All posts tagged: Caipirinha

Brazilian BBQ, Buffet & Bar in Bridgeport

Yes! We’ve found a new place for Brazilian churrascaria in Bridgeport, Rancho Pantanal Restaurant and Bar.  Fitting for a place that specializes in grilled meat, it has a ranch theme, with dark brown tables and banquets with fence-like backs. Rancho Pantanal Restaurant and Bar is almost on the Stratford line. It’s nicer than the other Pantanal in Bridgeport, which I wrote about for CTBites here.  Parking’s easier at Rancho Pantanal. Rancho Pantanal’s salad buffet is filled with enough fresh and healthy foods to counteract the splurge of grilled steak. I chose mango salad, pico de gallo, fresh melon, pineapple, and cucumber. At the warm buffet, I showed restraint: yellow rice, black beans and fried sweet plantains. (The warm buffet serves daily specials, stews of beef, chicken or fish, pork belly, vegetables, okra, yucca, plantain, rice, beans, pastas and lasagna. ) At the meat station, I asked for rare steak, and guy removed a skewer from the brazier, pulled off a steak pierced through its thick cap of fat to form a self-basting bundle. He sliced the meat quickly with super sharp knives and …

Where to Have a Cocktail in SoNo

Room 112 in SoNo is a clubby place for a cocktail. With a black-and-red color scheme, a pool table, and lots of sofas, it has a dark and decadent feel. Open to the public Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to closing, it’s also a private event space. Downstairs, there’s a smaller bar and a game room, featuring pool and darts. We were invited to sample some cocktails on a quiet Wednesday evening. The cocktails other guests were drinking were layered and garnished with fresh fruit and herbs. My friend cast a needed light upon the cocktail menu (the room is dark). Overwhelmed by the lists of ingredients, we chose an old favorite,  caipirinha.  At Room 112, the Brazilian drink traditionally made of sugar-cane rum, limes and sugar, gets a mixologists list: cachaça, lemon bitters, muddled lemons, limes and sugar. The Tom Old Fashioned is an aromatic blend of gin, vermouth, muddled tangerines, sugar and bitters. It’s garnished with a slice of orange and cherry. The Magic Mule is served in a coppery pineapple vessel. The Magic Mule shakes up lemon-grass-infused vodka, ginger liqueur, fresh …