You know, I don't live far from Hopkins, and yet I never seem to go there. That really has to change. I made a start this week with a visit to Samba. Samba is a Brazilian restaurant, and that intrigued me. As usual, I know nothing about Brazilian food, but the menu sounded tasty, so why not?
We started with pastels, or little filled empanadas. They're not terribly photogenic, but they are tasty, in a light, crispy fried pastry. The palmito pastel (filled with hearts of palm) had a lovely mild flavor.
After struggling to choose from the many wonderful-sounding options on the menu, we finally asked the owner what he'd recommend. He pointed out two items, which my friend and I each ordered and shared.
Feijoada: black bean stew with pork and sausage, rice, collard greens, and farofa (a toasted manioc flour that looked and tasted like spiced breadcrumbs). Verdict: Deee-lish. My dining companion wondered out loud if it would be OK to pick up the meat bone and suck on it to get every last bit.
Tilapia baked with onions, tomatoes and capers, with rice and vegetables. Oh my gosh, this was so good. And healthy! What an unusual combination.
Years ago I was friends with a woman who lived in Congo for a while and would talk about growing and eating manioc. Manioc is the root of the yucca plant. Seeing fried manioc on the appetizer menu reminded me of that, and I had to have some. These are very similar in texture to regular French fries, but with a slightly different flavor. The fries were not at all greasy, but light and crispy, with a melty interior. I'd definitely get them again.
Everything was flavorful, but not spicy. And everything was cooked perfectly--the fish wasn't overdone, the side of veggies was crisp-tender. After lunch I had coffee, which was brewed as an individual cup. We talked about dessert--so many great choices: caramel flan, toffee pudding cake, pastel Romeo e Julieta (fried dumpling with guava paste and cheese), but sadly for us, we were too full from the actual lunch.
However, the restaurant has a small grocery store within it, and that's where we found these:
Chocolate Easter eggs, filled with bonbons. To give a sense of size, I set one on the vertical side of an 8 X 11" piece of paper. The owner told us these are very traditional Brazilian Easter treats, and they come numbered by size. This is size #23; they go up to 50.
So--Samba, yes or no? Yes. Oh, yes.
Oh Yay! I am so glad you went to check it out! I feel the need for a little Samba, now that you bring it up!
Posted by: Guinifer | April 01, 2011 at 11:09 AM
mmm. Sounds delicious and intriguing.
Posted by: rudee | April 01, 2011 at 12:01 PM
It was fantastic, Rudee. See? You really need to come to Minnesota.
Posted by: Amy Rea | April 01, 2011 at 04:22 PM
I did, Guinifer, thanks for the tip! I'll definitely go back. Yum.
Posted by: Amy Rea | April 01, 2011 at 04:23 PM
Must try that place. Feijoada is one of my favorite dishes. Believe me, I would not have bothered with debating that bone question.
Posted by: Miss T | April 02, 2011 at 11:51 AM
UP to 50? /fans self. Wow, that sounds fabulous! (The rest of the lunch too). I'll have to check out the Brazilian offerings nearer to me.
Posted by: Carrie#K | April 04, 2011 at 03:28 PM