Taste of Brazil, Oak Park

discovery credit to Panther in the Den and ucjames; we could probably all hit the roof with a softball from our respective front doors

Grand opening prestijo torte:



Counterclockwise, a beef empanada, chicken croquette, pao de queijo:



Fillings, redolent with good green olives and hard-boiled egg:



Cheese bread is a notch up from the churrascarias, with a lovely truffly aroma:





All of this and a decent cafe mocha was $9. What can I say. The family is from Santa Catarina, on the southern coast, which is a very European part of the country, reflected in the execution of the cuisine. The tiny place has a Mekato's vibe and, from the delicious bakery and coffee scents, I doubt they're deep frying the croquettes on premises (or are keeping the equipment well ventilated in the back). I suppose some of these items could suffer after a day in the heat cabinets, but I had first shot and everything was soft, warm, and delectable.

So we have decent new Thai and Brazilian, the Depot is back open, and Chicken and Waffles is on the way. Since someone is answering my bizarre prayers, let me try: Szechuan, please? Uzbek? Korean barbecue? Jennifer Connelley? Wife saw this and asked me to add Viggo Mortensen. It's me, Matt.

Taste of Brazil
906 S Oak Park Ave
Oak Park, IL 60304
(708) 383-3550

Ooh, nice pictures. Working long hours today and tomorrow, but I'll stop in on Saturday to give them a try.

Hmm. Grabbing lunch there and a coffee cake from the Oak Park Bakery to enjoy Sunday morning sounds like a nice, if delayed, one-two punch

Santander wrote:Since someone is answering my bizarre prayers, let me try: Szechuan, please? Uzbek? Korean barbecue? Jennifer Connelley? It's me, Matt.

Taste of Brazil
906 S Oak Park Ave
Oak Park, IL 60304
(708) 383-3550

If you do get a hold of someone's ear, you forgot Pakistani, and Megan Fox.

we have decent new Thai and Brazilian, the Depot is back open, and Chicken and Waffles is on the way.

"We," Oak Park/Berwyn, etc? What's this about of the arrival of some sort of Chicken and Waffles ?!?!

Anyway, I've been walking past this place for a few weeks now, and my thoughts were always a) what a nice change of pace and b) what a terrible time to open, especially in such a cursed space. Good luck to them, though!

(BTW, what Oak Park really needs is Vietnamese)

Vitesse98 wrote:

we have decent new Thai and Brazilian, the Depot is back open, and Chicken and Waffles is on the way.

"We," Oak Park/Berwyn, etc? What's this about of the arrival of some sort of Chicken and Waffles ?!?!

Anyway, I've been walking past this place for a few weeks now, and my thoughts were always a) what a nice change of pace and b) what a terrible time to open, especially in such a cursed space. Good luck to them, though!

(BTW, what Oak Park really needs is Vietnamese)

Well, there was the Mimosa Cafe on Harlem for a time in between that location's old existence as a Burger King, and current incarnation as Mickey's Good Vietnamese would be a nice addition to the area though.

Vitesse98 wrote:

we have decent new Thai and Brazilian, the Depot is back open, and Chicken and Waffles is on the way.

"We," Oak Park/Berwyn, etc? What's this about of the arrival of some sort of Chicken and Waffles ?!?!

Anyway, I've been walking past this place for a few weeks now, and my thoughts were always a) what a nice change of pace and b) what a terrible time to open, especially in such a cursed space. Good luck to them, though!

(BTW, what Oak Park really needs is Vietnamese)

viewtopic.php?p=242482#p242482

Oh Boy!

Start the night tomorrow at Taste of Brazil and then head over to Tango Sur for Steak (our maiden voyage). After mapping the Value Steak thread I have been jonesing for some beef.

Might have to rent a movie.

Panther in the Den wrote:Oh Boy!

Start the night tomorrow at Taste of Brazil and then head over to Tango Sur for Steak (our maiden voyage). After mapping the Value Steak thread I have been jonesing for some beef.

Might have to rent a movie.

If you and the bride are up for sharing, I highly recommend the vacio at Tango Sur for two people - found a picture online here. Easily my favorite dish there.

ucjames wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Oh Boy!

Start the night tomorrow at Taste of Brazil and then head over to Tango Sur for Steak (our maiden voyage). After mapping the Value Steak thread I have been jonesing for some beef.

Might have to rent a movie.

If you and the bride are up for sharing, I highly recommend the vacio at Tango Sur for two people - found a picture online here. Easily my favorite dish there.

Photo courtsey of No Olives Blog

No Olives Blog wrote:Vacio: Half a slab of range-grown flap meat, sliced and filled with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and sage, and cooked and served on a grill with sliced sweet potatoes. Grilling temperature is suggested at medium-the result is a buttery, mouth-melting mass of herbs and meat. I urge all Chicagoan meat-eaters to order this divine concoction, eat half and take the rest home to prolong the pleasure.

Thanks! ... as we were going to go with the light recommendations of "tasty ribeye" and "special of Lomo Relleno" but it appears that the Vacio will better fill my need for meat.

This keeps getting better and better!

Good recon job, PitD,ucj and S.

I'm still a little vague about the range of items offered at this interesting addition to the OP dining scene, but the pix help a lot.

Will try to stop by after Farmer's Market this afternoon, which, if you're in OP, is at Ascension Church, as reported in Local Beet: http://www.thelocalbeet.com/?p=1378

David Hammond wrote:
I'm still a little vague about the range of items

Should have mentioned that my first sampling covers 95% of the currently-offered menu - the flan is the only other item that is not a duplicate (with different filling / frosting) of what I had. So not much range, but definite quality.

They do list a few other items (kibbeh, savory "pies" in a different category than empanadas) on their published menu, which Panther scanned:



My wife will no doubt be pleased that if you Google "Taste of Brazil Oak Park," the subtext is the Viggo Mortensen bit, which should thoroughly confuse or entice depending on persuasion. And his affiliation is Argentine, anyway.

We picked up the beef and cream cheese croquette, cheese empanada, and strawberry cake for a late breakfast and were similarly pleased. Nice little line of five people at about 11. With a donut at the aforementioned Oak Park bakery we ran the sweet and savory gamut just a few blocks from our place - reason to be thankful.

My Bride and I stopped by last Friday for appetizers before heading over to Tango Sur for dinner.

As mentioned they have a limited menu of about 6 or 7 items (not including dessert) and we decided to sample one of everything. It was all good! The crusts were flaky when needed and the fillings nicely seasoned. There was one item that was not on the menu, Palmito, which is a light, delicate and flaky crust cup complete with a tiny cover with a small ball handle, that is filled with hearts of palm. Creamy and delicious.

I believe there might be an off menu item available at most times.

The owners are all family with Mama Maria cooking up all of the creations. She actually came out to sit with a friend of hers and chatted with us for a while. She is proud of her work and before we could leave she offered us some flan to share which had a good firm texture and a nice and dark caramel sauce.

Starting this Saturday, Mama is going to start making a meal special which will include rice, beans, collard greens and a meat (to be determined). Should be available around 11 am or noon.

After we ate we did enlighten them to th existence of LTH and gave the daughter the web address and hopefully she will chime in with news of the specials of the day and meal for the weekend.

They mentioned that the first day was very busy as they were settling into their routine and besides the locals stopping in (there were about 5 people that came thru while we were there) and they have been getting a lot of support from the Brazilian community.

Another note, I also had a cup of espresso which was also very good and Maria mentioned that she roasts her own beans in the basement.

All in all a welcome and tasty addition to the area!

The wife and I made a quick stop at Taste of Brazil late this afternoon after postponing Saturday's intended trial in favor of our first visit to the well-loved Chuck's in Burbank.

Had to keep this stop rather light thanks to a late lunch and having dinner already set at home, but we did try beef, chicken, and shrimp croquettes - each one that much better than the one that came before - and some excellent light, flaky beef pastels. In the case of the beef pastel I was compelled to go back to the counter and order a second, even though I knew that my true dinner still awaited me.

Samples were provided of their rice pudding, which was quite tasty, and a final order of the flan lived up to Panther's description.

I definitely look forward to sampling the remainder of their typical daily offerings, and whatever off-menu specials should be available in the future. A very nice addition to the area indeed.

last night, they also had feijoada, though not listed menu or on chalkboard - the giveaway was the container of orange slices. it was the whole meal, beans & meat, greens, rice, orange slices and with the pau de queijo, by far the tastiest thing I sampled there. I am by no means a seasoned feijoada eater, so can't compare it to ideal versions, but I would definitely eat this again, and given the paucity of this dish around town may be worth seeking out.

I wasn't as enamored of the rice pudding, preferring the tasty flan instead with its hints of bitter caramel, coconut and firm texture.

zim wrote:last night, they also had feijoada, though not listed menu or on chalkboard - the giveaway was the container of orange slices. it was the whole meal, beans & meat, greens, rice, orange slices and with the pau de queijo, by far the tastiest thing I sampled there. I am by no means a seasoned feijoada eater, so can't compare it to ideal versions, but I would definitely eat this again, and given the paucity of this dish around town may be worth seeking out.

I wasn't as enamored of the rice pudding, preferring the tasty flan instead with its hints of bitter caramel, coconut and firm texture.

Great description. It's very hard to be a seasoned feijoada eater in Chicago since we only have the dumbed-down version on the salad bars at the churascarrias, and occasional offerings without the full garniture at Al Primo Canto and Brasil Legal. I've had it more frequently at friends' houses.

Maria was charging $10 for the full platter and $5 for a small bowl of the stew. I thought it was remarkable, simple, home-made, and not over-seasoned, letting the pork shoulder, smoked sausage, and belly shine through. The buttery cheese-bread crumbs with the hard-boiled egg nuggets mixed in perfectly, and her ribboned collards with salt pork belly were one of the best preparations I've had in the city. Fresh orange slices, good salad, with big bell pepper chunks. I had plenty left over for dinner for two!

The place was packed with Portuguese-speakers yesterday and everyone seemed to be having a great time. I wanted to linger and just take it in but had errands to run. I'm told they'll make feijoada at least once a month and maybe every weekend; they put it out in big catering trays behind the counter and it's there till it's gone. What a place to have right here.

Santander wrote: The buttery cheese-bread crumbs with the hard-boiled egg nuggets mixed in perfectly

Not that I'm a seasoned feijoada eater, having one long ago trip to Brazil and a few domestic experiences under my belt, but isn't farofa the typical condiment of fried (often in butter) manioc flour? Pao de queijo crumbs sounds like a frugal and tasty alternative.

JeffB wrote:

Santander wrote: The buttery cheese-bread crumbs with the hard-boiled egg nuggets mixed in perfectly

Not that I'm a seasoned feijoada eater, having one long ago trip to Brazil and a few domestic experiences under my belt, but isn't farofa the typical condiment of fried (often in butter) manioc flour? Pao de queijo crumbs sounds like a frugal and tasty alternative.

I would say TOB was serving a mixed crumb topping, with a similar flavor to their whole cheese bread. I don't know much about different types of farofa, but I'd say it was more in the cornmeal direction than manioc flour (which I've never had), plus additional bread crumbs. It also had other bits of interesting things mixed in, like chopped hard-boiled egg and raisins (?). Really nice, and the amount of work to put all of this together, even on a weekend, is impressive. It made for a wonderful meal.

Sounds non-traditional in general (as the stuff that comes with everything -- meats and veggies as well as beans -- tends to be fried manioc flour) though it could well be very traditional to a particular place or sub-cuisine in Brazil. The chopped eggs and fruit lead me to speculate about a more Italian or Iberian influence in that strain of farofa compared to the more Afro-American fried manioc that presumably made its way down from Bahia ....

I've had fried chunks of yuca / cassava, but never the toasted flour, and if it ended up looking, tasting, and having the same squeaky-crunch that the cornmeal you've used under a loaf of bread in your oven, this could have been it. But since maize farinha de milho seems to be an option for farofa, and since a region's farofa seems to be made with the same flour as its pao de quiejo, I'd put my bet there. I'll stop in later this week and ask them if they're making it again next weekend, and if they are I'll post an event, but in any case, please come out to try it and compare with your experiences!

It's pretty similar to what you describe, though I'd never use cornmeal under bread . They have it (or had it, it's been a while) in the manioc version at Fogo. You used to have to ask for it (as well as a damn good chimichurri). I have an in-law moving to Oak Park soon. So now I have a legitimate excuse to visit. Thanks.

My Bride and I have stopped by a few times either for just a snack or on Saturday for the Feijoada Weekend Special.



For $10 it was a nice and big meal. We should of gotten one and split it.



It is a savory stew with a nice chunks of well cooked meat. We were not sure of the farofa as to whether it was a topping or a side and after a quick taste... Topping. While we did not taste or see any egg I did come across some dried beef and firm beans.

The place was hopping the entire time we were there. The tables were filled as soon as one opened up and they had at least 6 people on staff to handle the crowd. The line at the counter was often to the door.



The crowd was a mixture of locals and Brazilians (maybe family) that Mama Maria would come out to greet. They had no problems meeting the need of the customers as things would run out they would be promptly replaced.


Mama Maria and the Hot Food Display Case

They also have a good selection of Desserts in a separate display on the weekend. All we have tried is the flan but we hope to rectify that this weekend.





I have posted select photos and most of the items can be viewed in detail here.


Hot Food Menu

They often have items not on the menu so be sure to ask. They are using different shapes and coatings to differentiate them.


Quiet in the afternoon during the week

OK, as much as I'd like to see this place succeed, and as much as I like their presence a couple of blocks away, I should offer a few observations:

1) The only time I've seen this place busy, weekday or weekend, was when there was what looked like a birthday party there last weekend packed with Brazilians. In fact, you can see the balloon in the picture!

2) While said party was in progress, it took my wife ten minutes to order and buy an cheese empanada (which my daughter promptly devoured).

3) While everything I've had here has been fine, I'm not sure I'd consider it worth a special trip, lest anyone is wondering. At least, not yet.

Again, great addition to Oak Park, and I absolutely don't want to be a hater. Just want to bring the discussion a bit back down to earth.

Stopped in today and had a basket of fried things and a tasty Brazilian cola:



The folks were very nice and the food was fine, somewhat one-dimensional, but fine, though not much of a deal (what you see cost about $8.60). All tables were equipped with Tapatio hot sauce (I wonder if that kind of salsa support to a meal is typical in Brazil).

It might be advisable to come during busy times, when there's high turnover of fried items. I would definitely like to try their weekends-only feijoada, and I am intrigued by their vegetable tortas.

At 12:45, place was pretty much empty, though several customers came in for take-out, and everyone who walked by peered in to investigate the place.

This place is billed as a "cafe and snack shop," and that's just what it is. They're thinking of putting soup on the menu, and that'd be a good idea because right now, the regular offerings are a little slim.

Fried and rich is admittedly ubiquitous at Taste of Brazil, but it's perfect for a morning when a doughnut next door is not going to cut your protein and animal fat hunger. What cuts the starches and croquettes for me is in the sweets counter. The prestijo torte has been moist, fresh, and quite decadent every time, the rice pudding is creamy and solid, and the little truffles and flans have been excellent. Like the hot items, nothing is much over $2.

The family is rounding out a lunch menu, currently serving (wait for it) smoked salmon and bagels, which I don't believe are fresh-ground or baked downstairs like the other menu items, and are working on soups. They have finally posted their excellent feijoada as a recurring weekend (Saturday) special, and I planted a moqueca seed thanks to this request. In keeping with their effort to engage and educate Oak Parkers, they've outlined all the fixins for the weekend stews on a little chart, which does include a manioc-based farofa (thanks, JeffB!), and is just missing their recipe for the greens with pork that I think are particularly good, but I'll inquire after it another time, since they're very forthcoming.

My husband, daughter, and I just went for dinner at Taste of Brazil and enjoyed it very much. As other posters have indicated, the hosts are very friendly -- and they were very interested in our honest feedback on the food.

We started with some Brazilian "snacks," including a chicken croquette with olives, kibe (beef with bulghur wheat, I believe), and a hearts of palm pie. All were tasty, especially the hearts of palm pie. We both had the steak and onions entree. (There appear to be a couple entree choices every evening; tonight's choices were the steak or fried chicken.) The steak was good, though a little tough and overcooked -- but this was my only small complaint of the entire meal. The entrees came with a lovely fresh garden salad and delicious black beans and rice. We finished our meal with a delicious "flan cake" which I highly recommend. I found the prices to be very reasonable and overall think this place is a nice little value. I will definitely return and want to seek out the feijoada, in particular.

I really want to see this place succeed.

I was worried at the dark windows over the holidays, but they had just taken a vacation; the place is warm and active again and they've put up a full menu on the north wall, noting the items made on the premises (just about everything). Moqueca and feijoada have made the standing menu, as is a really good Brazilian grilled ham and cheese and several soups. The lentil soup with a cheese popover is a damn fine winter lunch, and if you don't want strong coffee they have restocked the refrigerator case full of cane sugar sodas and coconut drinks. A few months more and they'll have happily made a year.

Yup! I stopped by last night to grab an empanada and was told the daily specials are now available every day. The meal menu is now about 6 items.

The empanada was good and filled a bit more than I remembered. Nice flaky crust as usual.

Now to stop by to try the steak and grilled onions!

With thanks to David Hammond for the recent spotlight on this worthy place, I wanted to share two things I find very enjoyable there for lunch:



The caldo verde is a lovely, traditional potato and onion soup packed with bitter greens and sausage and finished with lemon juice. Their homemade strawberry (or standard) lemonade is processed with more of the fruit than just the juice and is fresh and fiercely sour - it can be ordered sweet to taste. These and a misto-quente make for a very hardy meal at about the same pricepoint as the full feijoada spread.

This place has become a neighborhood institution, and the Brazilian community from all over the city and suburbs make their way in. If you find your way there, get the mango torte, too, or go next door to the Oak Park Bakery for chocolate cake donuts, pączki, or German chocolate coffee cake.

My wife and I finally went here last night. I would always look at it when we'd go to Hole in the Wall for ice cream but always kind of figured it was just a coffee shop with snacks.

Since Yillin was closed we were searching for something new to try and this place fit the bill perfectly. We told the waitress that it was our first time there and she took the time to go through the entire menu with us explaining what each item was. Very nice and attentive service. Definitely gave us a good impression right off the bat.

We both started with the Veggie Salpicao salads. I wasn't sure what I expected this to look like but it was definitely different than any salad I've had before. It had a nice flavor to it though was a little heavy on the mayo for my tastes. Next time I would just ask for less of that as they seemed very willing to cater the menu to our tastes/dietary restrictions.

We also ordered a bowl of their lentil soup to split. I'm not a huge fan of lentil soup so I can't say I've had a lot of them. But, this was by far the best lentil soup I've ever had. I would go back just for this.

We also split a Coxinha (chicken croquette). I was expecting something similar to a Jamaican meat patty. But this looked more like a giant hershey's kiss. If I ate more fried food I could totally see making a meal of a few of these. Tasty and interesting.

For our main dishes my wife had the Moqueca de Peixe, a fish stew in a coconut milk sauce. This was absolutely delicious. Our waitress said the shrimp version is typically more popular so we'll be trying that soon.

I got a Picanha steak sandwich. Since I can't eat cheese it was essentially steak and carmalized onions on french bread. This was also very tasty. The bread was crisped perfectly along the edges and the steak had a great flavor to it.

I took at least half of my salad home and my wife only ate half of her fish dish so she would have leftovers for lunch today. We're already planning our next trip over there. We may take my brother's kids there this weekend since I doubt they've ever had Brazilian fare.

I plan to try the Feijoada next time. That's really what I was looking at to try last night but I didn't feel like my stomach could handle pork and sausage at the time.