Ipanema

43 West 40th Street

(between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)

Have had a craving for Brazilian food ever since the Olympics. The perfect opportunity came up when deciding where to take a friend out to celebrate her birthday.

Ipanema is a classic standby in Little Brazil. I think the last time I went, might have been over ten years ago.

My friend is pretty particular in what she can and cannot eat. She loves seafood, so we ordered the Abacate Recheado (avocado stuffed with crab meat and remoulade sauce) as an appetizer. Unbelievably good. Taste was refreshing and the crab meat was abundant!

We then decided to split the Paelha dish (which came with two giant-sized tiger shrimp, clams, mussels, chicken, chouriço (similar to chorizo), and scallops over saffron rice. A bowl of black beans was served on the side.

Wonderful! The seafood was fresh and the black beans were surprisingly not heavy.

To toast my friend’s birthday, we felt we had to go with their special half-pitcher sangria ($18). The sangria is offered in both red and white. We chose to go with the classic red, which arrived in the most delightfully designed pitchers!

What was most memorable was when we had finished our meal. My friend was so full that she didn’t feel that she had room for dessert. Our server obviously overheard my birthday toast as when the check arrived, it came with a complimentary slice of flan topped with a lighted candle!!!

Happy Birthday, indeed!

Pros:

Excellent, attentive service.
Fresh seafood.

Cons:

Bathroom located on the main floor is one designated for handicapped service.

Final Thoughts

Would return for both the wonderful service and the excellent food!