Remembrance of Things Pabst.

Whenever I had friends of my come to my office to do their taxes we would always hit one of the Brazilian joints on 46th Street which in New York is know as little Brazil. You see I had a deal with a few of my closest friends, I wouldn’t charge them for doing their taxes and they would just take me out for dinner. Now the taxes weren’t all that complicated as they didn’t have houses or dependants or anything really. Just straight

W-2’s but it gave us an excuse to go out at least once a year. And for me it was great cause I got a free meal where I could order all the drinks and food I wanted and not have to worry about paying for it. Not that I ever worried about that but you know what I mean. Stuff always tastes better when it is for free.

Anyway we loved to go to this place called Via Brazil. They had great steaks and the traditional Brazilian seafood stew called mariscada which many of my friends loved. We would start out with mussels in white wine and some chorizos with yucca fries which as I have said before are great. Then some steaks maybe filet mignon in champagne sauce or chuacusco gaucho which is a big steak rubbed with garlic and oil. Flan for desert. But lots and lots of capirinha’s which is the national drink of Brazil.

Now what was particularly fun about Via Brazil is that they always have a live Brazilian Jazz band which as you think is a lot more entertaining than a dead Brazilian Jazz band. We would sit there and order capirinha after capirinha with some shots of rum on the side. Dancing often ensued. I remember one night a big group of people where having a birthday party and the drinks were flowing My buddies and I were into the spirit of things and were chatting and flirting with some of the lovely ladies who were there as part of the party. Well we got swept up into the excitement and fun and laughing and drinking and before you know it a conga line started. It went around the long tables set in the middle of the restaurant out the door down to Fifth Avenue and back. What are you gonna do?

I love that place, I took my wife there on our first date. We go once or twice a year and although the food is not as plentiful as it was in the eighties it is still far superior to a lot of fancy joints in Midtown. And you never know when you might have to join a conga line.