By Maíra Amorim, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – Búzios is one of Rio’s most charming and beautiful cities, combining amazing beaches with urban sophistication and vibrant nightlife. On October 23 and 24, the city will be hosting the eighth edition of its annual Food Festival. Forty restaurants will be participating and offering special set menus at affordable prices.
“We expect to exceed the 100,000 visitors we had last year,” says organizer Gil Castelo Branco. The restaurants involved in the festival are located mainly on Rua das Pedras, Rua Orla Bardot, Rua Turíbio de Farias, Praça Santos Dumont and Porto da Barra in Manguinhos, and all very popular spots in Búzios.
Our philosophy is to serve good food at reasonable prices. A starter will cost R$10, main courses R$15 and desserts R$8. All restaurants have created special recipes for the festival.
Chez Michou, for example offers a crêpe filled with banana, pineapple, papaya and strawberry and served with custard and mango ice-cream. The crêperie is a Búzios tradition. It opened twenty-five years ago when the city was only just becoming a fashionable. There are no waiters and you make your order at the counter. When your crêpe is ready, they will shout your name on a megaphone.
Chez Michou may be a creperie with a French name, but their crêpes are different from those made in France – the Brazilian version is thicker and has a lot more filling. If you are going to Búzios, this chic institution is an absolute must.
Patio Havana is yet another classic restaurant in town. It draws inspiration from Cuban cuisine and offers a gorgeous ocean view. For the festival, the chefs propose “amuse bouches”. The appetizers include blinis with sour cream and smoked salmon, mini croque monsieurs with melted cheese and a béchamel of funghi porcini, basket made of parmesan cheese filled with a tomato confit and tapenade and followed by a cheese and parma ham lollipop.
Bistro Bellavere will be offering a tortino di melanzana (aubergine tart), of grilled aubergines with tomato, capers, anchovies, black and green olives and fish fillets.
Just like Chez Michou, Thai Sawasdee was first born in Búzios before it opened in Rio. For the Food Festival, the chefs have created the Khao Mok Gung – a shrimp, sliced pepper, nampla curry served with onions and jasmine rice.
Capricciosa, Quadrucci, Parvati, Bananaland, Lorenzo and Satyricon are some of the other restaurants participating in the Food Festival. The event will go on for two days and provides the perfect excuse for weekend getaway to Búzios.
Chez Michou
Av. José Bento Ribeiro Dantas 90 – Tel.: (22) 2623-2169
Pátio Havana
Rua das Pedras 101 – Tel.: (22) 2623-2169