Canto do Brasil – Hayes Valley
Tuesday, in honor of Carnival and for Alphabet Dining Letter C, we went to an adorable Brazilian restaurant called Canto do Brasil in Hayes Valley. I instantly fell in love with the decor here. Any restaurant that can make me feel like I’m on vacation in another country is good in my book. It’s a fun ambiance, which I can appreciate.
Pineapple Bowls + Mussels
We split a few plates, tapas style. It’s worth noting that the waiter did bring out a plate of prawns instead of the chicken plate we ordered, and blamed it on the chef. Awkward. But overall the food was great, and one entree in particular stood out above the rest: the Seafood Tropical. Shown below, this plate comes with a mixed greens salad, rice, yucca flour, watermelon, and oh yeah- half a pineapple!! That’s right, they serve you half a pineapple, stuffed with red snapper, prawns, calamari and salmon (which is sauteed in olive oil and garlic). If I went back I would selfishly order this as my own entree.
Half-pineapple, stuffed with salmon, red snapper, prawns, and calamari.
Also: mixed greens, watermelon, rice and yucca flour
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| Mussels sauteed in red wine, olive oil, lemon and garlic |
The mussels were also notably delicious (and not that blurry in real life). They came sauteed with red wine, olive oil, lemon and garlic. We made Rayna try one even though she doesn’t like mussels, and after trying these she decided maybe she does like mussels! Also, we asked for more bread at least 3 or 4 times until we soaked up all the mussel sauce. YUM.
.JPG "More restaurant decorations and ambiance: A couple parrots and a carnival headdress") |
| A couple of parrots and carnival headdress = Brazilian ambiance |
Dessert – Chili Pies
After Canto we had some room left for dessert, so I suggested a cute pie place nearby. I thought it was just called Pie, since I remembered it’s fittingly located at 314 Church Street, but when we got there it turns out it’s full name is actually Chile Pies! So perfect since we were on letter C of our Alphabet Dining.
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| From left: Chili Green Apple w/Three Twins Coffee ice cream, Chocolate Caramel Pretzel, Mexican Chocolate Pecan. Also featuring The Pie Shake (Chili Green Apple slice) |
The Pie Shake
Three of us got pies, and Alex N. got the Pie Shake. You read that right. They blended a slice of pie with Three Twins ice creamand milk, and topped it all off with whipped cream. Alex chose the Chili Green Apple Pie. If you look closely you can see how rich and thick it is! Heavenly.
Rayna ordered a slice of the Chili Green Apple with Three Twins coffee ice cream (above, left). Becca got the Chocolate Caramel Pretzel (middle), and I breezed through the Mexican Chocolate Pecan. They were all amazing and left us ready for a serious food coma. Especially the shake. If you’re wondering how the chili pie was, it mysteriously works. The chili isn’t too overpowering but gives it a subtle kick. Definitely worth a try.
Thanks for reading & Happy eating!
