Turistas chatos

"Turistas chatos” means “annoying tourists” in Brazil. Yes on my list of place to go. This week was the finale of carnival and for those who did not get to be part of the taste and fun of it here's some local news to bud that tastebud.

The caipirinha, a cocktail of muddled lime, sugar, ice and the sugar cane liquor known as cachaça, has become a global bar standard. Try it on its home turf, at the Academia da Cachaça (Rua Conde Bernadotte 26; 55-21-2529-2680: http://www.academiadacachaca.com.br/) in the upscale neighborhood of Leblon. You can choose among hundreds of artisanal brands, including Lua Cheia, a fruity, intense cachaça aged for two years (4.20 reais). After a couple of caipirinhas, you might want to turn to the place's Brazilian dinner menu; an escondidinho (16.80 reais), a traditional dish of dried beef served under cheesy mashed yuca, makes for a good appetizer if you cannot wait for dinner.

~All-you-can-eat churrascarias, or steakhouses, are a dime a dozen, but lighter alternatives also appeal to the bikini-clad set, for obvious reasons. Doce Delícia (Rua Dias Ferreira 48; 55-21-2249-2970), a colorful and modern restaurant in Leblon (with another branch in Ipanema, at Rua Anibal de Mendonca 55) serves dishes like salmon in soy and ginger sauce (29.50 reais), design-your-own salads (15.50 reais with ingredients like palm hearts and papaya) and tempting desserts like a chocolate mousse cake (7 reais).

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