WHERE TO EAT - Brazil - page 392

MINAS GERAIS

BELO HORIZONTE Splendido

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Flat Volpi Residence, Rua Levindo Lopes 251, Savassi Tel [phone]
One of the best restaurants in the city lies in the heart of the fashionable Savassi nightlife district. The menu and
the bright atmosphere are light Mediterranean. Excellent pasta entrées are on offer and the wine list is respectable,
with some imported wines from Tuscany.
BELO HORIZONTE Aurora

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Rua Expedicionário Mário Alves de Oliveira 421, São Luis, Pampulha Tel [phone]
The large, airy dining room overlooks a little private garden close to Oscar Niemeyer's Pampulha (see p125 ). The
cuisine is Brazilian-Oriental fusion, with delectable items like steak with jabuticaba sauce and tiger prawns in
wasabi sauce with wild rice and grated mango.
BELO HORIZONTE Vecchio Sogno

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Rua Martim de Carvalho 75, Santo Agostinho Tel [phone]
This bustling Italian restaurant has been named Belo Horizonte's best restaurant of the year in Veja magazine seven
times over. Chef Ivo Faria da Costa learnt his trade from Frenchman Lucien Iltis at the Copacabana Palace in Rio, and
is celebrated for his pastas and steaks. The wine list and sommeliers are excellent.
DIAMANTINA Cantina do Marinho

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Rua Direita 113 Tel [phone]
One of the handful of restaurants in the area, Cantina do Marinho has a formal atmosphere, with a dining room
decorated with assorted bottles of wine. The filling prato feito (buffet lunch) includes a drink. Try the delicious
traditional lombo com feijão tropeiro (pork with beans).
MARIANA Lua Cheia

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Rua Dom Viçoso 23, Centro Tel [phone]
This busy restaurant serves typical Minas Gerais food por kilo (by weight), or all-you-can-eat the buffets, with plenty
of choices of salads, vegetable dishes for the vegetarians, various cuts of meat from the churrascaria, and generous
amounts of desserts.
OURO PRETO O Passo

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Rua São José 56, Centro Tel [phone]
Housed in a Portuguese colonial town house, this upmarket pizzeria offers pizzas made in a traditional Italian
wood-fired oven, served either in the dining area, or the adjacent veranda which has sweeping views out over the
town. At weekends there is live music and dancing.
OURO PRETO Triumpho

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Rua Donato da Fonseca 02, Largo do Rosário Tel [phone]
This local favorite is housed in a cozy cellar bar right next to the Igreja do Rosário. The menu comprises Minas
Gerais cuisine, which is heavy on meat and vegetables like manioc and squash. Food comes accompanied by live
acoustic music from guitarists and singer-songwriters, and there is a reasonable wine list.
OURO PRETO Le Coq D'Or

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Rua Getulio Vargas 270, Largo do Rosário Tel [phone]
The restaurant occupies a formal dining area inside the colonial Solar Nossa Senhora do Rosário hotel (see p373)
and in a separate covered annex lit by natural light. The menu is largely Portuguese, focusing on fish, meat, and
pasta. There is a modest wine list. The service is prompt and attentive.
SÃO JOÃO DEL REI Quinto do Ouro

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Praça Severiano de Rezende 4 Tel [phone]
Although it has plenty of cafés and por kilo options, São João, unlike neighboring Tiradentes, does not have many
upmarket restaurants. The Quinto do Ouro offers the best Minas Gerais cooking in town, well-prepared regional
food at reasonable prices.
PARQUE NACIONAL DA SERRA DA CANASTRA Zagaia

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Av Tancredo Neves 10 Tel [phone]
This is the best of limited food choices available in Serra da Canastra, serving traditional local cuisine such as
galinha caipira (stewed wild rooster), excellent pão de queijo (cheese rolls), and on select days, the Brazilian
specialty, feijoada (black beans and pork stew).
PARQUE NACIONAL DA SERRA DO CIPÓ Parador Nacional

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Alameda das Orquídeas, Parque Nacional Serra do Cipó Tel [phone]
This stylish, romantic restaurant set in a rustic 18th-century colonial house is surrounded by picturesque tropical
gardens, which are beautifully lit at night, setting the tone for a delightful meal. Chef Laurents blends Mediterranean
cuisine with the regional Minas style of cooking to create an interesting menu. The wine list is respectable.

Key to Price Guide see p394 Key to Symbols see back cover flap