Tuesday, July 26, 2011

SAO PAULO

(includes Campos do Jordão & Santo Amaro Island)

BAKERIES, COFFEE, ICE CREAM, JUICE & TEA
Bella Paulista – 354 Rua Haddock Lobo; 011-55-11-3214-3347; bellapaulista.com; padoca (bakery) for late night or breakfast; pastries to hot sandwiches.
Café Floresta – 200 Avenida Ipirgana (Republica, at Copan Apartment Building); 011-55-11-3259-8416; cafefloresta.com; try creamy espresso.
Chocolat du Jour – 1672 Rua Haddock Lobo; 011-55-11-3062-3857; cafe & chocolates; drink choco-chaud noir.
Clube Chocolate – 913 Rua Oscar Freire; 011-55-11-3084-1500; clubechocolate.com; restaurant, flowers, fashion jeans, electronics, magazines, books and CDs.



BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
Astronete – 183-B Rua Matias Aires; 011-55-11-3151-4568; astronete.com.br; out-of-Williamsburg, New York, bar run by Brazilians who used to live in Brooklyn.
Bar da Dona Onca – 200 Avenida Ipirgana (Republica, at Copan Apartment Building); 011-55-11-3257-2016; baradonaonca.com.br; caipirinha cocktails.
Bourbon Street Music Club – 127 Rua Chanes (Indianopolis); 011-55-11-5095-6100; bourbonstreet.com.br.
Buddha Bar – 131 Avenida Chedid Jafet (at Daslu); 011-55-11-3044-6181; late night dining and drinking; swankier than European versions; circular bar in middle; music coordinated by local DJs.
Casa 92 – 92 Rua Cristovao Goncalves; 011-55-11-3032-0371; casa92.blogspot.com; new nightspot in what must have been someone’s grandmother’s house.
Geni – 539 Ria Bela Cintra; 011-55-11-3129-9952; geniclub.com.br; multi-leveled nightclub in old mansion; features dance floor and themed mini-lounges.
A Loca – 916 Rua Frei Caneca; 011-55-11-3159-8889; aloca.com.br; cavelike, labyrinthine nightclub with rocking, male-dominated floor; not just for dance.
Mokai – 2805 Rua Augusta; 011-55-11-3081-3103; mokai.com.br; Miami club branch; long concrete rectangle lit by twinkling, 550 square foot LED ceiling.
Rose Velt – 124 Praca Franklin Roosevelt; 011-55-11-3129-5498; rosevelt.com.br; cozy spot with quirky décor in theater district.
Sonique – 461 Rua Bela Cintra; 011-55-11-2628-8707; soniquebar.com.br; Manhattan-meatpacking district-type bar.
Sub Astor – 163 Rua Delfina; 011-55-11-3815-1364; more conservative, “moneyed” establishment.
3P4 – 676 Rua Bandeira Paulista; 011-55-11-3078-0288; 3p4.com.br; Philippe Starck furniture and Brazilian fashion photography; nominally restaurant (Asian-Mediterranean fusion).
Traço de União – 73 Rua Cláudio Soares (Pinheiros); 011-55-11-3031-8065; tracodeuniao.com.br.
Vegas – 765 Rua Augusta; 011-55-11-3231-3705; vegasclub.com.br; gay club (“GLS” for Gay-Lesbian-Sympathizer); disco with after-hours party that goes well past daybreak.
Volt – 40 Rua Haddock Lobo; 011-55-11-2936-4041; barvolt.com.br; with neon signs from neighborhood’s ghetto past.
Z Carniceria – 934 Rua Augusta; 011-55-11-2936-0934; zcarniceria.com.br; housed in old butcher shop.



HOTELS
Botanique Hotel & Spa – 4000 Rua Elidio Goncalves da Silva (Campos Do Jordao, Bairro Dos Mellos); 011-55-12-3797-6877; botanique.com.br; showcases local Brazilian design, furnishings, culture, cuisine, and experience; 2 hours north of São Paulo and overlooking Campos do Jordão area; surrounded by 700 acres mid-Atlantic forests and botanical gardens; triple-story glass walls at main building, locally sourced chocolate slate and stone, and 120-year-old timber beams; 400 raised bed kitchen gardens; 6 suites in main building and 11 stand-alone villas; restaurant, Mina, offers 180° mountain and river valley views; grows and roasts own coffee and presses own olive oil; cut into hillside is 10K' sq spa; hiking and mountain biking trails, outdoor swimming pool and swimmable lake, clay tennis courts, private equestrian center with Brazilian and world champion horses, and bird watching; private cinema and library of books by Brazilian novelists.
Emiliano – 384 Rua Oscar Freire (Jardins); 011-55-11-3069-4369; emiliano.com.br; high design; top boutique hotel on luxurious Oscar Freire street, home to some of city’s best restaurants.
Fasano – 88 Rua Vitorio Fasano (Jardins); 011-55-11-3896-4000; fasano.com.br; high design; handsome boutique hotel located in stylish Jardins shopping district; stop by for proper caipirinha at lobby bar, and settle into club chair to watch international banking crowd make deals.
Hotel Pergamon – 80 Rua Frei Caneca (Baixo Augusta); 011-55-11-3123-2021; pergamon.com.br; in safe but out of way neighborhood; boutique-y; ask for room with skyline view.
Sofitel Guaruja – Avenida Marjory da Silva Prado, Praia de Pernambuco (Santo Amaro Island, Guaruja); 011-55-13-2104-2000; sofitel.com/gb/hotel-6383-sofitel-jequitimar-guaruja/index.shtml.
Sofitel Sao Paulo – 1355 Rua Sena Madureira (Ibirapuera); 011-55-11-3201-0800; sofitel.com; combination French sophistication and Brazilian hospitality; chain’s luxury flagship; located just across from Ibirapuera Park; among city’s few hotels with own tennis courts; pool; breakfast not included, but strategically placed in boulangerie in lobby sells croissants and other French pastries.
Unique – 4700 Avenida Brigadeiro Luis Antonio (in Jardins); 011-55-11-3055-4710; hotelunique.com.br; high design.



RESTAURANTS
Aji – 1709 Rua Bela Cintra; 011-55-11-3083-4022; Bolivian and Brazilian; try cozido (meat stew).
Baby Beef Rubaiyat – 86 Alameda Santos; 011-55-11-3170-5100; rubaiyat.com.br; great feijoada; Saturday tradition.
Bella Paulista – 354 Rua Haddock Lobo; 011-55-11-3214-3347; bellapaulista.com; padoca (bakery) for late night or breakfast; pastries to hot sandwiches.
Brasil a Gosto – 70 Rua Professor Azevedo do Amaral (Jardins); 011-55-11-3086-3565; brasilagosto.com.br; tucked away in quiet neighborhood; favorite weekend lunch spot; Brazilian cooking without heavy feijoada; chef spent years traveling Brazilian back country, collecting local recipes, which she presents here; also offers cooking classes; try peacock bass baked in banana leaves, with boiled cassava seasoned with basil sauce.
Buddha Bar – 131 Avenida Chedid Jafet (at Daslu); 011-55-11-3044-6181; Asian-Brazilian fusion cuisine; especially good is robalo crocante cum pupunha asada e molho de castanha de caju (crispy bass with roasted peach-palm berries and Brazil nut-&-cashew sauce)
Café Floresta – 200 Avenida Ipirgana (Republica, at Copan Apartment Building); 011-55-11-3259-8416; cafefloresta.com.
Capim Santo – 471 Alameda Ministro Rocha Azevedo (Jardim Paulista); 011-55-11-3068-8486; capimsanto.com.br; long-standing Brazilian cuisine stop.
Carlota – 753 Rua Sergipe; 011-55-11-3661-8670; carlota.com.br; chef-owner Carla Pernambuco earned her stripes in New York before coming home to Brazil and starting her own restaurant; cuisine blends ethnic flavors of cosmopolitan New York and her own Italian heritage with fresh Brazilian ingredients to create dishes such as the camarao pacifico: shrimp grilled with sesame seeds and Thai chili sauce on vegetable-fried rice; great grilled duck with Dijon mustard on mashed mandioc; beef with balsamic port sauce and fig risotto outstanding; several pasta options, such as ravioli stuffed with brie or codfish; no reservations.
Dalva e Dito – 1115 Rua Padre Joao Manoel; 011-55-3064-6183; dalvaedito.com.br; simple, typical Brazilian fare.
D.O.M. – 549 Rua Barao de Capanema; 011-55-11-308-80761; domrestaurante.com.br; French-inflected, Brazilian cuisine; double-height ceiling lends dining room airy feel while accommodating mezzanine level; minimal décor corporate but comfortable, focusing all attention on food.
Dui Restaurante – 1590 Alameda Franca; 011-55-11-2649-7952; tapas and casual dining.
L’Entrecote de Ma Tante – 17 Rua Dr. Mario Ferraz; 011-55-11-3034-5324; heaves with conservative Sao Paulo society; steak frites is only entrée on menu.
¡Exquisito! – 532 Rua Bela Cintra; 011-55-11-3151-4530; exquisite.com.br; Pan-Latin cuisine.
Feijoada da Bia – 105 Rua Lopes Chaves (Barra Funda); 011-55-11-3663-0433; hidden in homey setting; all-you-can-eat feijoada on Saturdays; chorinho band plays and sometimes free booze.
Kaa – 279 Avenida Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek (Vila Olimpia); 011-55-11-3045-0043; high design, Jardins spot; Amazonian ingredients; unobtrusive from outside; make sure to see 4.3K square foot vertical garden.
Kinoshita – 405 Rua Jacques Felix (Vila Nova Conceicao); 011-55-11-3849-6940; restaurantekinoshita.com.br; in quiet, upmarket neighborhood; specializes in classic kappo cuisine (cooked dishes).
Kosushi – Shopping Cidade Jardim, 12000 Avenida Magalhaes de Castro, 2nd Floor; 011-55-11-3552-7272; kosushi.com.br; other locations; magnificent, modernist design and food.
Marakuthai – 1618 Alameda Itu; 011-55-11-3062-7556; tucked away in house in Jardins; Thai inspired.
Mestico – 277 Rua Fernando de Albuquerque; 011-55-11-3256-3165; mestico.com.br; upscale, Thai spot with Brazilian and Indian touches.
Nonno Ruggero – 88 Rua Vittorio Fasano (Hotel Fasano); 011-55-11-3896-4000; variety of locations; best is Hotel Fasano where can eat on balcony overlooking gardens; for early risers; breakfast and lunch.
Pao de Queijo Haddock Lobo – 1408 Rua Haddock Lobo; 011-55-11-3088-3087; spotless, shoebox-sized Jardins relic; known for pao de queijo; fresh batch out every 15 minutes; chicken lovers’ coxinha attraction is its crunch; also excellent is towering lemon pie that deserves to be taken home and devoured nude; before leaving, shake hands with lovable Tiao, local celebrity recognized for his 35-plus years working there.
O Pote do Rei – 224 Rua Joaquim Antunes; 011-55-11-3068-9888; potedorei.blogspot.com; light Mediterranean fusion.
O Pedaco de Pizza – 1463 Rua Augusta; 011-55-11-3285-2117; opedacopizza.com.br; New York pizza.
Santinho – 88 Rua dos Coropes (Alto de Pinheiros, at Instituto Tomie Ohtake); 011-55-11-3034-4673; new restaurant by Morena Leite.
Spot – 72 Alameda Ministro Rocha de Azevedo; 011-55-11-3284-6131; glass-enclosed restaurant, located in city’s financial district, looks like throwback to ‘80s; still draws crowd; during lunch filled with businessmen on expense accounts, while dinner shift brings out pretty young Paulistanos in fashion, music, and publishing industries.
Tordesilhas – 465 Rua Bela Cintra; 011-55-3107-7444; tordesilhas.com; rustic feel, authentic Brazilian fare; back garden decorated with tropical plants and brook.
Z Carniceria – 934 Rua Augusta; 011-55-11-2936-0934; zcarniceria.com.br; housed in old butcher shop.



SERVICES
Martin Frankenberg – 22 Rua Tapinas (Itaim Bibi, São Paulo); 011-55-11-3071-4515; matuete.com; very dialed-in travel agent, based in São Paulo; can arrange private villas, entree to private art collections, etc.
Matueté – 71 Rua Anacetuba (Jardim Paulista); 011-55-11-3071-3635, 011-55-11-3071-4515 or 866-709-5952; matuete.com; travel outfitter; cofounder Bobby Betenson well-regarded.



SHOPPING
Adriana Degreas – 734 Dr. Melo Alves; 011-55-11-3083-2712; adrianadegreas.com.br; women’s swimwear.
Antonio Bernardo – 2063 Rua Bela Cintra; 011-55-11-3083-5622; antoniobernardo.com.br; beautiful, modern jewelry.
Atelier Carlos Motta – 121 Rua Aspicuelta (Vila Madalena); 011-55-11-3032-4127; carlosmotta.com.br; architect, furniture designer, and surfer, Carlos Motta, uses reclaimed materials for modernist furniture and sculpture; many pieces approved by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Atelie Fidalga – 299 Rua Fidalga; 011-55-11-3813-1048; ateliefidalga.com.br; by appointment only; more interactive art space than gallery.
Carlos Miele – Shopping Cidade Jardim, 12000 Avenida Magalhaes de Castro, 1st Floor; 011-55-11-3552-4400; carlosmiele.com; clothing, especially gowns.
Choque Cultural – 991 Rua Joao Moura; 011-55-11-3061-4051; choquecultural.com.br; art gallery; crumbling old house that always has something provocative in it.
Clube Chocolate – 913 Rua Oscar Freire; 011-55-11-3084-1500; clubechocolate.com; dazzling, 4-story building that is tourist attraction in itself; rich amalgam of concrete, wood, steel and stone; contains huge collection of street denims, chic party dresses, knee-high boots, books on art, CDs, all types of home decor, and lots of accessories; Armani, Cartier, and Chanel; subdued lighting along with mirrored steel spiral staircase connecting all 4 stories; restaurant, flowers, fashion jeans, electronics, magazines, books and CDs.
Conceito: Firma Casa – 1522 Alameda Gabriel Monteiro da Silva; 011-55-11-3068-0380; Sonia Diniz Bernardini opened this design novelty shop across street from her Firma Casa and filled it with quirky selection of bits and bobs; chunky jewelry, Venetian glassware, candlesticks, and Tord Boontje lighting.
Cris Barros – 85 Rua Vitorio Fasano; 011-55-11-3082-3621; crisbarros.com.br; young designer; high-end evening gowns.
Dona Pink – 218 Rua Harmonia; 011-55-11-3032-8227; donapink.com.br; women’s clothing; light, casual, summerwear.
Dpot – 1250 Al. Gabriel Monteiro da Silva; 011-55-11-3043-9159; dpot.com.br; cavernous facility that stocks modernist leather and stainless-steel pieces by Pritzker prize-winning Brazilian architect, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, whose works dot Sao Paulo and include Pinacoteca do Estado’s transformation.
Carina Duek – 736 Rua Oscar Freire; 011-55-11-2359-5972; carinaduek.com.br; women’s clothing.
Etel Interiores – 1834 Alameda Gabriel Monteiro da Silva; 011-55-11-3064-1266; 1-of-kind tables, screens and even bar trollies by design luminaries like Claudia Moreira Salles, architect Isay Weinfeld (of Fasano Hotel fame), and store’s founder, Etel Carmona.
Firma Casa – 1487 Al. Gabriel Monteiro da Silva; 011-55-11-3068-0377; firmacasa.com.br; Sao Paulo’s answer to Moss; run by Sonia Diniz Bernardini, local design scene’s matriarch; Bernardini, who put Campana brothers on map, features duo’s classics (like Favela chair and Sushi coffee table); also champions talents like Fabricio Costa, who creates tables from tree trunks.
Galeria Jaqueline Martins – 74 Rua Dr. Virgilio de Carvalho Pinto; 011-55-11-2628-1943; galeriajaquelinemartins.com/en; emerging and established artists.
Galeria Leme – 88 Rua Agostinho Cantu; 011-55-11-3814-8184; galerialeme.com; art gallery designed by architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha.
Galeria Raquel Arnaud – 125 Rua Fidalga; 011-55-11-3083; 6322; raquelarnaud.com/en/artists; contemporary art.
Garimpo + Fuxique – 1677 Rua Bela Cintra; 011-55-11-3081-0107; garimpo-fuxique.com.br; housewares shop that’s as colorful and young as carnaval; wwned by designer Ana Strumpf and opened in 2003, store showcases unique handmade decorative objects by Brazilian talents; bold prints cover pillows; psychedelic upholstery covers mock-Edwardian chaise longues; Afro-Brazilian religion, Candomble, inspires poster paint-colored tabletop statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe; big, puffy, satin handbags by local artist Xaa; Art Nouveau-meets-Victoriana porcelain by Calu Fontes of Bahia; reproduction Renaissance and Victorian pastoral prints embroidered with occasionally witty graffiti by Felipe Morozini; forgotten fabrics left in fashion warehouse corner; stamps and Technicolor prints from 50s Sao Paulo; lacy, thick raw cotton from Brazil’s northeast turned into 1-of-kind patchwork bedspreads, cushion covers, fat leather notebooks, sofas, and armchairs; “Garimpo means ‘sifting through dirt to find gold or precious stones.’”
Herchcovitch – 1151 Rua Haddock Lobo; 011-55-11-3063-2888; herchcovitch.uol.com.br; sharply tailored cotton men’s suits look as if they’re from Matrix.
Jack Vartanian – 1592 Rua Haddock Lobo; 011-55-11-3062-2349; jackvartanian.com; opulent jewelry.
Juliana Jabour – 131 Avenida Chedid Jafet (at Daslu); 011-55-11-3044-4702; julianajabour.com.br; exciting knitwear at relatively low prices.
Loja do Bispo – 278 Rua Dr. Melo Alves; 011-55-11-3064-8673; artist-owner, Pinky Wainer (prominent journalist’s daughter) resells assortment of own possessions at this shop, gallery, and boutique publishing house; space, which feels like eccentric aunt’s parlor, chockablock with things like replica Eames mobile, African beaded bracelets, needlepoint pillows and marionettes.
Lumini – 1441 Al. Gabriel Monteiro da Silva; 011-55-11-3898-0222; lumini.com.br; modernist lighting store.
Ola – 1340 Rua Fradique Coutinho; 011-55-11-3815-2549; olaloja.com.br; neo-Art Nouveau objects at designer Vera Madeira and Cynthia Gyuru’s 13-year-old showroom.
Osklen – Shopping Cidade Jardim, 12000 Avenida Magalhaes de Castro, 1st Floor; 011-55-11-3758-5035; osklen.com; casual adventure and beach clothes for yacht-and-boardwalk crowd.
Passado Composto Seculo XX – 1996 Alameda Lorena; 011-55-11-3088-9128; airy spot features rare pieces from Sergio Rodrigues, as well as midcentury furniture and chandeliers by great Danes like Verner Panton and Poul Henningsen; also objets, paintings, and design books on esoteric subjects like “'Utopian Plastics.”
Rala de Goeye – 131 Avenida Chedid Jafet (Daslu); 011-55-11-3079-3301; raladegoeye.com.br; clothing with contemporary, low-profile look (founded by 2 former models).
Nara Roesler – 655 Avenida Europa; 011-55-11-3063-2344; nararoesler.com.br; art.
Ronaldo Fraga – 259 Rua Aspicuelta; 011-55-11-3816-2181; ronaldofraga.com.br; clothes in bright natural materials, retaining unified look across men’s and women’s collections, especially popular with 20-and 30-somethings; quirky clogs resemble Volkswagen Beetles, with little windshields; 1-of-kind, off-shoulder cotton blouses are coveted fashion item among young creatives.
Santa Paciencia – 170 Rua Girassol; 011-55-11-3814-9188; santapaciencia.com.br; handmade children’s clothes with Brazil-meets-rural France look (call it tropico-provençale).
UMA – 273 Rua Girassol; 011-55-11-3813-5559; uma.com.br; casual clothing; sleek women’s blouses, skirts, and dresses and men’s jeans and shirts.
Zipper Galeria – 1494 Rua Estados Unidos; 011-55-11-4306-4306; zippergaleria.com.br; represents 23 young Brazilian artists.



SIGHTS & SITES
Antique Fair – Praca Dom Orione (Bixiga); starts at 8:00 a.m. on Sundays; several antique shops also line this park.
Campos do Jordao – 2 hours north of Sao Paulo; popular tourist destination in Mantiqueira Mountains (over 5.5K') for Brazilians from May to August; European-looking architecture; buildings are mostly German, Italian, or Swiss inspired; winter classical music festival; German and Swiss food restaurants, bars, and cable car; hiking, mountain climbing, treetop cable swings (arborismo), horseback riding, ATV riding, and motorbike riding; picturesque railroad from Pindamonhangaba, used mostly by tourists.
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil – 112 Rua Alvares Penteado; 011-55-11-3113-3600; bb.com.br/cultura; former bank building now exhibition space; within walking distance of Rua 25 de Marco (25demarco.com.br) and pedestrian-only streets.
Copan Apartment Building – 200 Avenida Ipirgana (Republica); 011-55-11-3231-1168; Oscar Niemeyer’s marvelously undulating 38-story apartment building.
Instituto Tomie Ohtake – 201 Avenida Faria Lima; 011-55-11-2245-1900; institutomieohtake.org.br; this skyscraper resembles candy cane from distance but mesmerizing up close; art by nonagenarian Brazilian-Japanese artist Tomie Ohtake.
Museum of Art (MASP) – 1578 Avenida Paulista (Bela Vista); 011-55-11-3251-5644; masp.art.br; building designed by Lina Bo Bardi; considered largest & most comprehensive Western art collection in Latin America & all Southern Hemisphere; 8K works include European paintings, sculptures, drawings, engravings & decorative arts; represented are, among others: Giovanni Bellini, Pierre Bonnard, Hieronymus Bosch, Sandro Botticelli, Paul Cézanne, John Constable, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet, Lucas (Elder) Cranach, Edgar Degas, Eugene Delacroix, Piero di Cosimo, Anthony Van Dyck, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Thomas Gainsborough, Paul Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh (5 paintings), Francisco Goya y Lucientes, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), Frans Hals, William Hogarth, Hans (Younger) Holbein, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Fernand Léger, Édouard Manet, Andrea Mantegna, Henry Matisse, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Pablo Ruiz Picasso, Nicolas Poussin, Rembrandt (Portrait of Young Man with Golden Chain), Guido Reni, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Joshua Reynolds, Diego Rivera, Peter Paul (& workshop) Rubens, Salomon van Ruysdael, Raffaello Sanzio, Gilbert Stuart, Jacopo Comin Tintoretto, Titian, Henry de Toulouse-Lautrec, J.M.W. Turner, Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, Edouard Vuillard & Francisco de Zurbarán.
Pinacoteca – 2 Praca da Luz; 011-55-11-3324-1000; pinacoteca.org.br; beautiful art museum in former city high school; adjust sculpture garden worth visit.
SESC Pompeia Leisure Center – 93 Rua Clélia (Vila Pompéia); 011-55-11-3871-7700; sesc.com.br; building designed by Lina Bo Bardi; worth special trip; former factory complex, converted between 1977-82 into multi-purpose building; houses 1 SESC unit, private, non-profit organization promoting cultural & educational activities all over Brazil; theaters, gymnasiums, swimming pool, snack bars, leisure areas, restaurants, galleries, workshops, etc.
Shopping Cidade Jardim – 12000 Avenida Magalhaes de Castro; 011-55-11-3552-1000; cidadejardimshopping.com.br; extravagant, mallish venue.
Teatro Municipal – 377 Rua Libero Badaro; 011-55-11-3222-8698; teatromunicipal.sp.gov.br.
Village Daslu – 131 Avenida Chedid Jafet (Daslu); 011-55-11-3841-4000; daslu.com.br; “mall within mall”; showcases best of Sao Paulo’s best, young designers; also, cafes and restaurants.

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