Pocket watch: Empanadas, fusion and familiar, star at Pico Bistro
“OK, let me see the wine list,” my dining companion said, relenting and smiling.
He hadn’t planned on it. He had places to be. So did I actually — and it had already been a jam-packed day before I settled into my seat at Winter Garden’s Pico Bistro — but a glass of red was definitely in my plans. I didn’t care if I’d be imbibing alone.
Once I settled on a blend that turned out to be quite delicious, he caved.
It was a good thing, though, a little vinho to sink into the café’s easy Brazilian vibe.
A few doors down, Pinotti’s Pizza offers it up on pies piled high with myriad toppings, sweet and savory.
Pico Bistro’s jam, however, is pastéis — Brazilian empanadas — more than 20 varieties, also sweet and savory. Some ring traditional — meat and cheese combos most would find familiar. Others fuse the owners’ original home with that of their adopted one.
Caricocas Romulo and Giselle Costa came to the States in 2017, but they were restaurant industry vets when they arrived. Pico Bistro is a 2.0 of sorts. Romulo’s parents opened Bar do Adão as a small, family pub decades ago in Rio. In the time since, it’s grown into one of the city’s most popular venues — 17 in total.
“Romu’s father was doing the drinks. His mom did empanadas. The kids — three brothers — were teenagers at the time, and they helped,” says Luisa Acosta, Pico Bistro’s marketing director.
The first one caught fire — literally. Insurance money funded a do-over. For this one, the fire was figurative.
“It was a big hit,” says Acosta. “When Romu’s mother started to cook the pastéis in the bar, she did the regular flavors but also filled them with whatever she had, and people loved
it. Everyone came. And now everyone in Brazil does the same thing!”
A vegan offering — shiitake with hearts of palm — was the first we sampled, and it was delicious, an amalgam of earthy mushroom chew alongside the nutty creaminess of this very Brazilian ingredient — but one flaky pocket on the “specials” section was a showstopper.
“Ohhhhh,” my friend said — sighed, really — upon tasting the duck, brie and fig empanada. “I don’t think any of them are going to be better than that.”
Indeed, it was special (And juicy. Be careful tearing or biting, these come out of the fryer hot!). Flavorful and shredded with umami that melds beautifully with buttery brie and a hint of figgy sweetness, all encased in a crust that’s equal parts delicate and decadent.
We shared all the offerings — this way we could sample more — but notable is a Wednesday special that sees more than a few of the empanadas on a Publixstyle BOGO that’s dine-in only.
The atmosphere here is cozy, clean and comfortable — stenciled signs and such offer country-esque touches — and a departure from Pico Bistro’s Clermont outpost located inside the Montrose Street Market. There, you’ll find a smaller menu — empanadas and a few other fried goodies — but the same lusciously stuffed pockets alongside offerings from other vendors.
Try the Brazilian-infused shrimp with Catupiry cheese and leek — creamy and luscious. American offerings include Buffalo chicken and blue cheese or bacon mac. For dessert, the banana with cheese and cinnamon parodies a pie you’ll find at most Brazilian pizzerias. It’s more successful as a pastel, I think, where its gossamer shell enrobes a salty-sweet treat that
doesn’t overwhelm.
Pico’s Winter Garden venue expanded its menu some time ago, offering appetizers, entrees and specials along with the empanadas.
The octopus app, a ceviche-like salad with toast rounds was on a test run. It proved a cool pleaser we grazed upon alongside the hotter offerings that came later.
Pico fries — thickcut, truffled wedges topped with Romano and prosciutto with a creamy soft egg on top — are a hefty app for larger parties to share and smaller ones to tread lightly around, lest you lose room for all the fun sampling to come.
It’s going to be hard to
stray from the hit list when I return (and I plan to). Next time I’ll have to bring more friends.
If you go: 1201 Winter Garden-Vineland Road in Winter Garden, 407-395-9012 or inside the Montrose Street Market, 793 W. Montrose St. in Clermont, 321-315-9197; picobistro.com
Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@ orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group or follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.