Abendbrothaus

Top choice in Santa Catarina


This Sunday-only feast is the most coveted table in Santa Catarina for marreco (stuffed Garganey, a kind of small duck); in fact, the menu's only item begins its journey to your stomach at 6am, when Josefa Jensen begins a sunrise recipe ritual handed down from her grandmother. Cooked in banana leaves for 2½ hours, the bird emerges crispy, golden brown and perfect.

It's served alongside sauerkraut, purple cabbage, fried manioc with bacon, mashed potatoes. macaroni salad, beef tongue and a family-secret apple sauce. The restaurant is 30km north of centro in Vila Itoupava. Reserve.