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Restaurants

Among the peculiarities of local cuisine, visitors find the most amazing habit of christening dishes after the names of Ambassadors. Two among the most eloquent examples are “the Osvaldo Aranha filet” and the “Leão Veloso soap”. This is an adaptation of the bouillabaisse from Marseille, a soup with a strengthening effect, which was created by Ambassador Leão Veloso for the Rio Minho restaurant, one of the oldest in town – open since 1884.

According to Frommers:

Cariocas love to eat out. Better yet, they love to linger over their meals. A waiter in Rio would never dream of coming by to ask you to "settle up" so they can go off shift. For Brazilians, that would be the height of bad manners. So take your time. Dawdle. Savor. Enjoy.

Rio offers an endless variety of places to eat. There are the chopperias, the place for cold beer and casual munchies. Slightly larger, slightly more upscale are the botequins, many of which are open to the early hours of the morning. There are hundreds of food kiosks, each with its own specialty, be it barbecued prawns, Bahian finger food, or vegetarian sandwiches. And on top of all that, there's a wide variety of restaurants in all neighborhoods, ranging from inexpensive to very expensive, from simple sandwiches to delicious steaks, from firm fresh sushi to the complicated stews and sauces of Brazil's Northeast. There's no excuse for going hungry in Rio.

Portions often serve two people, especially in more casual restaurants. Always ask when in doubt or you may well end up with an extraordinary amount of food. In Portuguese ask, "Serve para dois?" (pronounced sir-vay p'ra doysh -- "does it serve two?").

Brazilian food is hard to define, but what we consider the generic Brazilian menu comes close to what some restaurants label as international cuisine: pasta, seafood, beef, and chicken. Except in Brazil, these are served with a local or regional twist. The pasta may be stuffed with catupiry cheese and abóbora (a kind of pumpkin), the chicken could have maracujá (passion fruit) sauce. Brazilian beef is made from cows just like in the rest of the world, but in Brazil the cows are open range and grass-fed, making for a very lean beef which comes in uniquely Brazilian cuts such as picanha (tender rump steak), fraldinha (bottom sirloin), or alcatra (top sirloin). And of course, for side dishes no Brazilian meal is complete without farofa and rice or black beans.

Most restaurants are open from around 11am until 4pm and then again from 7pm until midnight or later. However, there are also quite a few establishments that will stay open all day, especially on the weekends when people leave the beach at 4pm to go eat lunch. Sunday is often the busiest day for lunch as extended families get together for a meal. Because Sunday lunch is so busy many restaurants close Sunday evening.

The main exception on the hours mentioned above is in Rio's downtown. The restaurants in Centro cater primarily to the business and office crowd, and only a few of them are open in the evening or on Saturday or Sunday.

These days you will find more and more kilo (quilo in Portuguese) restaurants. The food is laid out in a large buffet, and at the better ones there's a chef behind a grill at the back whipping up freshly cooked steaks, chicken, sausage, or what have you. Kilos aren't all you can eat. Rather, you pay by weight (but the quality is much better than at American lunch buffets). If you're not familiar with Brazilian food, it's a great way to see all the dishes laid out in front of you; you can try as little or as much as you like. Even better, there are often a variety of salads and vegetables, which are oftentimes hard to come by in Brazil. The system works as follows: When you enter the restaurant, you're given a piece of paper on which all your orders are recorded. Don't lose this slip or you'll have to pay a ridiculously high penalty. You grab a plate, wander by the buffet and grill, filling up on whatever catches your eye (all items have the same per-kg cost, which is usually advertised both outside and inside the restaurant), and then take the plate to the scale to be weighed. The weigher records the charges on your bill, after which you find a table. Normally a waiter will then come by and take your drink order, adding these charges to your tally. On your way out the cashier sums it all up.

Tip: Small cups of strong dark coffee (called cafezinhos) are usually served free on the way out. Look for a thermos and a stack of little plastic cups by the cashier or doorway.

Don't Shy Away from Street Food
When it comes to street vendors and food, you read a lot of strange things in travel guides. Never eat meat. Don't touch fruit. Don't eat anything at all. Only drinks. In cans. Insist on ice cubes made from bottled water. Sheesh!

Rio is not Rangoon, nor the fetid fever swamps of 19th-century Benin. Yes, tap water is best avoided. It won't kill you; it's just so chlorine-saturated that it tastes like eau de swimming pool. Some of the best meals I've had in Brazil have been purchased from a street vendor. One night in Rio, on the Rua Ouvidor, we came across a man and his charcoal brazier, selling skewers of fresh-grilled prawns, lightly salted and doused with lemon. We bought two skewers, which lasted about 40 seconds...so we went back for four more...and then another four. The moral? Eating from street vendors is fine, as long as you take precautions. Does the vendor look clean and healthy? Is the food stored in a cooler? Are Brazilians queuing up? If so, odds are the food's good, and whatever supplies he has in his cooler haven't been hanging around long enough to go bad. So eat, enjoy, and don't have a cow. Or rather, do, if that's what they're selling.

Rio's Avenida Gourmet
We could probably fill half the Rio section with reviews of restaurants on the Rua Dias Ferreira, but then you'd miss out on all kinds of other fabulous neighborhoods and dining options. However, this windy street on the far edge of Leblon is worth a visit as it is quickly emerging as Rio's main gourmet avenida. One could live on salad alone at O Celeiro (Rua Dias Ferreira 199, tel. 021/2274-7843). You pay by the weight so help yourself to the delicious buffet to try a variety of salads and grab a spot on the large patio. New kid on the block Zuka (Rua Dias Ferreira 233, tel. 021/3205-7154) may look like just another funky lounge but actually packs quite a punch. Working on a charcoal grill, Chef Felipe Bronze (who also consults for Sushi Leblon across the street) does up inventive dishes, including a delicious grilled lamb with cardamon. Across the street you'll find Carlota (Rua Dias Ferreira 64, tel. 021/2540-6821), chosen by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the 50 most exciting restaurants in the world. Chef Carlota opened this Rio restaurant after her original São Paulo digs became the toast of the town. As in the original, her Rio dishes are fresh and creative. Further down on the corner of Rua Rainha Guilermina is the sushi hot spot of the city, Sushi Leblon (Rua Dias Ferreira 256, tel. 021/2512-7830). On Thursday through Saturday evenings the lines can be long, but most people don't seem to mind the wait. If you're up on who's who in the Brazilian entertainment world, you can pass the time spotting artists, models, and actresses. If a smaller and intimate sushi venue is more your style, check out Mirai (Rua Dias Ferreira 116, tel. 021/2511-1476). This very stylish hole in the wall seats no more than 30, making it the perfect place for an intimate romantic evening. The menu is quite varied -- try the slightly deep-fried tuna roll with a honey-sweetened soy sauce for dipping or the tempura prawn roll with smoked salmon.

You Say Farofa, I Say...Blech

Shawn says: I never got farofa. What I mean is, I got it with every meal. Really, what is the point? Farofa (flour taken from ground manioc root, then baked with oil) has the dry, crumbly consistency of sawdust -- and not coincidentally, that's what it tastes like. Brazilians painstakingly disguise the flavor, sometimes with raisins and dried fruit, but the end result tastes like...sawdust with raisins or dried fruit. Eating it made sense in the days when Brazilians lived in peasant huts; farofa was the sole source of carbohydrates. Like potatoes for the Irish, farofa kept you going. But Brazilian cooking now incorporates lots of carbs -- like rice. Potatoes. French fries. Sometimes all three at once. But no matter how many starches are piled on your plate, farofa will be there to top it off. Because you can never get enough carbohydrates.

Alexandra says: Farofa -- what's not to like? The coarsely roasted flour of the manioc root is the perfect companion to a Brazilian meal. Served plain, farofa's nutty flavor stands up, while allowing it to soak up the juices on your plate only enhances its flavor. What makes it really delicious are the additions and modifications of each cook. Every Brazilian has his or her favorite farofa recipe. My mother makes the best sweet farofa with bananas and raisins; it tastes as delightful as some of the best stuffings I've had. Other cooks prefer a savory version, adding spicy chorizo sausage, olives, or bacon. A feijoada is just not the same without farofa. Next time skip those greasy french fries and add some farofa to your plate. Bon appetit!

Links & Sources

• Brazilian Tourist Portal
• Frommers