After a beautiful day of touring museums and parks in the Jardins area of São Paulo, Rocky and I made our way back to Alex Atala’s D.O.M. for part two of our two-in-a-row(click here for part one). Still excited from a remarkable lunch and a night of unique cocktails the day before, we were beyond ready to see what was cooking for dinner.
We got the party started with bread service and some off-menu cocktails that our new friend Barman Jean Ponce worked up in anticipation of our return.
After some back and forth with our service guy we established a game plan for the meal. With the exception of a few dishes we requested to have again, they had a new menu lined up for us.
The same opener from the day before, though this time the texture of the grilled manioc was even better. Perfectly crisped with the starchy layers almost peeling apart. Great again with the cheese and port sauce. It was served with the same drink and I had just as much trouble with the pairing this time.
Salada de abobrinha caipira e lagostim. A zucchini salad with delicate, sweet langoustine and tender squid. Accompanied by Amazon herbs, flowers, and cashews with a tangy tangerine sauce. Playful, bright, light bites.
Vieira com leite de coco e castanha do Pará. This was the dish from lunch that Rocky and I both wanted to have more of. Chilled scallop, coconut milk, shaved Brazil nut, dried mango. Just superb. And an ideal pairing of local flavors with the bottle of Brazilian chardonnay we had.
Ostras empanadas com tapioca marinada. A grilled Santa Catarina Oyster with brioche breading served among salmon roe and tapioca. Texturally this was a ton of fun between shape and size similarities but tactile and taste contrasts of the roe and tapioca. The sweet brioche coating and the pepper spice in the sauce made a good dynamic with the oceanic salinity of the oyster and roe.
Arroz negro levemente tostado com legumes verdes e leite de castanha do Pará. Another repeated plate from the previous day’s lunch. Toasted black rice with green vegetables(asparagus, green pepper, green onion, broccoli, leek, snow pea, celery) and Brazil nut milk. Just a great plate. The toasty crisp rice with the sweet of the milk and the vegetal snap. The leek this time was particularly superb.
Brandade de bacalhau com tutano. Cod brandade with marrow accompanied by port reduction, rich earthy oxtail sauce, and herbed olive oil. Nothing too crazy, but certainly great.
Abacaxi com formiga amazônica. The same insect serving as the day before: Amazonian ant, solo, then with pineapple. Same story as before. Same resounding cooling herbaceousness.
Camarão, couve e rúcula. Santa Catarina shrimp, kale cream, arugula, mushroom, potato, black pepper. Holy f*ck. The head of this shrimp was the best I had tasted in a long time. The intense, savory, lightly sweet, buttery flavor hit hard. Just licking the kale cream off the shell was incredible. My favorite dish of the trip.
Caracol Marinho e casca de limão rosa. Dense, meaty sea snail with bitter, acidic Brazilian lemon peel supported by nice layers of alliums. The little pearl onion petals were great.
Filet mignon de queixada com caramelo toffe e mandioca Brás. The ‘filet mignon’ from peccary, a type of wild boar, dressed with a reduction of red wine, meat, fish, and milk caramel. Accompanied by crispy manioc cooked with egg and onion. Bad ass.
Aligot. Again with the smooth, starchy potatoes whipped with Gruyere and Minas cheeses.
Mandioquinha glacê, chocolaté do Combu e chantilly de mel de abelha indígena. Fried arracacha root with chantilly cream made with local bee honey in a pool of the reduced cooking liquid of the root. The glazed root tasted close to a sweet potato, which I typically don’t care for, but I loved the sauce with the cream.
Abóbora, carvão vegetal e sorvete de tapioca. Pumpkin, cooked in sugar, then caramelized. With tapioca ice cream and coconut foam mixed with ‘vegetable coal’ or carbonized herb powder. The pumpkin was sweet and wonderfully juicy. The ‘coal’ in the foam gave the dish a nice campfire taste.
Some sweets with our tea.
Our new friend Pietro, who we chatted with a good deal the day before, presented us with a beautiful gift of Vale Verde 12 year Cachaça to finish our dinner. Smooth, lightly sweet, with balanced oak and acidity. A perfect finish to our meals at D.O.M.
Date of visit: January 4, 2014
D.O.M. Rua Barão de Capanema, 549. São Paulo, Brazil +55 11 3088 0761 domrestaurante.com.br
this guy's food blog 
I never thought I would want to eat bugs but I want to go eat some ants right now.