Bossa Nova Brunch Plays Just the Right Tune for a Sunday Afternoon – The Nevada Independent

Marc Valldeperez March 9, 2024

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Sweet samba rhythms played at just the right volume by Alyse & Téka, the live jazz duo who greets us as we walk out onto the pleasantly sunny patio to check out the El Encanto’s new Bossa Nova Brunch Menu, now available every Sunday.

While the flavors of Brazil provided the initial inspiration for the menu (apparently several members of the Belmond property’s management team come from Brazil and were part of the taste-testing team), the brunch itself has the broader flavors of Latin America built into its offerings as well. And for the purists, brunch classics like eggs Benedict, bagels and lox, steak and eggs, and the Santa Barbara Madame (an organic egg atop avocado, ham, mornay sauce, and gruyère on a brioche roll) are all available as well. Plus there’s that ocean view, which is an excellent selling point in any language.

We started out with a pretty plate of pão de queijo. These Brazilian cheese rolls were familiar from other Latin American dining experiences, but the El Encanto version is particularly light and airy and accompanied by colorful thin slices of mango, dragon fruit, and kiwi.

The service, provided this time by Hugo, was spot-on, like every experience I’ve ever had at the El Encanto, dating way, way back to when my grandmother used to take us there for special treats like the Floating Island dessert. Hugo had already provided my nonfat latte at the perfect temperature when he told us about the brunch cocktail offerings, which include the S.B. Bloody Mary; passion fruit, mango, and strawberry caipirinhas (with Brazilian cachaça), and the Riviera Mimosas and peach bellinis (both of which are made with Moët & Chandon Champagne, très chic). For goal-oriented day drinkers, the bottomless brunch price tag for those cocktails (with Moët) is a bargain at $30, but I had work to do that afternoon, so I skipped the alcohol — this time!

We did, however, indulge in a veritable feast, including shared plates of blistered shishito peppers, creamed elote (this not-so-spicy breakfast version of the Mexican charred corn had cotija cheese, lime, and tajin), and a gorgeous guava cinnamon roll, which came out hot in a cast-iron pan before Hugo poured the warm spiced-cream-cheese icing over it at our table. Astoundingly, it wasn’t sticky sweet but had rather subtle and sophisticated notes of both the warm cinnamon and the fruity guava flavors.