Tony, Wilfrid: As of last Spring, Marius in Leme was still about the best place to go "eat meat", as our Carioca cousins call it. There will be tourists there, but all the locals go there as well. For a beer-&-munchie hangout, I recommend Sindicato do Chop, on a corner across the street from Copacabana. It will be full of tourists during the day, all choosing whatever looks "safe" from the long menu. It's much more fun to go at night, preferably with a group of people so you can select more items. Ask a local person to point out the more interesting things on the menu. Wash it all down with chop, the local draft beer. Further afield, across the bridge in Niteroi (sp?) there is a dingy steamy upstairs hole-in-the-wall which no tourist would ever try. Our cousins took us there and before long we were sitting behind piles of plates, among which were the best fried sardines we'd ever tasted. Alas, not enough time to contact them and ask the name, but if you ask around, someone may know. As for the feijoada, no trip is complete without it. It's by far the best in someone's home, on a Sunday afternoon, followed by a siesta. See if you can snag an invitation. And finally, drink the caipirinha (and learn how to make it)! Treat it with respect: it's not the limeade you remember from childhood, but on the other hand, it's not hard to drink the Brazilians under the table. My husband and I do it regularly! --Joyce, of the Yahoo Ruffians
