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Named for the desperately poor shantytowns that exist on the fringes of both Brazilian cities and Brazilian law, Miss Favela suggests less an urban ghetto than a relatively well-to-do village eatery/bar on the edge of a jungle. It's got a corrugated-steel wall in cheery yellow and green, chipped-paint metal chairs and tables that seem to ooze outdoors, and compellingly energetic Brazilian dance music. But here’s one clue you're not by the Amazon: The constant whirr of cars streaming over the Williamsburg Bridge almost directly overhead. The menu is all Brazilian, with appetizers like carne seca come mandloca, chewy and flavorful Brazilian-style beef jerky with fried yucca and onions—though it tastes nothing like a Slim Jim. The signature dish may be the moqueca de peix e pirao, a rich, saffron-colored fish stew that's almost too pretty to eat. It's served with garlicky rice and pirao, a delicious chutney-like paste of fish fat, yucca flour and spices. The Brazilian drink menu includes a coconut-cachaca cocktail, topped with a snow-mound of sweetened shredded coconut. — Michael Y. Park

Moqueca de peix e pirao, $20; carne seca come mandloca, $10