Recently, we went with some of my colleagues to Emporium Brazil, situated in Little Brazil in New York City. It was the first time for me in this restaurant. The decor has nothing extraordinary and I was surprised not to see a more pronounced Brazilian related decor.
They had a lunch menu, but the only items they proposed were...Italian! So I went for the Moqueca de camarao that is a shrimp stew with coconut milk sauce, served with white rice. This is a traditional dish from Bahia, apparently influenced by African cuisine. The fact that there is coconut milk, I would have more thought about cuisine from India or China, but it is true that cuisine travels and so many cuisines have similarities!
When the Moqueca came, I was blown away by the beauty of the dish!
The yellow of the sauce with the red of the peppers was a precursor to the festival of flavors I experienced! This was simply delicious. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, but interestingly, they were not the star of the dish: the sauce was definitely! I can still remember it and it makes me drool!
If you do not like shrimp, they also have tuna (Tuna Grelhada - grilled tuna marinated with soy sauce, ginger and lemon. includes baked potato and vegetables).
Or steak (Bife A Cavalo - beef steak and egg, rice, beans and fries)
Everybody loved their food (I licked my plate...)!
Prices are very reasonable for Midtown and the only negative was the service that was a bit slow. But I would definitely go back!
Enjoy (I did)!
And remember: I just want to eat!
