had was 20h15 the following day (!!! F*CK YOU, American Airlines! You suck!) Seriously, each time I fly American, it gets worse. When I got to SFO, the check-in attendants were too busy having personal conversations. The lady at the desk was rude. Not to mention how unfriendly they were in Miami. So yes, DO NOT FLY AMERICAN AIRLINES. Sometimes it may be worth it to pay $100+ for a better airline.

Ok, the positives? I got a free night at Holiday Inn (well, they better offer this) and some vouchers for food - just enough so that I don't die of hunger, however, American Airlines expected me to eat only in the hotel or the airport. So yes, they expect me to stay here for 24 hours doing what? And get this, check-out time is noon. WHAT AM I GONNA DO - stay at the airport for 8 more hours? Even the guy at the front desk was like "Why didn't they just pay for two nights?" I can't walk around Miami in the rain with my extra bags. I still need a place to wash up before my 10+ hour flight. Blech. When life gives you lemons, you gotta make lemonade, right?

This was my chance to sort of check out Miami. First on the list: eat Cuban food. I took a cab to Versailles restaurant. The ride itself was quite interesting. I had a very interesting conversation with a Colombian cab driver married to a French woman. He got so excited talking about Colombian, Cuban and Peruvian food, crepes from Bretagne, apple cidre, and his extensive travel in Europe that he missed my stop. He didn't charge me for the mix-up either. Moments like this in life are fun.



I opted for something traditional - Beef stew with rice and plantains. I could eat plantains every day!


I really wanted to try dessert since they are also popular for their sweet things and bakery, but was way too full. I can always finish up with a cafecito though.






I am full and life is good.

Employee golf day

Aside from golf, there was a big meal made for everyone which includes grilled tri-tip, roasted chicken, chili, Spanish rice, guacamole, pasta salad, and potato salad. I volunteered to make dessert. I made super duper dense, fudge chocolate brownies, tiramisu, and apple crumble.

Here are a few photos of the course. It was completely gorgeous today. I didn't do much but putt around since I didn't want to slow anyone down.



Here's Scotty, one of our golf pro's

火鍋 a.k.a Huǒ Guō a.k.a Hot Pot

Had dinner at my sister's place.

Everyone needs a little huǒ guō in their life!