2nd edition of Boteco Week offers special deals in Sao Paulo

The Boteco Week brings 22 bars offering combined snacks and drinks for reasonable R$ 25 (this price doesn't includes the service). It begins on March 17th. One day before the last day of the Restaurant Week event.

Rewinding
Last year, a group of seven bars gathered to offer a program inspired on the Restaurant Week. At this time, it got 3 times bigger and you should have a try!

Service
What: Boteco Week
Where: there are 22 options. Click here to check it out
When: March 17th to 23rd
Price: R$ 25 for the deal (service and drinks are not included)
Website: http://www.spbotecoweek.com.br

Sao Paulo got the 1st position on the Hubculture ranking. Once again...

That's the 6th issue of the Annual Hub Culture Zeitgeist. This is a collaborative global network composed of opinion leaders and professionals from various fields. And guess what: São Paulo is the winner (by the third year). With more BRIC cities in the top positions than ever before, but is all about Brazil and China.

The chosen locations are the ones that make a difference not only by economic indicators, but also the spirit of entrepreneurship and opportunity, cultural diversity and other creative features. (Click here to understand how they create this ranking).

The first place
According the Hub Culture, São Paulo is ever more popular, and ever more desirable for corporate postings, regional businesses, and those looking to experience the Brazilian boom first-hand.

Check out the full list of Hub Culture's 2012 Zeitgeist Ranking
1. Sao Paulo, Brazil
2. Hong Kong, China
3. Beijing, China
4. Berlin, Germany
5. London, UK
6. New York, United States
7. Sydney, Australia
8. Singapore, Malaysia
9. Istanbul, Turkey
10. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
11. Cape Town, South Africa
12. Tóquio, Japan
13. Seattle, United States
14. Mexico, Mexico
15. Shanghai, China
16. San Francisco, United States
17. Dubai, UAE
18. Los Angeles, United States
19. Moscow, Russia
20. Abu Dhabi, UAE

Zilvinas Kempinas brings another exhibition to Sao Paulo. Check it out!

The Lithuanian artist Zilvinas Kempinas arrives for the second time at the Galeria Leme with a solo exhibition of his kinetic sculptural installations created with fans and unspooled magnetic tape (check out the video made at MoMA last November). Despite that, he will also bring new pieces that traverse the boundaries between drawing, painting and sculpture.

These never before seen works are composed entirely of straight polyester thread that crisscross the surface of panels full of pins spaced all around it.

Each piece is titled after a star, and their radial vortexes recall models of space-time warped by celestial objects. The works also parallel the combination of mathematical abstraction and sheer wonder that underlies our conception of space. It's worth a visit!

About
Zilvinas Kempinas has had numerous solo exhibitions internationally, including Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris and New York; The Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow; Baltic Center for Contemporary Art, Gateshead; Wien Kunsthalle; Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius; and Palais de Tokyo, Paris. His work has also been seen in important group exhibitions including ‘On Line: Drawing Through the Twentieth Century’, MoMA, New York; Yokohama Triennale, Japan; Liverpool Biennale, England; and Manifesta7, Bolzano. In 2009, the artist represented Lithuania at the 53rd Venice Biennial. Kempinas’ work can be seen in the current display of the permanent collection at Centre Pompidou in Paris.



Service
What: Zilvinas Kempinas exhibition at Galeria Leme
Where: Galeria Leme - Avenida Valdemar Ferreira, 130
When: Tuesday to Friday, from 10 am till 7 pm; Saturday, from 10 am till 5 pm. Closed on Sunday. The exhibition ends on March 31st.
Price: For free
Phone: +55 (11)3093-8184
Website: http://galerialeme.com/

Bar Sao Cristovao is a great place to hang out with your friends

Sao Cristovao can receive maximum 70 persons at the same time

The São Cristovão Bar is small and almost always gets crowded. Its decoration is the highlight of the place. Composed of newspaper clippings and old photos of famous soccer players like Pele, Zico and Garrincha, covering the walls.

The menu offers many "petiscos" and hot dishes, especially the Bolinho de Bacalhau (codfish balls). The draught beer is "Brahma" and on Saturdays you can have an authentic feijoada. The public who frequents the bar is quite varied, ranging from soccer fans and pub lovers. The happy hour period is the busiest one.

Service
What: Bar Sao Cristovao
Where: Rua Aspicuelta, 533
When: Every day, from midday till the last customer
Price: Around R$ 30
Phone: +55 (11) 3097-9904

Check out the exhibition Vestiario (Dressing Room) at the Sao Paulo Soccer Museum

[photo: gilberto perin]

The photographer Gilberto Perin organized an exhibition entitled "Vestiário" (Dressing Room) that is displayed at the Sao Paulo Soccer Museum. The author's idea is to present the behind the scenes of a soccer team off the field. The exhibition brings photos, objects, art and video mapping that introduces the unknown "dressing room".

To gather this material, the photographer followed the Grêmio Esportivo do Brasil, during the competition for the title of the 2nd Division League 2010 on the Rio Grande do Sul State. It's worth a visit, especially if you do not know this museum!

Service
What: Museu do Futebol
Where: Praça Charles Miller - Pacaembu Stadium
When: Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 am till 5 pm
Price: R$ 6. For free every Thursday
Website: www.museudofutebol.org.br/

Local Eye for the Gringo: the top affordable culinary delights in Sao Paulo by Petri Glad

Petri Glad is an insidesaopaulo reader who moved to São Paulo last November. I had the chance to meet him on the first event organized by the blog, entitled "Insidesao Paulo Experience", where several readers could meet each other and have some beers. Petri was very excited about his recent experience of living in Sao Paulo, so I invited him to write few advices for you guys. Check it out!

1. Fresh Açai at any shopping mall or stand. For about R$ 8 you can enjoy a huge portion of this famous Brazilian health food. It’s usually eaten with granola, banana or strawberry and any combination.
What: Açai
Where: All over the city

2. Get your barbecue meat fill at Churrascaria D'Ouro at various locations throughout the city. It’s a great budget alternative to more well-known, expensive "churrascarias" such as "Fogo De Chão".
What: Churrascaria D'Ouro - Jabaquara
Where: Avenida Engenheiro Armando de Arruda Pereira, 1578
Website: www.churrascariapicanhadeouro.com.br/

3. Churros’ stands, an amazing dessert consisting of a "thick coiled fritter of fried dough", best with "doce de leite" (caramel) topping. This hot, sweet treat can be had for only R$ 1 in some neighbourhoods.
What: Churros
Where: All over the city

4. Food section at the Praça Benedito Calixto Saturday Street Fair. Once you find this amazing "hidden food section", located in the heart of the fair, you can enjoy authentic food fare such as “Acarajé” (Bahian, shrimp snack), “Tapioca com leite condensado” (Tapioca with condensed milk) washed down with a premium "Bohemian" beer
What: Praça Benedito Calixto
Where: Rua Lisboa, 700
Website: www.pracabeneditocalixto.com.br/

5. When starving for a hearty meal on a road trip, check out the "by the kilo" Graal roadside stops. This restaurant offers home style cooking in a very clean space and is charged by the weight of your plate
What: Graal Restaurants
Website: www.redegraal.com.br/

6. Sao Paulo hot dog stands. If you're used to the plain jane hot dog stands, these "cachorro-quentes" will delight you with amazing flavors and its original presentation. The Cachorro-quente da barraca do Allemao across from the Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo is a heavy recommendation even though great stands are found scattered all over the city.
What: Cachorro-quente
Where: All over the city

7. The Barraca de Ze, literally translates to "Ze's stand". Ze used to sell coconuts from the back of his truck and now he has a restaurant of the same name. At this 24/7 restaurant you can indulge yourself with fresh coconut juice (plus tons of other fruit/food choices) any day and time of the day. Have you ever craved a freshly cut coconut at 3am in the morning? Well, here's your chance. Located in the Jabaquara, a south zone neighborhood.
What: Barraca de Zé
Where: Avenida Jabaquara, 3180
Website: www.barracadoze.com.br/

I hope you enjoyed and I would like to invite you to share your advices on the comments below. It will be great for us, for Petri who loves to find new places to eat and everyone that is reading this post. Thank you very much Petri. It's great!

Mocidade Alegre is the winner of the Sao Paulo Carnival 2012 with theme honoring 100 years of Jorge Amado

[photo: sérgio castro/ae]

The Mocidade, champion of 2012, marched with 3,500 members, 25 wards and five floats

After a tremendous confusion in counting the votes of the jurors, the Independent Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba de São Paulo announced that the Mocidade Alegre is the winner of the Sao Paulo Carnival 2012. The decision came from the presidents of the Samba Schools, by 7 votes to 5. The Samba schools Camisa Verde e Branco and Pérola Negra were downgraded.

Big mess
Near the end of counting, when a single note 9.9 would be enough to give the title to the Mocidade Alegre, there was a invasion of a group of members of the samba schools (that weren't happy with the results). During the mess, a man could get the votes of the judges and tear them in front of everyone. There was no copy of the votes. Each of the ballot counting is done with banknote, with nine safety items and bar codes to prevent forgeries. Unfortunately, it was not enough.

[source: estadão]