Meals to Remember - 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers - page 153

West of Centro, in leafy Higienópolis you'll find the casual-yet-chic whitewashed-
brick bistro Carlota (Rua Sergipe 753; & 55/11/3661-8670; www.carlota.com.
br). Owner-chef Carla Pernambuco blends the flavors of her own Italian heritage, the
culinary style of her training in Manhattan, and fresh Brazilian ingredients; typical
dishes include codfish and shiitake mushrooms with Indian curry sauce, a grilled
duck magret with jaboticaba sauce and manioc puree, or huge ravioli stuffed with
shrimp and asparagus.
In the old city center, Centro, stop by the Mercado Municipal (Rua da Cantareira
306), a glorious 1930s-vintage market hall with skylights and stained-glass windows;
it bustles with meat, fish, and produce vendors every day except Sunday, from 5am
to 4pm. Make a beeline for the Bar do Mane food stand to sample São Paulo's
classic street food, the overstuffed mortadela sandwich, a messy two-handed feast
of smoked meat and sloppy melted cheese and shredded vegetables that's com-
pletely unhealthy and, fortunately, to-die-for. Fill up, because you'll have a long wait
that evening for a table at Famiglia Mancini (Rua Avanhandava 81; & 55/11/
3256-4320 ), a beloved checkered-tablecloth Italian restaurant with an enormous
pasta menu—not only does it offer every shape of pasta imaginable, you can choose
any of 30 different sauces to go on top.
( Guarulhos International (Sao Paulo; 27km/16 miles).

L $$ Quality Jardins, Alameda Campinas 540 ( & 0800/555-855 or 55/11/3147-0400;

www.atlanticahotels.com.br). $$ Tryp Higienópolis, Rua Maranhão 371 ( & 55/11/3665-
8200; www.solmelia.com).

The dining room at Figueira Rubaiyat is built around the trunk of an old fig tree.