Brazil: Dinner at Ipanema via 42nd St., Manhattan

Ipanema Brazilian restaurant near 42nd St., Manhattan

Subway: 42nd St. stop in Manhattan 

Location: 13 W 46th St New York, NY 10036 (212) 730-5848

Let’s samba! According to the experts, the Brazilian Samba is danced to music played in a 2/4 time signature, but it feels like a 3/4 dance, as there are three steps to every bar.

SHORT: Did I just read that there are three steps to every bar?

BALD: Yes. Hmmm…Three steps to every bar…We can manage that, don’t you think, Short?

SHORT: Sure. Just don’t trip on that top step.

Let’s Samba!

Little Brazil, on 46th St. in Manhattan between 5th Avenue and Broadway, was dedicated in 1996. The block used to boast many Brazilian businesses; hotels, barbershops, restaurants and travel agents, etc., but like many immigrant neighborhoods in Manhattan, Little Brazil has been shrinking recently due to rising rents. The majority of New York’s Brazilian population of 30,000, can now be found in Astoria, Queens.

Tonight, however, Short and Bald are in mid-town Manhattan to check out the recent, dramatic changes in Times Square, (that post coming soon!), and while we’re in the neighborhood, we want to see what remains of Little Brazil on 46^th St.

Tall and tan and young and lovely

The girl from Ipanema goes walking

And when she passes, each one she passes goes – ah!

SHORT: I think that song was written about me, don’t you think, Bald?

BALD: Mmm. Let me think. Well, you’re certainly lovely.

SHORT: That’s true. And I’m young.

BALD: Yes. But you’re not actually from Ipanema.

SHORT: Hmm, hadn’t thought of that… But in the summer, I’m tan.

BALD: Yes.

SHORT: And I’m tall.

BALD: Well, you “go walking” and –

SHORT: And I’m tall.

BALD: And some people you pass, do go – “ah!”

SHORT: And I’m tall. See? Up here!

BALD: Yes, but that’s because you’re already on the third step to the bar!

Ipanema is a relaxed, airy Brazilian restaurant, with friendly staff and warm, natural decor. The bar at the front is a comfortable place to sit and people-watch before your meal. In summer, the front doors are flung open allowing the sun and an occasional breeze to wash on through.

SHORT: If you squint a little bit, you can almost see palm trees and the ocean out there through the doors, rather than 46^th Street.

BALD: When did you last have your eyes checked?

“The Girl from Ipanema” is a famous Grammy award winning Bossa Nova song from the early 1960’s. Legend tells that it was inspired by a beautiful fifteen year old girl from the trendy Ipanema district of Rio de Janeiro who would walk past the celebrated Veloso bar/cafe every day on her way to the beach, catching the eyes of the songwriters. You’ll hear this song more than once while dining at Ipanema.

Brazil is a huge country: the fifth largest in the world by size and population. It boasts the world’s largest river and its biggest jungle, it borders every country in South America except Chile and Ecuador, but, despite this, Short and Bald are embarrassed to admit they know very little about it.

Food, though, is the most vivid window into any culture, and with 20 years experience serving authentic Brazilian/Portugese cuisine, Ipanema is one of the best places in New York to introduce yourself to the flavors and textures of our huge South American neighbor. The chef at Ipanema has been here for over 20 years, and though originally from Portugal, he has lived in Brazil and is an expert at fusing the distinctive threads of Brazilian and Portugese cuisines.

The walls are covered in murals featuring scenes from the Amazonian jungle. Using natural slate and earthy colors, the dining area feels clean, colorful, and quite educative!

BALD: That’s a leopard in the tree there.

SHORT: I know. And he’s trying to rescue that poor little wombat in the water.

BALD: That’s absolutely correct, my little one. The hungry, lean leopard is trying to assist the lost little wombat with his powerful claws and razor sharp teeth.

SHORT: Do you think he’ll reach him?

BALD: Let’s come back next week to find out. 

SHORT: I’m glad we didn’t sit down that end. I don’t trust that leopard. He looks like he’s about to lean over and grab my appetizer.

BALD: And I wonder what he’s got in mind for his main course…

Our knowledgeable and very helpful waiter, Eduardo (who was also the maitre d’), recommended the quintessential drinks and dishes for a good introduction to Brazilian cuisine. Bald ordered this drink called a Caipirinha ($9.75.) Its main ingredient is Brazilian rum, described in the menu as Leblon Premium Cachaca. It’s mixed with fresh limes and, according to the menu, “muddled” with sugar.

BALD: Muddled is exactly the right word here, ‘cause that’s exactly how you feel after a couple of Caipirinhas! Eduardo gave us fair warning, and we, very wisely, completely ignored him. It’s a sweet, slightly tart summery drink.

SHORT: Now can you see the palm trees?

BALD: I AM a palm tree.

Short ordered a Brasilian Cosmo ($9.75.) In the menu, you see that, like the Caipirinha, its main ingredient is the Brasilian rum, Leblon Premium Cachaca. It’s mixed with triple sec, lime and cranberry juice, which gives it that “girly-froo-froo” appearance. (“Girly-Froo-Froo” is a copyrighted term created by Short & Bald. It means, “Girly-Froo-Froo.”)

SHORT: I like the color. And the glass. But yours tastes better, Bald. Can we swap?

BALD: No.

SHORT: Hey, look over there! The wombat just pulled the leopard into the river!

BALD: I’m not falling for the old “wombat pulling the leopard into the river” trick again. Order your own a Caipirihairniainha,..cau…pun..aha..

SHORT: Eduardo? I’ll have whatever he’s trying to say.

Eduardo told us Brazilian rum is made out sugar cane, which makes sense. Brazilians know a lot about sugar cane and have wisely based their ethanol industry on cane rather than corn. Reason? It yields over twice as much ethanol per hectare as corn.

There’s a good selection of low priced “entradas” (appetizers) at Ipanema, and they’re fairly small and cheap (around $1.50), so you can order a few and experience a variety of flavors, without filling yourself up. Once again, at Eduardo’s suggestion, we ordered two types of typically Brasilian croquettes, the Bolinhos De Bacalhau (Codfish Croquettes: $1.50 each), and the Bolinhos De Mandioca (Yuca Croquette with ground beef $1.50 each.) The batter for both was light and crunchy, and the fillings were richly flavored.

BALD: The sauce in the tureen is a VERY hot chili.

SHORT: Have some, Bald. It will put hair on your head.

BALD: You kidding?! That will put hair on your hair!

You can see inside, that the breadcrumb crust is fairly thin and not at all oily. This one is the beef: minced with onion and light herbs – delicious!

Here is Short’s entree, a dish Eduardo recommended from the Specialties of the House as a “must-try” introduction to Brazilian cuisine. It’s called “Feijoada Completa” (Brasilian National Dish – $17.95) and described as a rich, black bean stew with an assortment of smoked meats – chunks of various cuts of pork and smoked sausage.

In the background you can see some of the side dishes that come with the entrees at Ipanema. We’ll explain them further down.

Ahh… the red and the brown! So earthy. You can see here the dark, richness of Short’s dish. It had a strong, meaty, smoky flavor, which even permeated the beans and dark gravy. There is a welcome variety of intensity of pork flavor depending on whether you’re munching on a chunk of pork belly, or one of the many types of delicious, smoked sausage.

It’s a big-flavored meal you need to take your time over. Mix it up with the rice and other side dishes to give yourself an occasional timeout from the strong, meaty flavors and texture.

SHORT: This is very hearty. The sausages were tender and the whole meal was earthy and very filling.

See the variety of pork cuts and smoked sausage. It’s a bit like a lucky dip! You push your fork into the stew, latch onto something meaty and who knows what you come up with; sausage, pork loin, belly…and they’re all beautifully cooked, ie: moist and tender.

BALD: Is that bacon?

SHORT: How much will you give me for it?

This is Bald’s dish, once again suggested by Eduardo from the Specialties of the House list. It is called “Vatapa” (Monkfish and shrimp smothered in a shrimp puree with dende oil, nuts and spices, $18.95.) “Vatapa” is the most popular dish in Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia. As you can see, there are lots of extra goodies in there, like olives, chives, chilies and peppers, which add subtle layers of flavor.

This dish was very surprising and quite difficult to place. The strong yellow color and creamy texture lead you to expect something like an Indian curry, but the flavor is much more subtle, allowing the fish and shrimp to retain their own discreet presence. Eduardo told us it is the bright orangey/red dende oil (palm oil) which gives the dish it’s dazzling color, rather than coloring or curry powder.

BALD: I really enjoyed this dish. It was subtle in texture and flavor. The monkfish was light and creamy in texture (it is sometimes called “poor man’s lobster”) and the shrimp was tender and sweet. The nuts, olives and spices gave the sauce a gently aromatic flavor, but it was gentle and kept revealing subtle distinctions even well into the meal. I recommend this as a great contrast to Short’s stronger, heartier dish.

When Eduardo and one of his team appeared at our table with a little fold out stand and an enormous tray bearing several dishes, we first thought he’d got our order wrong. But thankfully, we were wrong. He went on to explain that Brazilian entrees are always accompanied by a variety of side dishes, each with their own distinct purpose. The rice, obviously, is there as a base upon which to pile lashings of your various entrees and other side dishes.

The onion soup (meaty flavored) and collard greens (excellent! similar to collard greens in southern U.S. but with a bit more tang!) are there to pile onto the rice and provide a short break from the predominant flavor of the entree.

This cream of black bean soup is provided to help mop up the rice.

SHORT: I didn’t really need this one.

BALD: Yes, I agree. Eduardo suggested this should be added to the plate with the pork stew, but not with the monkfish. I thought it was a bit… mneh…not a distinctive flavor…didn’t really need it.

This is interesting. The inclusion of fruit, like this orange, in the middle of a Brazilian meal, is apparently very common. Eduardo said Brazilians don’t wait till the end of the meal for dessert to enjoy a refreshing, sweet diversion.

SHORT: S-w-e-e-t! We both liked it!

The powder in the bowl is “farofa” (Mandioca flour.) Mandioca is a powder made from slicing and grating the tuber root of the wild plant from which Cassava is prepared. It’s been an important part of the South American diet for centuries.

In this powder form, it’s practically tasteless and just used to sprinkle over the various stews once they’re on your plate. Eduardo explained that its purpose is to soak up excess moisture. Visually, it looks great scattered across beans and dark dishes, as you’ll see below, but we think it’s something that somehow gets lost in translation. We didn’t really see the need for it with our dishes – we loved all that moisture! But, having said that, we do love learning new things about new cultures.

Here you can see how your plate might look once you’ve loaded up on your chosen entrees and the various side dishes. There’s a good variety of flavors and textures here, and the rice obviously soaks up whatever it comes into contact with, making a luscious bed to slurp up at the end. You can also see the mandioca flour sprinkled across everything.

Just when we thought we were about to explode, Eduardo appeared again at our table, this time with a dessert cart. We were about to politely decline (either that, or explode like Mr. Creosote in Monty Python’s “The Meaning of Life”) when our eyes lit upon an innocent looking Coconut cake with Prunes and sweet syrup.

As you can see, we soon made it our own and we were very glad we did. It was moist and dense and perfectly embellished by the sweet syrup and prunes. When Brazilians finish their meal, they call for the check which they call the “dolorosa”. That’s slang for “the bad news”.

BALD: Reminds me of my dad. At the end of a meal, he would always get out his wallet and ask, “So, what’s the damage, Sport?”

Eduardo is a champion! When he delivered our “dolorosa”, he also brought us each a glass of fruity port to compliment our dessert. 

SHORT: I’m in heaven…

BALD: Me too…

SHORT: But, those were prunes, you know.

BALD: Yes.

SHORT: Prunes.

BALD: I know.

SHORT: So our spin around Times Square will be a quick one?

BALD: Absolutely. The Charmin Restroom center isn’t open for the summer yet.

(The Charmin Restroom Center is no joke. For the last few summers, it’s opened right on Times Square as a public restroom/promotional center for Charmin Toilet Paper. You read that right, folks. A promotional center for Toilet Paper. There are even costumed performers inside dancing and singing songs about toilet paper. Kind of makes you think of Number One’s and Two’s in a whole different light. What? Your town doesn’t have one?!)

Our Overall Opinion of Ipanema:

1. The food is rich, authentic and of an excellent quality. If you don’t know much about Brazilian cuisine, this is a fantastic place to try some of the countries most popular dishes, and learn a bit about Brazil in the process.
2. The staff is friendly, helpful and very informative. If Eduardo is your maitre d’, don’t hesitate to ask him to explain the various dishes and how they all compliment each other.
3. The atmosphere is comfortable, stylish and just a little bit formal. The bar at the front is a relaxing spot to check out the comings and goings along 46^th Street as you wait for your table, and the decor is earthy-toned and “jungle-like”.
4. The drinks are great! Brazilians sure know how to mix a good, summer concoction. Do heed their advice, however, when ordering anything with Brazilian rum – it sure packs a punch, or six.
5. Prices are medium to high. Considering the neighborhood, however, and the proximity to Times Square, it’s actually really good value.

Countries like Brazil, where an indigenous population has been overtaken by a colonizing culture, (in Brazil’s case, Portugal), invariably develop fascinating fusions of new world and old world cuisines. In a sense, every meal has a deeper story to tell – a story of politics, immigration, invasion, and, we hope, reconciliation. That’s why Short and Bald believe there’s no better way to study human history and geo-politics than by eating our way through every immigrant culture New York has to offer. That’s our excuse, anyway!

And we’ve only just begun! Is your metrocard-passport topped up? Yes! Then, let’s go!