BRASILIA

BAKERIES, COFFEE, ICE CREAM, JUICE & TEA
●Daniel Briand Patissier & Chocolatier – SCLN 104, Bloco A, Loja 26; 011-55-61-3326-1135; cafedanielbriand.com; breakfast and brunch lovers’ dream; great pastries, pates, and quiches.



BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
●Beirute – CLS 109, Bloco A; 011-55-61-3244-1717; 55 years-old; traditional watering hole; massive outdoor patio packed with edgier crowd than most (called “LS point,” Brazilian acronym for gays, lesbians and sympathetics); for beer.
●Boteco – CLS 406, Bloco D, Loja 35; 011-55-61-3443-4344; Rio de Janeiro-style bar; great shrimp croquettes (coxinha de camarao).
●Cade Tereza – CLS 201, Bloco B, Loja 1; 011-55-61-3225-0555; cadeterezabar.com.br; named after Jorge Ben Jor song whose title means “Where’s Tereza?”; less-than-impressive ambience offset by cold beer, lively crowd, and active late-afternoon sambas on Saturday afternoons.
●Calaf – SBS, Quadra 2, Bloco S; 011-55-61-3325-7408; calaf.com.br; longtime classic, Samba bar; brings unexpected life to otherwise abandoned Southern Banking Sector.
●Libanus – CLS 206, Bloco C, Loja 36; 011-55-61-3244-9795; for beer.



HOTELS
●Brasilia Palace – SHTN, Trecho 1, Conjunto 1; 011-55-61-3306-9100; plazabrasilia.com.br; not as comfortable as other hotels but has history and style; very 1960s.
●Royal Tulip Brasilia Alvorada – SHTN, Trecho 1, Conjunto 1B, Bloco C; 011-55-61-3424-7000; royaltulipbrasiliaalvorada.com; functional.
●Tryp Brasil 21 – SHS, Quadra 6, Conjunto A, Bloco F; 011-55-61-3218-4700; tryphotels.com; business-style, comfortable; steeply discounted on weekends.



RESTAURANTS
●Alice Brasserie – SHIS, Quadra 1, Comercio Local 17, Loja 201-204 (Lago Sul, at Ed Fashion Park); 011-55-61-3248-7743; restaurantealice.com.br; conservative, French home-cooking.
●Aquavit – SMLN, Trecho 12, Conjunto 1, Casa 5; 011-55-61-9167-0037 or 011-55-61-3369-2301; restauranteaquavit.com; glass-walled dining room in Chef’s home; in tropical garden; Brazilian-French-Scandinavian fusion; try grilled foie gras with caramelized pineapple and corn brioche.
●Beirute – CLS 109, Bloco A; 011-55-61-3244-1717; 55 years-old; Middle Eastern food.
●Mangai – SCE Sul, Trecho 2, Conjunto 41 (near Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge); 011-55-61-3224-3079; mangai.com.br; north-east cuisine; chain branch; 80 dish and 40 dessert buffet; pay by weight; also included are juice and hammock on porch overlooking Lake Paranoa.
●Patu Anu – SMLN, Trecho 12, Conjunto 1, Casa 7; 011-55-61-3369-2788; patuanu.com.br; among city’s finest; 30-seat “aerie” decorated with riotous tropicalia; hidden in forest on city’s eastern edge; glass-sided dining room looks out over distant city, whose reflection twinkles in Lake Paranoa.
●Zuu a.Z. d.Z. – SCLS, Quadra 210, Bloco A, Loja 38; 011-55-61-3244-1039; zuuazdz.blogspot.com; slow food; high society.



SERVICES
●Clube de Vento – SCES, Trecho 2, Conjunto 13 (at Clube Naval); 011-55-61-8124-8596; clubedevento.com; rent SUP (pronounced “Soupie”), Stand-Up Paddleboard; paddle over Lake Paranoa towards Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge.



SHOPPING
●Confraria – SHIS, Quadra I 9, Bloco A, Loja 6 (Lago Sul); 011-55-61-3386-0882; confrariastudio.com.br; wicker, leather, and cowhide bags.
●Magrella – SHIS, Comercio Local 3, Bloco F (Lago Sul); 011-55-61-3364-4977; magrella.com.br; fashion emporium, dominated by Brazilian women’s labels, like Adriana Degreas, Raia de Goeye, and Gloria Coelho.



SIGHTS & SITES
●Biblioteca Nacional de Brasilia – SCS, Lote 2 (Esplanada dos Ministerios), Complexo Cultural da República João Herculino); 011-55-61-3325-6257; bnb.df.gov.br; 390-foot-long wedge faced with intricate, concrete screening, again in gleaming white; watches over inky pool series; also known as National Library Leonel de Moura Brizola; next to Monumental Axis and part of Republic’s Cultural Complex; for some time known as “library without books” because remained for some time without collection and closed to visitors; along with National Library, forms Herculino Cultural Complex.
●Ermida Dom Bosco – Quadra I 29 (Lago Sul); Oscar Niemeyer-designed shrine across Lake Paranoa from Pilot Plan; best place to watch sunset; daily crowd appears.
●Espaco Cultural Contemporaneo – SCN, Quadra 3, Bloco C, Loja 5; 011-55-61-3327-2027; eccobrasilia.com.br; tucked away close to hotel zone, just north of Eixo Monumental; among country’s main photography venues.
●Honestino Guimaraes Museu Nacional – SCS, Lote 2 (Esplanada dos Ministerios, Complexo Cultural da Republica Joao Herculino); 011-55-61-3325-5220; brasil.gov.br; brilliant, white 150-foot-high hemisphere with curving, cantilevered balcony partially encircling it, with long grand ramp leading to its gaping entrance; visual arts museum; along with National Library, forms Herculino Cultural Complex.
●Igrejinha de Fatima – Entrequadras 307/308, Asa Sul; 011-55-61-3242-0149; igrehinhadefatima.org; city’s 1^st church, also by Oscar Niemeyer; very modest in dimension and execution.
●Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady Aparecida (Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida) – SCS, Lote 2 (Esplanada dos Ministerios); 011-55-61-3224-4073; catedral.org.br; crown-shaped structure that represents 2 hands reaching up to heaven, fingers splayed, lined with stained glass.
●“Pilot Plan” – original, planned city by Oscar Niemeyer; for walking tour, start at Praca dos Tres Poderes (“3 Powers Square”), which has 3 Niemeyer-designed, government buildings, including Planalto Palace (where President works), Federal Supreme Court, and (towering over both) 2-domed and 2-towered National Congress.
●Palacio do Planalto – Praca dos Tres Poderes (Esplanada dos Ministerios, Eixo Monumental); 011-55-61-3411-2317; www2.planalto.gov.br; Presidential workspace; public areas filled with Brazilian art and modernist furniture by Sergio Rodrigues.
●Santuario Dom Bosco – SEPS, Quadra 702; 011-55-61-3223-6542; santuariodombosco.org.br; 50' high Gothic arches filled with 12 tones blue and purple stained glass.