Revista Veja's "O Melhor da Cidade", an annual list with the best of food and drink in several major Brazil cities (and Lisbon and Porto, in Portugal) is out for 2008/2009.
Although the list is currently only available in Portuguese, you may want to use it as a quick reference. This is also a great opportunity to practice if you're learning Portuguese before or after visiting Brazil.
Food writers with Veja, a national publication by mega publisher Abril, continuously cover restaurants, bars and everything from sweet shops to snack bars and ice cream parlors for the entertainment and food guide issued in the magazine's weekly edition.
The weekly guide covers Brazil's state capitals and other cities of touristic interest. Veja, the magazine with the largest circulation in Brazil, owes a lot of its success to the entertainment and food guide, known as Vejinha, or "Little Veja".
The annual list is, of course, bound to face dissonance. But the overall result is always reliable and as a rule of thumb, you can say that if a place is listed in Melhor da Cidade, you can count on its good qualities.
Every end of the year, Veja issues "O Melhor do Brasil", with champions in several areas of travel, entertainment and dining. See Melhor do Brasil 2008, published in December 2007.
Keep an eye out for the 2009 edition as December 2008 rolls in (search Google Brasil for "veja melhor do brasil 2009")
How to Use O Melhor da Cidade 2008/2009
- Open the Melhor da Cidade hotsite
- Click on one of the cities in the spotlight of search in the "Outras Cidades" box.
- In "Outras Cidades", a few attractions are listed by region or state - namely, ABC (cities in the São Paulo Metroplex), Baixada Santista (cities on São Paulo State's South Shore), Espírito Santo and Santa Catarina.
- As you open the guide for a specific city, look for Destaques (Highlights), Restaurantes, Bares and Comidinhas (or light fare, including snack bars and sweet shops)
Your key workd here is, of course, melhor (pronounced me-LYOR). Photos in the reviews and links to websites may help you identify the best fish (pescado), red meat (carne), breads and bakeries (pães and padarias), wine (vinho) and ice cream (sorvete).
