MmMmmmm.... Moqueca, farofa, e coxinhas

So, I'm basically in Boston at least once a month, and I have a couple of friends up here that I go to dinner with. Most of the times we're in the north end for some Italian. If you ever find yourself in Boston, 2 place you MUST try for dinner and then dessert. Giacomos is probably the only place I would say that the food is worth the wait. There's only 10 or so tables and there is ALWAYS, regardless if it is -20 or 80 degrees outside, a line. People file in and out pretty fast and the service is no bullshit and fast. If your there, get the calamari and the house special, whatever it may be. The only place I've had better Italian is at Alto in NYC, and thats a 2 star Michalin restaurant. The kicker is it doesn't cost that much, while Alto cost $150 for 2 people.

After dinner, go to Mike's Pastry Shop. It is a little touristy and is featured on every show about Boston food, but trust me, it's absolutely the best for a freshly made cannoli, pastries, and a good Italian espersso. Pistachio cannoli is absolutely the best. They do a great job at balancing all the tastes. It's not too sweet and not too filling, and is always fresh. They are also opened late (Boston terms), which is good.

So today, since all my friends were busy or not here anymore, I took my woeful Portuguese to Muqueca in Cambridge. All I have to say is: There's nothing like pirao and farofa. Of course the Muqueca was great, but I love the other side stuff especially pirao and farofa. I ended up chatting with the waiters there, and realized, my Portuguese is awful. Any one got some Rosetta Stone?

As for capoeira, I generally train with Mestre Deraldo. He's leaving for Brazil sometime in July, so if you get a chance to see a piece of living history and talk to him about the history of capoeira, do it! After he leaves, CM Toca and Calango will continue teaching there. I've basically learned all of my jogo de angola from them, though I'm not sure that is a compliment to their school. Boston also has a bunch of capoeira regional schools and they are everywhere. CM Marquinho is in Chinatown, M. Chuvisco in Cambridge and BC, Inst. Caveira is in Everett, and so many many more. I just need a place to train Angola, so I stuck with Mestre Deraldo.

I love Boston. It was the first city I came to in the US, went to school for a year here, so it always has a special place in my heart. If it wasn't so DAMN cold, I'd consider moving here....