Tim Love Cooked At Lollapalooza Brazil. And Now We Are All Jealous.
Chefs love to travel — for inspiration, to experience the cuisines of other cultures or just to get away from the heat of their own kitchens. When they return, we hit them with some questions — where'd they stay, what'd they do and WHAT DID THEY EAT?
Tim Love opened his first restaurant (The Lonesome Dove) in Fort Worth, Texas in 2000 and has since grown into a sort of grilled meats guru, frequently appearing on television and in print to instill his wisdom. He's also one hell of a music fan, which took him to São Paulo, where he cooked as part of Lollapalooza Brazil in late March. Here we spoke to him about seeing Pearl Jam and dining under a 10,000 square foot fig tree.
What was the main purpose of your trip?
Lollapalooza Brazil was a weekend-long music festival that took place in São Paulo, Brazil. I went to cook some food, have some fun and hear some killer music.
What was the highlight?
The highlight was definitely when the moon rose from behind the stage during Pearl Jam. Seeing Pearl Jam was a highlight already since I am huge fan but having the moon rise over the stage was just icing on a pretty bad-ass cake.
Lowlight?
Portuguese is a very tough language, which made it hard to communicate. Even that wasn't that bad though. There weren't many lowlights; it was an awesome trip.
What airline(s) did you fly and how was it?
I flew American Airlines. Although the flight was fine and on time, I was disappointed that I didn't get to fly on the new 777-300.
Where'd you stay, what's your mini-review of the place?
I stayed at the Grand Hyatt. The rooms were great and the room service food was above average. The pool was fine, but cocktail service was almost nonexistent — even though we had a server and there was a full bar outside. It took 30 minutes for two drinks and a bucket of beer. The concierge, however, was very helpful.
OK, they party in Brazil. No doubt. Did you party in Brazil?
Of course we had some tremendous times. A stand-out was when my friend and I walked up and down the streets of the shopping district, drinking Dom and buying up lots of shoes and great stuff for our wives and kids. I don't think I need another caipirinha for a while as I drank them as fast as they could pour them!
What was your best meal on the trip?
I had two real stand-out dining experiences. At Figueira Rubaiyat we dined under a 10,000-square-foot fig tree and I had an awesome Kobe. At 'GERO I had some of the best classic Northern Italian I've had in a while. The artichoke carpaccio was stupid good!
What bands did you see? Highlights?
I saw a bunch! Highlights included Foals, The Killers, Nas, The Black Keys and Pearl Jam. Deadmau5 was the sleeper surprise for me. The light show was amazing!
Who else was cooking there? Who did you hang out with?
I hung out with some great people. Mostly my friend Charlie Jones (a partner at C3) and Josh Hopkins.
When thinking about the "flavors" of Brazil, what sticks out?
There are a lot of great flavors in Brazil but I have to say they love sugar, especially in their cocktails. I found some great Italian food and some tremendous sushi.