11 Postcards
At D.O.M., world-renowned chef Alex Atala innovatively blends fine dining with vibrant Amazonian ingredients, telling Brazil's culinary story plate by plate.
"D.O.M. has put Brazilian fine dining on the map, in a country where “fine” once meant only French or Italian. Here, the focus is on ingredients and flavors that predate the colonial Portuguese arrival. Ants, jambú—a mouth-numbing Amazonian plant—and a sour sauce made with fermented cassava called tucupi are staples on the eclectic tasting menus. The atmosphere is formal, with white tablecloths and suited sommeliers, but never stuffy. Daily lunch options strip back the formality with familiar Brazilian food like fish or filet mignon, with all the regular sides: rice, beans, sautéed potatoes, kale fried in bacon, and banana milanese." - tome morrissy swan
"Alex Atala is arguably the most acclaimed Brazilian chef in the world. With the help of his longtime right-hand man, Geovane Carneiro, and young innovative chef Rubens Salfer, Atala works to highlight and reinterpret Brazilian cuisine and its ingredients in a modern and creative way at two-Michelin-starred D.O.M. The tasting menu explores regions across the country, touching on ingredients and precontact techniques of Indigenous Brazilian peoples. Dishes include salted pirarucu fish with açaí tapenade, momotaro tomato stuffed with ripe bacuri (a sweet and sour native fruit), and many preparations using manioc. Meals are ended with a sticky brigadeiro made with Yanomami mushrooms." - Rafael Tonon
"Rank: #61 "Master of heritage South American gastronomy, Alex Atala is in his element at D.O.M., where he pioneers Brazilian flavour combinations and takes diners on a whistle-stop tour of indigenous produce such as Yanomami mushrooms with egg yolk and asparagus, manioc root five ways and the unforgettable ants with cachaça." "
"Rank: #13 "Former punk and DJ Alex Atala ripped up the rule book in true rock 'n' roll style when he set up D.O.M. in 1999, fusing fine dining with wild and wonderful ingredients from the Amazon basin."
"A meal here is an exercise in storytelling. You’re given information and visual aids that explain the dishes’ provenance and the ingredients’ journey from various corners of Brazil to your plate, all served in an incredibly tasteful, modernist living room that feels like a stylish home. I ate there by myself, and I’ve had few more satisfying solo meals in my life. -Jesse Ashlock" - CNT Editors
