What this blog is about.

Finding excellent food and service is often a challenge anywhere. So much can go wrong. Whether it be the food, service, atmosphere or price. I admit, I am a food snob. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy simple meals as well as those I expect to pay top dollar for. However, I believe one should get what one pays for. I hope to be able to guide you to the best places to eat in the shoreline area.

I have found that the biggest challenge in running a successful restaurant is consistency. And, I recognize that all places can have an off day, Therefore, should I end up trashing a local eatery, I will extend a second chance experience. However, I think it is important to be honest with you about my experiences. It is not my intention to close local business. Hopefully, they will receive my reviews as creative criticism.



Please contact me via email with your comments, questions, and restaurant review suggestions. davidkosky@hotmail.com.



Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Rio Cafe - Old Saybrook

The Rio Cafe
American\ Brazilian Food
162 Main Street
Old Saybrook, CT. 06475
(860) 388-9706

Hours:
Tues - Sun: 
7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Price Guide - $$

The Rio Cafe has become a new hot spot for Main Street Old Saybrook. It has attracted many new customers for its unique breakfast and lunch menu. However, many American diners tend to stay away from ethnic food that they have little or no experience with. But fear not. Rio's menu offers plenty of traditional American fare as well as Italian and Brazilian staples.

With my two guests, we went for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Once again I have to start this review with a disclaimer. My wife is Brazilian, and, yes, we know the owners. Luckily, I had already eaten here many times and knew how to approach their unique offerings. Plus, my wife and her mother have educated me about Brazilian food and have taught me how to cook it as well. Unlike many other Brazilian restaurants, such as a couple I have been to in Bridgeport and in Framingham, Massachusetts, Rio offers much more than just a buffet style service.

Throughout the breakfast and sandwich menu you will find the expected meals. But they do have some interesting Brazilian dishes. On the breakfast menu is the Acai Bowl. It is made from the Acai berry from Brazil and is extremely healthy. This puree is then combined with bananas, strawberries and granola. But, it is not sickly sweet. You could say it is in kind to raspberries but not as tart.

On the sandwich menu you will find two sandwiches with Brazilian names. The Cheese Picanaha and the Cheese Frango. The first is beef and Picanaha means "from the rump of the cow". The second is chicken and Frango means, yes, chicken. But it also means, in soccer vernacular, "easy goal". Also for lunch is the Brazilian Style Buffet. Here they offer several styles of salads and fruits as well as two to three different hot entrees.


In order it give you a good representation of their lunch, we ordered many things. First, we sampled three sandwiches. The first was a special order that my wife would have in Brazil. Basically, it was a simple egg and cheese sandwich with tomato, lettuce and mayo on a nice bulky bun. This is a very traditional sandwich in Brazil.



I ordered two additional sandwiches. The first, a Margahrita Panini. This was an all vegetable sandwich with roasted red peppers, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and olive oil and balsamic. All the ingredients were extremely fresh. A great summer time lunch. $7.95

Margahrita Panini



The second sandwich was the Grilled Pastrami and Swiss on Rye with spicy Mustard. The pastrami was very lean, not over cooked and melted in my mouth. They also have the Ruben. I highly recommend either. $8.95

Grilled Pastrami and Swiss on Rye


My second guest and I both helped ourselves to the buffet. As usual, everything was fresh. A staple to the buffet is the Salpicao. Pronounced: sow-pee-cow, but soft on the "w". Don't say cow as we know it. More like co-oh. This side dish is great. It is made with shredded chicken, raisins, shredded carrots, mayo and potato sticks. If you are scared to make it, order it to go for your next cookout. People will ask about it.

We also each had the two lunch entrees. Short ribs with mandioca. Mandioca is like a root or yucca which has the texture of a potato but is sweeter; more like a yam. The meat was tender and swam in a wonderful juice. It was great over white rice. The second entree was a Brazilian staple which I am sure you have heard of; Feijoada. fez-wa-da. This is an interesting dish. It is comprised of both pork and beef and cooked with black beans and spices. You may want to sample a small serving first. It can be pretty strong. Buffet, $6.95 lb or $8.95lb for just meat.

Feijoada



For dessert, yes, I still had some room left, I had a slice of the Flan. I love flan. Brazilians call it pudding, pronounced, pud-ging. Awesome.



Rio also has a nice selection of, from Brazil, Brazilian drinks. They range from several juices to a nice, but different, Brazilian soda, which is what I had because I have had it before and enjoy it.  They also have Coke products.



Rio is a great experience and the menu is diverse enough to make anyone happy. They also have outdoor seating to enjoy the sunshine and foot traffic of Main Street. You can find Rio on Facebook to see more pictures of their food.

Recommendation: Go!


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