Brazil in Williamsburg: Miss Favela
Priscilla Dell'Orto
Issue date: 3/10/09 Section: Reviews
Located just off the Willamsburg Bridge, Miss Favela serves traditional Brazilian dishes, including moqueca de peixe e pirão (a fish stew with onions, tomatoes, green peppers, fresh cilantro, and coconut milk), carne seca com mandioca (Brazilian beef jerky with fried yucca), picanha fatiada (succulent prime cut top sirloin steak with yucca flour and vinaigrette), and feijoada (the Brazilian national dish - a stew of beans with beef and pork meats served with rice, yucca, and collard greens). The restaurant also has a brunch menu.
The atmosphere at this tiny and crowded bistro, co-owned by Alain Denneulin (of SoHo's French bistro Felix), is casual and cheerful. Colorful flags representing the various Samba schools line the walls and the Brazilian beats coming from the DJ (every night except Mondays) or live musicians (every Saturday and Sunday 2pm-6pm and select nights) complement Miss Favela's lively vibe. The restaurant also has a facebook page featuring news and information about events and parties.
My first experience at this Brazilian botequim was a couple of weeks ago. I met some friends for brunch and we enjoyed palmito omelets and Brazilian finger food such as mandioca frita (fried yucca) and bolinho de bacalhau (codfish croquettes), while sipping on caipirinhas and listening to live Samba. In true Stern spirit, we had way too many drinks and ended up dancing next to our table and later wandering the streets of Williamsburg looking for cabs.
Last Saturday I decided to return to Miss Favela to experience a piece of its four-day Brazilian carnival party with a bunch of fellow Sternies. I arrived around 7pm and the place was jam-packed with people dancing to Brazilian beats and pouring rivers of caipirinhas from pitchers. A few wise guests were sharing baskets of pao de queijo (cheese bread) to soak up the alcohol. A flat-screen TV was showing scenes from the carnival party in Rio. The party had been going on since 2pm and was scheduled to last until 4am, although I can't confirm this since I don't remember anything after my fourth caipirinha. The next day I swore I'd never drink again but I already changed my mind. After all, I must go back to Miss Favela to try their famous mango caipirinhas…
Info:
Miss Favela
57 S 5th St (corner of Wythe St), Brooklyn(718) 230-4040
Opening hours: 7 days a week, from 12pm to midnight, except Friday and Saturday until 1am for food (but the bar stays open late)
The atmosphere at this tiny and crowded bistro, co-owned by Alain Denneulin (of SoHo's French bistro Felix), is casual and cheerful. Colorful flags representing the various Samba schools line the walls and the Brazilian beats coming from the DJ (every night except Mondays) or live musicians (every Saturday and Sunday 2pm-6pm and select nights) complement Miss Favela's lively vibe. The restaurant also has a facebook page featuring news and information about events and parties.
My first experience at this Brazilian botequim was a couple of weeks ago. I met some friends for brunch and we enjoyed palmito omelets and Brazilian finger food such as mandioca frita (fried yucca) and bolinho de bacalhau (codfish croquettes), while sipping on caipirinhas and listening to live Samba. In true Stern spirit, we had way too many drinks and ended up dancing next to our table and later wandering the streets of Williamsburg looking for cabs.
Last Saturday I decided to return to Miss Favela to experience a piece of its four-day Brazilian carnival party with a bunch of fellow Sternies. I arrived around 7pm and the place was jam-packed with people dancing to Brazilian beats and pouring rivers of caipirinhas from pitchers. A few wise guests were sharing baskets of pao de queijo (cheese bread) to soak up the alcohol. A flat-screen TV was showing scenes from the carnival party in Rio. The party had been going on since 2pm and was scheduled to last until 4am, although I can't confirm this since I don't remember anything after my fourth caipirinha. The next day I swore I'd never drink again but I already changed my mind. After all, I must go back to Miss Favela to try their famous mango caipirinhas…
Info:
Miss Favela
57 S 5th St (corner of Wythe St), Brooklyn(718) 230-4040
Opening hours: 7 days a week, from 12pm to midnight, except Friday and Saturday until 1am for food (but the bar stays open late)
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