2/5 Gustavo A. 5 months ago on Google
There's
an
issue
in
attempting
to
make
things
seem
like
something
they
are
not.
Despite
serving
very
good
vegetarian/vegan
dishes,
Pitanga
merely
aspires
to
be
a
Brazilian
restaurant.
The
reality
is
that
it
falls
far
short
of
that
mark.
It
doesn't
capture
the
sweet
and
sensual
tropical
essence
that
the
restaurant's
name
suggests.
For
instance,
the
so-called
'Brazilian
breakfast'
is
a
joke.
No
Brazilian
would
eat
beans,
avocado,
and
pão
de
queijo
on
the
same
plate,
and
definitely
not
for
breakfast.
Speaking
of
pão
de
queijo,
the
most
famous
Brazilian
pastry
has
been
transformed
here
into
a
bland,
heavy
cupcake,
lacking
personality
and
technique.
There’s
a
reason
pão
de
queijo
should
be
shaped
in
smaller
bites,
but
the
restaurant
seems
to
ignore
that.
A
better
name
for
what
they
serve
would
be
‘cupqueijo’
—
It
would
sound
more
international
without
being
disrespectful.
But
sometimes
in
the
food
world,
'international'
can
also
mean
'losing
your
identity,'
and
that's
exactly
what's
happening
here.
It's
pretty
obvious
why
you
won't
find
Brazilians
eating
there,
even
though
Bushwick
is
full
of
young
Brazilian
immigrants.
Maybe
the
place
is
just
for
'gringos'
who
want
to
pretend
they
know
about
different
cuisines
but
are
too
scared
to
try
the
real
deal.
In
that
case,
Instead
of
‘Pitanga’,
the
anodyne
‘Brazilian
Cherry'
might
be
a
more
fitting
name
for
the
restaurant.
The
orange
picante
juice
and
the
ambient
music,
featuring
Marisa
Monte
and
Caetano
Veloso,
are
the
only
reasons
for
me
to
come
back.
1 person found this review helpful 👍