In an ongoing quest to get in touch with my roots, I’ve been taking Portuguese language classes at the Beverly Hills Lingual Institute. Usually we meet in a classroom, but this week our teacher Patricia suggested we take a field trip to Bossa Nova Brazilian Restaurant in West Hollywood instead. It’s already one of my favorite eateries in town, but it was fun to socialize with my classmates and practice our Portuguese skills in a new setting. 
In fact, the waiter knew that we were in “class” so would only speak Portuguese with us. We tried several traditional Brazilian appetizers including pão de quiejo (cheese bread), bolinho de bacalhau (deep fried balls of codfish), coxinha (shredded chicken and cheese inside deep fried dough), and croquetes de camarão (shrimp croquettes). Of course I couldn’t pass up a caipirinha—the national cocktail of Brazil. It’s made from cachaça (a liquor made from distilled sugarcane juice) that’s poured over crushed ice, along with sugar and lots of fresh lime. Bossa Nova is famous for its chicken breast (filé de frango) and skirt steak (bifi) that’s been marinated in traditional Brazilian spices and served alongside black beans (feijão), rice (arroz), salsa, and yucca flour (mandioca). The best part is definitely the fried plantains (bananas fritas). It was a really fun experience and I hope we take more field trips in the future!
Bossa Nova has three locations in the L.A. area. The one we visited is located at 685 North Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood - (310) 657-5070 www.bossafood.com
Michael Figueiredo is a freelance travel writer based in Los Angeles, California. When he’s not gallivanting around the world, he’s enjoying the laid-back lifestyle and perfect weather of Southern California. So far he’s visited thirty-six countries and territories on five continents. His goal is to see at least one new country every year! . Read more from this author
Twitter: @ayngelina
I love Brazilian food, especially rodizio.
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Sorry only just read this article. I’m off to Portugal in early June with a group and I can’t wait. I’m going to try and do a crash course somehow – hopefully there’s a Portugese tourist language course somewhere, so if you know let me know!! As for food do you know if the food in Portugal will be very different to Brazil??? All new to me!
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I’ve always wanted to try this restaurant so now I really have to try it. Sounds like a fun class, too.
Hey Michael. The best way to learn a new language is to learn it in a natural way. The waiter speaking fluent Portuguese helps a lot. And with the food there I bet it was an enjoyable experience. As long as you are having fun while learning, you won’t see it as a chore and you can easily dedicate a lot of time to it.
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That is so true, Alice!
It does not only look mouth watering, but cachaça has a great taste. It is one of the most outstanding Brazilian liquor. There’s no doubt about that. Everyone should try it.
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I tried eating Brazilian food and it is very different from what we usually eat everyday. I just hope I can also learn how to cook Brazilian foods. I am sure this Restaurant is often visited by tourists who are going to this place.
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