A bakery with Brazilian food? A Brazilian cafe with baked goods? Either way, this little cafe in Sandy definitely carries a heavy influence of Brazilian food. And that's a good thing.
Located in the Union Square shopping center at 9400 S. and 700 E., it's no surprise to find such a melange of northern and southern hemisphere menu items. This shopping center seems to be trying to have somewhat of a renaissance. Long gone are the days of the Scout Shop and even longer the Winchell's. The old Peter Piper Pizza is gone in favor of a diner that does a bustling breakfast and lunch, and the old Union Station Cafe (?) disappeared to make way for Walgreen's. And of course, that island of Caribbean dining, Adobos. And the 9th & 9th haven of all things adorable - Hip & Humble Home - has opened another location a few doors down.
It makes perfect sense that this bakery cafe opened its doors a few months ago in what's become a gathering place for eclectic (though not eccentric) businesses. It's quite nice inside, if not understated and simple. With a name like "Sweet Spot" I was bracing myself to enter a palace built of cupcakes, pink things, and Disney charm that's best left in Anaheim. Instead, I found a few tables, some well-lit bakery cases, and a modern decor.
The kind lady back in the kitchen/bakery welcomed me, and soon came out to explain their offerings. The menu fits tidily onto a one page trifold, focusing both on lunchtime and dinner offerings, although dinner options are more limited. Lunchtime sandwiches fit into three categories: paninis, beirute sandwiches, and Brazilian hot sandwiches and range from about $7 for paninis into the $8 and $9 range for others.
I'd never heard of a beirute sandwich. It's sometimes referred to as a beirut sandwich, and does infact have ties back to the Middle East. It seems that over the last several decades there has been a great number of people of Lebanese heritage settling in Brazil, and in that wonderful mixing pot way, the marriage of two cultures has been harmonious when it comes to cuisine. These sandwiches are served in pita pocket bread and often include meat veggies, and a fried egg. Their namesake Sweet Spot Beirute ($9.75) is stuffed with tri-tip steak, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, a fried egg and a cream cheese spread. Hello, wonderful! They also come in ham & cheese, chicken, or turkey.
The Brazilian hot sandwiches are simple--the churrasco is served with picanha (tri tip steak) or you can have a ham and cheese or bauru - grilled cheese. All come on a baguette and start at $6.75. It looks like both beirutes and Brazilian sandwiches come with your choice of fries or salad.
Once I got to the dinner menu, I knew I'd be back again soon. The appetizer section is mostly Portuguese words, which thankfully come with translations. Coxhina, baleinha, risolis, esfiha, empada, kibe. It's a large assortment of dumplings, fried pastries, empanada-like turnovers, and deep fried Brazilian hush puppies. That last one is my own translation and is loose at best. They're all between $2 and $3 and merit sampling.
The dinner menu itself is short and simple. A few salads, and three main entrees ($9.75): chicken, steak, or Brazilian sausage platter that all come with salad, rice, beans, and farofa -a popular dish in Brazil made of fried and seasoned yucca flour. I didn't get to see the farofa to tell if it was the larger cous-cous sized stuff or what add-ins they have, so chalk up another reason to return. You can also get the combo platter and sample all three of the meats for and extra two bucks.
I saw something about Monday nights being all you can eat pizza night. I don't see pizza on the menu, so perhaps that's just a Monday dish. I wonder what kind of pizza? I may be horribly disappointed to find it's totally normal. And let's be honest, if you've had pizza from South America, you may feel like it's an acquired taste. But it could be amazing, so perhaps as a pre dollar movie treat on Monday night I'll give it a try.
Now the bakery part. That's what got me. I'm a sucker for a good baker case, and they've got plenty of temptations from both halves of the globe. Folks from Brazil are doing backflips over the availability of quindim, a kind of custard that's a traditional dessert infused with coconut. There's a more universal pudim de leite condensado (flan) and both brigadeiro and beijinho - Brazilian fudge balls, the latter with coconut. All kinds of sweet treats I probably mispronounced lined the case, and even the standard cakes and cookies looked fantastic. Nummy eclairs!
I'm thrilled this place has opened. It's got enough polish and options to appeal to the non ethnic-food crowd, but still maintains authenticity for folks craving their faves from way down south. Reasonably priced, made by mama in the kitchen and enough items to lure me back to give them a try. read more