Praised by the Boston Globe for its "marvelous, distinctive food," Muqueca serves traditional Brazilian cuisine, with a focus on seafood. As many popular Brazilian restaurants in the States specialize in steak and beef dishes, it's easy to forget the country's enormous coastline and seafood cuisine. Muqueca offers dishes like the whole, deep-fried red snapper or interpretation of the traditional Brazilian national dish, feijoada. It combines black beans, pork, sausage, bacon and dried beef. Enjoy your meal with sides of shredded plantains, oranges and collard greens and a bed of well-seasoned white rice. While Muqueca pays tribute to the traditional Brazilian favorites, the menu's focus is on the cuisine of the Espirito Santo region, using much cilantro, annatto seeds and olive oil to season its fish and seafood dishes.
If you're hankering for meat, served Brazilian style, head to Cambridge's Midwest Grill Restaurant. The house specialty is called "churrasco rodizio," which roughly translates to a rotating barbecue. Diners enjoy seven different kinds of meats, all barbecued on enormous mechanical spits. The kitchen is open, so you can see the "rodizio" in action. At the table, servers hold a single spit aloft, and slice ribbons of meat from it, directly on to your plate. Should you prefer the traditional skewer-style meats, Midwest Grill can accommodate, serving up either beef or pork "churrascos." While the barbecued meats are the main focus of the menu, there are a handful of alternatives, including pork spare ribs, chicken and spicy linguica sausages. Side dishes include feijao, white rice, salad and feijao tropeiro, a variation on the black bean dish that includes bacon, egg, onion, parsley and ground cassava.
If you're in the mood for something lighter, but still authentically Brazilian, head to Cambridge's Cafe Casal. The establishment is primarily a bakery, though you can also settle in to enjoy traditional fare. The pao de queijo -- a soft, cheesy bread -- pairs well with a cup of the customarily strong coffee, drawing many of the die-hard patrons. While the place was closed for much of 2009, it reopened its doors in late 2010, a welcome addition to Inman Square's patchwork of small, independently-owned Brazilian eateries and shops.
