MAPA DA MINA - BLOG da ANA CISSA - Ana Cissa's Blog

©anacissapinto I am in Campos do Jordão. Campos is located at an altitude of 1,700 meters (about 5,577 feet), in São Paulo State, and is one of the most loved mountain destinations in Brazil. I have spent many many winters here, since I was a child. Campos has been a set for the best childhood memories for me so whenever I have a chance, I try and come back. I just love it here. My grandparents bought their house in 1948, and the family has enjoyed spending winters here since. Calla Lilies and Hydrangeas are the most common flowers in Campos and we have been lucky to have them in abundance in the house's backyard. This afternoon I decided to take some pictures of the calla lilies. Such fascinating flowers! A little later on it will be time to light the fire, open a nice bottle of vino and play monopoly with my nephews. Life is sublime. And I feel lucky and grateful.

Brazil's New Glamour Capital | São Paulo | Food & Wine

Again, I went to one of my favorite restaurants in NY, though this time, just to seat at the bar and have a night cap with a friend. BLUE HILL is THE place I want to go. Always. Anytime. I fell like if I had a restaurant it would probably be pretty much like Blue Hill. They are so chic, and understated at the same time. The ambient is very inviting, they play Coltrane Ballads, Bill Evans Blue and Green, and the likes. The small, below ground dining room has the feeling of an exclusive, guest only club, yet Blue Hill may be the best low-profile restaurant in town. Backlit banquettes and warmly illuminated brick walls with a cozy bar at the entrance, Blue Hill invites you in and you just want to stay, until they close! Chef Daniel Barber “wows” his well-heeled clients (including the Obamas) with inspired New American cooking based on extremely fresh seasonal ingredient. The food is, overall, simply prepared and everything tastes like it would in a farm. Blue Hill's menu showcases loc...

A friend sent me this line from MOONSTRUCK that is just genius, though I am a sucker and I do believe that without love we are all niente. Still I wanted to share it. It's brilliant. "Love don't make things nice - it ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren't here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us! We are here to ruin ourselves and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and die. The storybooks are bullshit." Ronny Cammareri (played by Nicolas Cage)

I finally found the perfect lounge bar. 675 Bar is a “no-frills” subterranean “hideaway” divided into raw-brick “alcoves” equipped with “foosball, board games, Jenga, Pacman and a pool table”. You can choose to play games or if you just want to chill, have a drink, and actually talk to a friend and hear what they are saying, this place is for you. I love the decor of 675. It's very cozy, inviting, homy and yet sophisticated. They serve awesome drinks, two of my favorites being: SOMMERWIND - Riesling, Lychee, Cucumber - and OLD SAO PAULO - Sagatiba Cachaça, Cointreau, Orzata, Passion Fruit Puree. They also serve yummy small plates like quesadillas, crispy calamari, sliders and tasty empanadas. If you are planning on going, try to get there before 9pm. By 11:30pm the place gets pretty crowded and there might be a line to get in. I am definitely going back to 675, and I will make sure to get there early enough to secure one of the awesome candle lit alcoves. Très romantique & tr...