Day 166

Virado à Paulista: For the past few days, I've been wanting to change things up and try something brand new that I didn't find in my usual shopping locations. After a less-than-productive day yesterday trying to find a reclusive Russian deli on Covington Highway, I stopped by Your Dekalb Farmers Market and found absolutely nothing interesting or new. I know that may sound crazy, but today is the 160th day I've been doing this. I've eaten a lot.

I came home frustrated and wanting to give up, so I decided to get online and do some hardcore research. One of my favorite local bloggers is the "Blissful Glutton" (www.blissfulglutton.com), and based on how many great finds she writes about, I figured I could find a good recommendation on her site. After a bit of looking, I noticed something interesting that I'd never tried: Brazilian food. She featured an article about a traditional Brazilian cafe called Minas Emporium (7405 Roswell Road Northeast Atlanta, GA 30328-1026) that sounded really tasty, and the restaurant/market also had an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. I normally don't like buffets that much, but this one sounded good. Me and the GF made plans to check it out for lunch today.

When we walked in, I had hopes of finding feijoada, a traditional dish made with various cuts of pork and black beans. And until I got home, I thought one of the dishes I had off the buffet was feijoada (more on that later). We got our plates and proceeded to fill up, and there was plenty of tasty stuff to choose from. I got a bit of everything, including fried fish, a mix of rice and chunks of pork, some beef served in gravy and a dish including cauliflower and something else I couldn't quite identify. However, my favorite was the Virado à Paulista, which I actually thought was feijoada until I got home, did some research, and figured out it wasn't.

This dish (pictured at the bottom of the plate) was honestly amazing - it featured rice, tutu de feijão (a paste of beans and manioc flour), sauteed collard greens and a few different types of pork. The pork was definitely my favorite element, especially the crispy pieces that reminded me of a cross between chicharrones and bacon. It also included some pieces of diced up sausage - not ground, but with casing. Not exactly light eating, but I went back for seconds. It was a starchy, salty treat that I definitely plan on trying again soon. I could have eaten it till I made myself sick, but considering I have a show to play tonight, I figured that wasn't the best idea.

I also bought several other things to take home, so get ready for Brazilian Week. And thanks again to the Blissful Glutton for recommending this place. Good stuff.