Quitéria, in Ipanema, brings the cuisine of northeastern Brazil to haute cuisine
Chef David Cruz applies the culinary wisdom of his grandfather from northeastern Brazil at Quitéria, in the heart of Ipanema.
Quitéria is not, in media terms, one of Rio de Janeiro's most well-known restaurants. Its menu, a tribute to the traditions of northeastern Brazil expressed with a refined and open modernity, holds its own against the most established names in Rio's culinary scene with Brazilian roots.
Cruz's story is his own. He enlisted in the Brazilian Air Force intending to pilot a fighter jet, but instead found himself in the barracks kitchen, and everything changed. After several years working for hotel chains like Meliá and Belmont, when he received a call from Quitéria, he remembered his grandfather, a restaurateur from northeastern Brazil. Rejecting easy, cosmopolitan formulas, he transferred those memories to his cuisine and reinterpreted them with a subtle Mediterranean touch that illuminates them with a fresh, youthful energy.
“I inherited my love for artisanal products like rapadura, okra, jiló, pumpkin, and corn from my grandfather,” David explains. All of these are organic and sourced from Rio de Janeiro, as are his homemade products (bread, butter, jams, yogurts, etc.), which has earned him the title of Rio de Janeiro’s most sustainable restaurant.
The appetizer includes cheesecake with caramelized onions in rapadura (unrefined cane sugar), shrimp and chorizo croquettes, meat croquettes with a touch of aioli and maxixe gherkins, crispy corn, and açaí bread with goat cheese. It's a feast of flavors and textures set to the rhythm of samba.
The "perfect egg," as Hervé This's famous recipe is known in Brazil, arrives with a Parmesan foam shaped like a fried egg, sprinkled with mushrooms and accompanied by toast for dipping. Raw tuna, dressed with lemon-infused olive oil, rests on a goat cheese cream and is topped with a tapioca crisp. Seafood linguine, with octopus and shrimp, is intensified with a bisque and refreshed with Rangpur lime caviar.
The tender yet crispy pork belly is served with pumpkin mousse, roasted corn, and black tucupi sauce. The sun-dried filet mignon incorporates the sweet notes of rapadura, a cream of crushed corn, pickled pumpkin, and toasted okra.
The chocolate mousse is served with gingerbread (puxuri, cumarú) and honey, and the guava comes with vanilla ice cream. At the end of the street, Ipanema beach invites you to enjoy the afternoon at your leisure.