Fotoeins Fotografie

Curitiba: Restaurante Madero Prime Steakhouse

By fotoeins on 12 Sep 2011

In July 2011, I traveled to Curitiba, Brazil to visit friend and fellow photographer Paula Anddrade. I had a great time there, relaxing some, and encountering something different on the other side of the continent. I realized I merely glossed over a delicious lunch in an earlier post; I’m bringing that lunch to life in this post.

Paula wanted to take me to a really nice place for lunch in town. There was very little disappointment and lots of satisfaction to be found at Madero Prime Steakhouse on Avenida Jaime Reis, just west of Largo da Ordem and the historical district.

The restaurant interior was cozy yet spacious, with warm red-brown colours and a mixture of brick and wood-paneling. The ceiling was high, and the street-facing windows allowed a lot of natural light to illuminate the space within. There were approximately ten to twelve tables, which aren’t many, but they were all busy. We arrived a little late for the lunch hour; there were a lot of office-workers and other small groups finishing their meals. The service was efficient, knowledgeable, casual yet attentive, but never pushy.

The restaurant’s menu itself is revealing. Even in Brazilian Portuguese and without the immediate benefit of translation, there is little doubt about what’s on offer and the quality that awaits.

My eyes went straight to the picanha or rumpsteak. With a request for medium-rare edging to the rare side, I ordered the 350 grams (12 ounces) of rumpsteak; the menu states that all of the meat-cuts come from Uruguay. I also ordered two side dishes: steamed white rice and the ubiquitous “farofa“, which is manioc flour fried in butter, mixed with chopped eggs and bacon bits.

We made quick work of the appetizers including olives, cheese, bruschetta, and grilled palm hearts (palmito). Some might find palm hearts on the bland side, but the description “assado na brasa com Flor de Sal de Guerande” (barbequed or grilled with ‘flower salt‘ from France’s Guérande) was apt. Marked with a light char, the palm had a light smoky flavour.

One look at the menu’s final page told me there would be room for dessert. One dessert on the menu in particular was voted “2010’s best dessert in Curitiba” — the Petit Gâteau de doce de leite (the little cake with caramelized milk). Humble midday meal: big protein, big culinary highlights.

Madero Prime Steakhouse is minutes on foot northwest from Praça Garibaldi.

Disclosure: No Connection, Unpaid, My Own Opinions. I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the restaurant. I made the photos above on 12 July 2011 with the Canon EOS450D camera. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-rV.