Profile

The focus in this regional Brazilian restaurant is on presentation (clean, appetizing) and atmosphere (cool, downtown); the white-walled, minimally decorated space is in stark contrast to the stuffed-parrot faux-carnaval ambience of midtown's Little Brazil. As elsewhere, the feijoada arrives in multiple parts requiring assembly: a cast-iron pot of soupy black beans studded with pork ribs, sausages, bacon, beef chuck, and dried beef, and a platter overflowing with orange segments, white rice, garlicky collard greens, and farofa (crumby cassava meal). Spoon the stew over the rice, add the garnishes, and finish with farofa and hot chili oil. Despite the heaviness of the dish, the whole production manages to retain a fresh, lively—dare one say healthy—flavor. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Seafood in coconut milk, $20.95; feijoada, $23.95