Well, I have two more posts I can do thanks to my internet being "busy" for the last week. I guess I'll space them out since none of us is eating out in the near future and some of these places may not be back once we are. I tried this Brazilian place on "central" I Drive (kind of across from the side exit of the McDonald's on Sand Lake) two Tuesdays ago at lunch. I thought it was going to be a cheap Italian place (by the looks of it). It's a chain from Brazil. They have a dozen or so around Rio and one in Kissimmee. This one seems like one of the "fancier" ones. They have enlarged photos of some of the locations inside. It's a huge, square space. A patio. A bar area. A private room. A dining area broken into two sections. An open kitchen in the left rear. It must seat one hundred and fifty or more. There were only four or five tables seated. Most seemed Brazilian. I had a lunch special for $15. It was called Picadinho de Picanha. If I can recall, it was rump cap beef chunks and vegetables (This was a lower priced one. They had a more expensive one with a better cut of meat) in a stew that had Madeira and something else in it. Faro and beans came on the side and I think you are supposed to mix them in. I mixed in the faro. It also came with a side of white rice. It (the stew) was very savory. The faro (corn meal) thickened it up. It wasn't necessary though. The portion was huge. Lots of meat. The beans were a bit bland. It was fairly priced. Which I can't say for the rest of the menu. Almost everything except this lunch specials were twice the price. Only two apps were under double digits. And the meals didn't seem very elaborate. Maybe they are family size. But, I've seen quite a few Brazilian places that charge like this. No wonder they are always broke. It's a big menu. Probably sixty or so dishes. They also serve alcohol. There is a sign that said they have been there since 2001. Must have been a really non-descript building. They re-modeled last year. That is how I became aware of them. They had been on the hit list for a year. I'm glad I finally pulled the trigger. I really wasn't in the mood for Italian anyway. The décor is gray, white, black and wood. I'm seeing this color scheme repeated a lot this year. Is this the trend or have they used the same interior design firm? The service was good. They make them wear a uniform. It's not a world beater or the only game in town, but, they do a perfectly adequate job of giving you a Brazilian experience. A bit overpriced in my opinion. Let's hope that Brazilians don't think of them as their Applebeee's. How embarrassing for me if they do. A "boteco" is a little restaurant in Portuguese. So I'ms told (Caddyshack reference). You can take it or leave it. There are so many Brazilian options that you can be choosey.
*There is a sports bar across the street that was a Greek place recently. It looked deserted. I was going to try and get a to go order put in. It seemed like they weren't open for lunch. But, I think they are.
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