Corrientes 348

Last night, we went to a fabulous Argentinean steakhouse. Corrientes 348 is right down the street from our apartment! Everyday I pass this restaurant while walking home from my bus stop and my stomach growls because the grill spells delicious. 

The meat was tender and juicy, just as I had hoped! We will definitely return to this restaurant!

Brody, me, Cris, Alwyn, Mari and Hideki

Mari and me

Hideki, Brody, Alwyn

Skye Bar at Hotel Unique

"Located on the rooftop of the hotel, Skye boasts a crimson red pool with an underwater sound system and lounge area with stunning views over Ibirapuera Park and the entire São Paulo skyline."- From their website

Brody and I joined a few friends at Skye Bar last night! We had been wanting to lounge at this popular rooftop watering hole for awhile. The views of the city are breathtaking, but the red lighting on the umbrellas and the lights shining from the bottom of the pool caught my eye first. 

I ordered a Rose and Lychee Martini! The aroma of fresh roses was all I could smell while I sipped this glamorous cocktail!

My Favorite Restaurant...

French Bistro for Date Night

For our date night, Brody and I went to a French restaurant that has been on my "Restaurant List" for awhile. The Bistro's teal door and romantic courtyard entrance immediately caught my eye as we strolled around our neighborhood when we first moved into our apartment in the beginning of February.

This note from the owners posted on a wall in the courtyard, sums up the entire experience perfectly!

Welcome! Ruella was created for us to celebrate the wisdom of living life intensely, with aromas and big flavors finding love. Remembering that the true success of life is to be happy and to have fun.
With affection, Danielle and ?

Yes! I translated the note above without using google translate! 

Covering the walls of the restaurant are unique black and white photos and colorful paintings. Each table has different chairs and is lit by candlelight.

To begin, I ordered a walnut and roasted pear salad with gorgonzola cheese. For my entree, I enjoyed the fetuccine pasta with pesto sauce, fresh basil, grape tomatoes and olives. 

 Brody ordered the artichoke heart and garlic pasta. I love the fresh rosemary garnish on his plate! 

I can officially say that Ruella is now my favorite restaurant in Sao Paulo! The food is delicious and the ambiance is perfect for a romantic evening! Even better, it is right around the corner from our house. 

Easter Eggs, Golfing and Paintings

Not unlike Americans, Brazilians celebrate Easter with lots of chocolate! This week my students brought me more chocolate than I could ever eat. The huge chocolate eggs wrapped in colorful packaging hang from the grocery store ceilings. Inside each chocolate egg are little bite-sized chocolates!

Notice the cute note from a student on a sticky-note!

Last night, Brody and I went to the driving range with some friends. Brody brought his golf clubs that he bought from a co-worker moving back to England for $50.

Brody, Lehi, Chris, Alwyn

Mari and Alwyn

and he broke one...

Here are two paintings that I have been working on this weekend. We are going to hang these above the bed to add more color to our all-white room.

Hope you like them! Have a Happy Easter!

Friends, Feijoada, and Beer

6 half-pint beers for only 25 reals!

Beer Tasting

After the International festival, Brody and I joined a few of my teaching friends for beer tasting at a brewery in Sao Paulo. Most of the Brazilian beer is pretty light. We had fun tasting darker Brazilian brews!

Iian and Kim
Kim teaches down the hall from me!

 

Hamilton and Maggie
Maggie teaches high school math at my school.

Feijoada and Samba Dancing

Last weekend, Brody and I spent our Saturday at a restaurant/ bar called Samba, in Vila Magdalena, known to be Sao Paulo's Bohemian and artsy district. We split feijoada with six of our friends.The feijoada was yummy, but the samba band and people watching was even better!

The Feijoada was served with ribs, sausage and farofa.

Feijoada is prepared with black beans, salted pork, beef,  and sausage.

Brody added this hot sauce to his feijoada. He added way too much!
This sauce packs a punch!

International Festival

On Saturday, my school hosted their annual International Festival. The school is transformed, flags are hung from the ceiling and booths are set up for each country represented by Chapel families. The American booth served milkshakes, french fries and chili dogs. The Brazilian booth served feijoada, brigadeiros, and caipirinhas. I volunteered for two hours selling tickets and serving drinks, so I was able to enjoy the festival for free.

The British booth was upstairs, they had bag pipers and served finger sandwiches, and delicious cookies. It was set up like a tea room.

The Lebanese booth and Argentinean booth were huge! The Japanese booth served sushi and the Chinese booth served egg rolls, vegetable dumplings and a delicious noodles.

Teacher friends enjoying the festival.
Erica, me, Vivian, Kahlie

Brigadeiros at the Brazilian booth. This candy is made from
sweetened condensed milk, chocolate powder and butter. 

The Mexican booth served Tres Leches cake, chips and guacamole!
The decorations were breathtaking!

Empanadas and Malbec wine were served at the Chilean Booth.

Flags on the ceiling and samba dancers on the stage!

We could not get over this man Samba dancer's costume!
Love the tie, sleeves and collar...without the shirt!

Tasting Chilean Malbec wine!
Vivian, me , Kahlie

Housewarming Party

On Friday, Brody and I invited a few friends from my school over to celebrate our new home in Brazil! I found two amazing recipes on Pinterest for appetizers and we served beer, a specialty cocktail, and wine.

Here are two photos of the spread before the party began...

I found this Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip recipe from closetcooking.com
It was a hit!

This is the specialty cocktail...

Champagne, vodka, beer, raspberry lemonade, sprite, starfruit

I could not resist adding garnishes to the glasses...

Found these roses at the supermercado...

I made this Goat Cheese and Roasted Pepper Crostini recipe from one of my favorite food blogs: twopeasandtheirpod.com. 

After appetizers and cocktails, we walked down the street to a restaurant for dinner, then some people went out! Overall, we had a blast!