Handy Travel Hints: Eating in Rio--YUM!

Restaurants



	Brazilian cuisine specializes in meats and the restaurateurs in Rio do it well. You simply must not leave Rio without visiting at least one churrascaria. At these all-you-can eat Brazilian barbeques, waiters are constantly circling the restaurant with the latest tasty meat fresh out of the oven. Using a little card (that looks like a trivet) you silently indicate if you are ready for more food--which is useful because your mouth will be pre-occupied savoring the flavor of the previous rounds of meat.

	Restaurant recommendations: Our favorite churrascaria is Porcão, which literally means "Fat Pig." There are many locations throughout Rio De Janeiro, including one in Ipanema (021-2522-0999, though they do not accept reservations). Zazá Bistro Tropical (021-2512-8436) in Ipanema is trendy and good. The food is best categorized as Asian fusion with some Latin-American flavor mixed in. The Garota De Ipanema, translated "the Girl From Ipanema" is apparently the location that Vinicius de Morais and Tom Jobim wrote the famous song. Of course, the restaurant is now a tourist trap and the food overpriced (comparatively), but we actually loved the scene AND the food, and so it makes our list of recommendations. Don't forget the drinks! The Brazilian national drink is the "Caipirinha", made with cachaça, lime, and sugar cane. Although it's starting to gain popularity in the US and Europe, it's still done best in Rio. Be sure to try at least one in a bar or even on the beach. If you're not in the mood for alcohol on the beach, try a coconut--they'll open a cold, fresh one right in front of you.
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