Boteco

A "boteca" is a neighborhood bar, the kind you go to where you don't necessarily want everyone to know your name, but where you do want the bartenders to know your fave brand of beer. At Boteca, you get the familiarity of being a regular even if you're a newcomer. Sit inside, where there's usually some kind of live entertainment--a dancehall band, conga lines, carnival queens doing samba steps, even karaoke--or outside on rustic chairs and benches. Either way, the experience is the same: a packed house of ex-pats mulling over the results of the latest football matches as they much on moqueca, mahi-mahi and shrimp cooked with bell and sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes, dend� oil and coconout milk--or picanha fatiada na chapa, grilled sirloin with a side of fried yuca. Caipirinhas (made with cachaca) and caipiroskas (made with vodka) come traditional (lime and sugar) or with fruit (strawberry's the best). Just beware if a big game's going on--you might not be able to squeeze your way in.