Arriving to Rio – my free weekend was starting, yeah!!!
After a loooooooooooong day (We have been flying the whole day, wow!) we finally arrived to
The hotel is just 2 blocks away from the beach and because it was Ipanema and
I went downstairs and the guy who helped me with the check in was gone, mmm.
I asked Tiago for some recommendations. What kind of food was I looking for? Well, we were in
We went back to the hotel with the transfer service offered by the restaurant.
When we arrived Tiago was already gone.
Anyway, I accepted the tour idea and asked for a wake up call. The tour would departure early next morning!
Yeah!!!!
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You arrive to the place, take a sit at a table and the waiter will come. You pay a fix amount for all you can eat, including the appetizers, meat, salad and sides. Just the beverages and desserts are not included.
The waiter will offer you the appetizers. You don't have to pay extra for the huge grilled Shrimps, Empanadas, etc.
There is a big salad bar and you can pick whatever you want. At the salad bar you would also find sushi and sashimi!
Regarding the sides, your options are: french fries, baked bananas, Brazilian beans, rice, etc.
But the big star is the meat! These restaurants are specialized in bbq. They serve beef, chicken, lamb, pork, sausages, etc. They offer the following cuts: Picanha (rump steak marinated with salt), Alcatra (top sirloin), Fraidinha (bottom sirloin), Lombo (pork loin), Costela de Pork (pork ribs), Frango (chicken breasts wrapped in bacon), Linguica (Brazilian sausage), Coracao de Galinha (chicken hearts), Filet Mignon (tenderloin), Cordeiro (young leg of lamb).
How they serve them is the big attraction. The waiters come to your table holding swords with the different cuts of meat. There is a card on your table. One side is red and the other is green. When you are showing the green side, the waiters will keep on coming with meat. If you are showing the red, they won't come anymore.
I know it's difficult, but try to save some space for the delicious desserts.
I have to say these places are not cheap, but they are worth. I say it, and I'm not a big meat lover. But I have to make an exception ;)
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Churrasqueria? Sushi? Vegetarian? Barra Brasa is difficult to categorize since it has everything. First of all it's famous because of the churrasqueria. The meats that circulate through the large dining area on gigantic skewers are delicious and there are so many different cuts of beef, lamb, chicken and sausage - including the best argentinian beef . Side dishes include fried plantains, rice, potatoes and farofa (Brazilian beans).
On the other hand, this place could be great for vegetarians because it has an enormous salad bar. It includes all the usual salad fixings plus herrings, quail eggs, smoked salmon, shrimp and marinated vegetables.
You can fill up as many times as you wish. A sushi selection is part of the salad bar, while oysters on the half-shell and other shellfish are served at the table.
As I said before, the price is not cheap, but the food is so good that is a real delight to eat there. I was forgetting about the lobster, huge shrimps and caviar they offer too. Anyway, this place is worthy going. There are 2 Barra Brasa's. One located in Barra and one in Leblon. I went to Leblon's one which is located right in front of the most recently built and elegant Shopping Leblon.
The staff is really friendly and they also offer free transfer from and to your hotel.
-It's the main airport in Rio de Janeiro, receiving people from 18 different countries. So expect a busy airport. But I didn't have problems with security. It was easy and quick.
-It's located 20km (13 miles) north of Rio, which is not so far, but the traffic gets crazy, so better leave early in order to arrive there on time.
-It has 2 terminals that are linked by a "travelator".
-There are buses which could drive you to the city, but the best would be take a cab. If you take one from the airport it'd be expensive. Better ask a friend or the hotel to send you one.
-You can exchange money here, in order to get the local currency. But I recommend to exchange just the necessary. You'll get a better rate in the exchange houses.
-There are restaurants in Terminal 1 and a wide variety of restaurants, bars and cafés in the central commercial area in Terminal 2.
-Rio is well known as a Shopping destination and the airport is not the exception. But be aware that as in any airport, things are more expensive here. But you can find good deals.
-When you arrive or leave with your bags, men will approach you to help with the luggage expecting a good tip.
-They have lockers to storage luggage, but they are small.
-A while ago, we (Peruvians) should fly through Sao Paulo to get to Rio, but now there are direct flights from LIM-GIG, yay!
-Have your Yellow Fever Certificate close to you.
-Oh well, and you are in Brazil, people are friendly.
