Belo — Restaurant in New York

So, I will begin by saying that I have not had the pleasure of dining at Belo's in person and have done a few delivery orders as a case study before writing this review. TLDR: Really nice staff, items are pricey and some of them are less memorable and may have you rethink the price point a bit more closely. In addition the sodium usage needs be watched. You can always add salt to something, but you cannot remove it once it's cooked into the dish.

I will begin by saying that the team is super kind. I called to ask questions about the menu and was met with kind voices and friendly dispositions. I believe Jonathan and Christina assisted me with inquiries that I had regarding the menu? So far, I have only tried a handful of dishes:

-Pao de Quiejo Sliders with chicken - $17 (Between the cheese bread and the chicken, the sliders were so salty, we did not consume them after a bite or two) -Moqueca - $24 (I love anything coconut based, but this dish had quite a bit of oil floating around in it. I know it can be challenging with curries, but the coconut did not shine thru and this dish left me a bit disappointed as I love cod and the idea of it in a coconut curry intrigued me.) -10 oz Ribeye Steak with Peppercorn Sauce - $31 (I felt like this dish was priced appropriately. Came with mushrooms, sauteed kale, mashed potatoes and supposedly with sundried tomatoes, but I think they may have forgotten to include or ran out because it was not included in my entree. I am glad that the peppercorn sauce was served on the side because it was incredibly salty and would have ruined the entree if they had drizzled it over the steak and mash)

Total:$72.00 and $93.39 after taxes and fees

2nd order: -Pao de Quiejo -$8 (Good, but must be eaten fresh. Pao does not reheat all that well given the tapioca flour, but I love them and they are a guilty pleasure)

-Crispy Fried Cod Sandwich Bites -$15 ( I actually thought that this was going to be similar to the pao sliders since it was also listed under apps and is labeled 'bites', but it was actually a whole sandwich that came with fries which is unclear from the menu, so the restaurant needs to amend that to avoid confusion. Sandwich was pretty tasty and I think priced fairly)

-Mini Brazilian Croquettes - $11 (An assortment of cheese, beef and chicken bites. We didn't care much for those and it was hard to distinguish which was what without biting into them)

-Roasted Pernil Steak - $26 - (Didn't really care for this and it reaffirmed my dislike for black beans. We didn't bother to really eat this. Also pricey for a pork entree, but I know that pernil has a pretty intense roasting process so I am sure that adds to the entree upcharge.)

-Ginger Ale - $3

-Chicken Milanese - $25 (A nice comforting meal served alongside broccoli, mashed potatoes and a breaded chicken cutlet that is drizzled with a pancetta chipotle sauce.)

Total: $88 but $111.29 after taxes

3rd order:

-Sunnyside Salad - $15 (This was fine, but to be honest, it feels like a bunch of random ingredients that were thrown together... that I am not really sure work well together, but hey to each their own. Mesculin is the green base and it's not known to be the most cruciferous of the salad greens, so nothing in the salad had any bite. Everything was just...soft and luke warm. This could stand to be reworked.)

-Nachoa de Mandioca (opted to add ground beef) -$21 (I liked this, but this would be best to have this while dining in)

-Seared Salmon - $26 (This sounded good so we got it, but I most likely won't get that again.)

-Voulevant - $3 (I like these, but only caramel ones. I think we only got 2, so you can decide whether they are worth it for you as a sweet treat as they are very small.)

Total: $65 but $82.51 after...

So I finally got a chance to stop in a Belo last night and let me tell you this is something sunnyside needed. Authentic Brazilian food that hits you with great flavor and a great ambiance. I had a group of 4 so we tried a little of everything. For appetizer we had the frango a passarinho, Pao de queijo, mini salgados basket, torresmo de barriga. All of these appetizers were so bomb we all had a second dose of the torresmo de barriga just because they were so good, I think the sliced pineapple with the sauce made it extra tasty. For the main course we kind of shared a few plates because it was so much food. We had feijoada, chicken strogonoff, stuffed burger. I'll start with the chicken strogonoff, I ordered this because I saw the owner in the back eating this 😁😁 and let me tell you, the creamy mushroom amd cognac sauce was off the charts. I wish I could bath in it 😂😂😂😂😬 The Feijoada was good without adding the extra ingredients but when I asked the owner about the ingredients, he showed me how to include in the dish and WOW what a difference. All I got to say is make sure you use all the ingredients you won't be disappointed. I did not try the stuffed burger but from what my brother in law said it was really good and flavorful. I guess I will try that next time. We also had dessert at the end and just like the rest of the meal it did not disappoint. We had the cocada coconut creme brulee and the passion fruit mousse topped with chocolate granach and almond praline both were excellent but I enjoyed the cocada more just because I love coconut 🤓🤓

I hope my review helps a lot of you guys. I try to be as thorough as possible with my reviews. Enjoy and go...

I struggled for some time on whether I should write them a review or not. The problem is that this place is so fantastic, I don't want other people to know about it and crowd me out. On reflection though, they deserve every bit of business they can get. Only a few places have ever made me feel like family. There is a place in Crete, a place in Athens, and that was it. I didn't think anywhere in the US could offer me the same experience. Until my wife brought me here for my bday. This place made us feel welcomed, talked to us as if we've been going there for years, and wants everyone to leave on a first name basis. Custome service is top notch here. The food is delicious. I went for the fish tacos and they were simple, yet superb. The drinks were made amazingly well and with a creative though to them. I had the Mr. Miyagi Mule, a spin on the Moscow Mule but with Sake instead of vodka. Blew me away. And, without any prompting from the wife, they brought out a delicous passion fruit flavored dessert for my bday. So there you go. Absoultely a gem of a find in Sunnyside. A new (and top) go-to place, one which I'll bring out of towners to. For everyone else, just don't...