Quintal combines the quality of cooking and service found in a first-rate restaurant with the experience of being invited into someone’s tasteful home for a leisurely dinner party. Quintal’s proprietor and chef — known in town fondly as "Neilso" — spent 20 years running a successful restaurant in Brazil’s capital city of Brasilia before semi-retiring to Buzios. Here he opens his home in the hills above Manguinhos Bay on Friday and Saturday nights to a lucky group of no more than 35 people who are ‘in the know’ about Buzios’ dining scene. Reservations are essential, especially during the summer season and on holidays when affluent visitors from Rio and São Paulo populate the town.

Neilso’s home is in a quiet residential neighborhood and he employs a person to help park his guests’ cars. He offers one seating per night at 9 p.m., and upon arrival you’re invited to enjoy a cocktail or a glass of champagne out on the deck where the illuminated waters of a pool and a serene Buddha sculpture enhance the starry sky. Once diners settle at their tables which are selected by Neilso in advance, the wait staff brings out a beautiful selection of spreads and dips along with a breadbasket and a martini glass filled with crisp endive spears. There is regular butter, passion fruit butter, plum chutney, an aubergine ratatouille, a garlicky sour cream dip, and a sweeter dill-flavored yogurt dip to choose from.

The short wine list focuses mainly on good vintages from Argentina and Chile, supplemented by a few European imports. No printed menu is presented since Neilso takes the time to visit each table and personally explain the choices of the evening to his guests. Due to the limitations imposed by his “home” kitchen, he offers no appetizers or salads beyond the initial couvert, and just seven entrée plates of homemade pasta, meat and seafood, as well as three desserts.

Each dish is made to order and we marveled at the beautiful presentations. A seafood fettuccine with large prawns, calamari and squid arrived at the table not only piping hot but also nestled in a large white seashell lined with purple bougainvillea flowers. Servings of gnocchi in pesto sauce are brought in individual small copper pans and are accompanied by a choice of oven-roasted fish, osso buco, or assorted seafood. Lamb chops arranged around a mound of “tropical” risotto in a colorful Portuguese ceramic dish are a feast for all the senses. On both of our visits we found the portions to be so generous that we couldn’t quite finish three plates split between the two of us, and had to pass on dessert.

Since I had only heard of Quintal by word of mouth (you couldn’t accidentally stumble upon its location, and, if so, there’s no signage to alert you), I saved a first reservation for the special occasion of my sweetheart’s birthday. I elicited quite a look of surprise on his face as we drove up the winding road to the address given me over the phone, and again when a friendly English-speaking waitress opened the front door to lead us into a spacious high-ceilinged room with an open kitchen at one end and tables of various sizes arranged throughout. Floor to ceiling windows and glass sliding doors open the space to the outdoors where a large deck with a pool and built-in benches is surrounded by lush tropical landscaping. A staircase leads to the upper private quarters, and Asian antiques, along with contemporary artworks, lend the space its eclectic and very personal feel of being in someone’s home — and, indeed, you are.

That evening we shared the fettuccine “Al Mare” with giant prawns, squid and calamari, the “Cordeiro” - grilled lamb chops with tropical risotto, and a dish called “Macaquito” — prawns in a banana-coconut milk sauce served with steamed rice. The fettuccine were cooked to just the right degree of “al dente” and blended deliciously with the plentiful and succulent seafood in a light cream sauce. The six flavorful lamb chops had been grilled to a perfect medium-rare and were offset nicely by the slight tartness of the risotto — steamed rice blended with finely diced tropical fruits. The prawns “Macaquito” style — a dish which originated in the coastal Bahia region of Brazil — didn’t please our palates quite as much. The huge prawns were fresh and tender but their taste was somewhat overwhelmed by the sweet sauce of pureed bananas in a coconut milk base which lacked the underlying spiciness Neilso had attributed to it earlier.

Other menu choices included the three preparations of house-made gnocchi — with seafood, osso buco or oven-roasted codfish — and a plate of Argentinean style dried beef served with grilled vegetables. Dishes that reconstitute dried fish or meat are quite popular among Brazilians but tend to be very salty, since large amounts of salt are used for preservation during the drying process. We decided to pass on it. We also found ourselves too satiated to consider desserts, though they sounded tempting — homemade Mascarpone cheese ice cream, fruit-filled crepes and a “Lady Di” cake were offered. Most tables seemed to be sharing some sweets, along with orders of coffee and tea.

Conversations kept flowing lively while Neilso made the rounds to check on his guests’ satisfaction, and it wasn’t until about midnight that most of us were ready to call it an evening. On the way out, we had to do a double-take—glancing one fellow diner, seated near the kitchen, who was animatedly enjoying his nightcap bare-chested. In Buzios the emphasis is definitely less on etiquette and more on having a good time, and, happy as we were, we decided to make another reservation for the following weekend. Our bill, inclusive of a 10% tip, came to 455.00 Reais. This included a bottle of fine Chilean sauvignon blanc (70.00 Reais) and a bottle of tasty Argentinean cabernet sauvignon (80.00 Reais), two mineral waters, and a 24.00 Reais charge for the opening couvert.

Anticipating another bounty of culinary delights, we arrived for our second dinner on time and with a healthy appetite, not wanting to miss anything. We were again charmed by the atmosphere and the graciousness of our host, content with our assigned corner table, and were heading toward the outside deck for cocktails when we passed the small chalkboard posted near the kitchen listing the evening’s menu. To our surprise, all the items — a total of seven entrée plates and three desserts — were identical to those offered the week before, the only exception being the fish served with the gnocchi was grouper this time around. An inquiry of our English-speaking waitress revealed that the menu at Quintal rarely changes since it’s been a formula for success and most guests are out-of-towners who visit only occasionally.

We decided to make the best of it, and reordered the fettuccine “Al Mare” and the lamb chops, which had both been exceptional. And we were swayed to order the gnocchi with oven-roasted grouper, since the dish is billed as Chef Neilso’s specialty. Once again, the presentations were beautiful and the portions generous, and the fettuccine and lamb chops were cooked to perfection. The gnocchi drew a mixed review — while the fish was moist and flavorful, and the small potato pockets themselves were airy and soft enough to compare favorably with those produced in prestigious kitchens — the flavors and textures ultimately drowned in the vast amount of pesto-flavored olive oil covering everything.

Again, we ordered a bottle of red and white wine from Argentina and Chile which were both very pleasing and, at about 80.00 Reais (40.00 US dollars) each, quite a bargain. Along with one caipirinha cocktail and two couverts – those delicious dips and spreads served with bread and endive spears at the beginning of the meal — the bill came to 450.00 Reais, inclusive of tax and tip. Quintal was fully booked that night, and all of us seemed to revel in the wonderful food and special attention given to us by Neilso and his courteous staff. This time, though, standing in the doorway of his home, he wished us a knowing farewell — it would take us a bit longer to find our way back to his kitchen table. But eventually, we will.

Quintal

Phone: (22) 2623-1934

Cell: (22) 9976-9844

E-mail: quintalbuzios@terra.com.br