Adegão Português

Adegão Português, a Portuguese restaurant on Rio's North Side, has remained faithful to the standards of Portuguese heritage in the city's culinary. Lavish portions, plenty of codfish-based recipes prepared with prime olive oil, and the best of Portuguese convent sweets for dessert are some of the reasons to visit the down-to-earth restaurant opened in the 1960s.

An upscale branch of the restaurant was opened more recently at Rio Design Barra.

Bacalhau à lagareira is one of the restaurant's top hits. In this recipe, breaded codfish fillets are breaded, fried, then baked with garlic, potatoes and broccoli.

Before the entrée, have some bolinhos de bacalhau, or fried codfish cakes.

Adegão Português also excels in cozido à portuguesa, or Portuguese stew, a tour de force which takes various meat cuts, paio (Portuguese sausage) and an abundance of vegetables. The dish is served at lunch only on Wednesday and Sunday; it costs R$85 (check daily US dollar real exchange rates), but it serves two hearty eaters well.

To stay on the original theme throughout the meal, you can choose from a good selection of Portuguese wines and close with a dessert created in Portuguese convents of the 16th century, such as barriga de freira, a sweet which takes syrup and almonds.

Adegão Português is next to Feira de São Cristóvão, or Centro Luiz Gonzaga de Tradições Nordestinas. This center is named for Luiz Gonzaga (1912-1989), the king of baião (a Northeastern rhythm). With over 700 permanent stalls and shows which highlight the food and culture of Northeastern Brazil, the center is located where migrants arrived in Rio as from the 1940s. All the stalls are open Fri-Sun; some are open Tue-Thur.

The top attraction in the São Cristóvão district is the National Museum at Quinta da Boa Vista, the largest natural and anthropological history museum in Latin America.

Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun 11 a.m - 8 p.m.