132 Ferry Street
Newark, NJ 07105
(973) 465-1227
The Ironbound section in Newark has been on our radar for quite a while, but we typically end up here when there is a family function to attend. We'd usually end up at the same Portugese restaurant which serves the same underseasoned meats and seafood.
This time aroud, DJKung and I have been on a hunt for a down home por quilo joint, similar to the places we've tried in Fortaleza and Salvador. The Brazilian por quilo is similar in concept to the many American-Chinese-Italian-sushi smorgasboard that you get around here. The selection is usually skimpier, however, the dishes are much tastier and the barbeque is more sublime. The first por quilo joint we had tried out was literally smoking from all the grilling that was going on, and you can smell that they have perfected their own style of barbeque. That is the kind of place that we are in the hunt for.
The first time we visited Brasilia was on a rather late Saturday evening. The restaurant was already pretty quiet. We sat by their bar and perused the blackboard specials, which seemed reasonable.
Can't go wrong with some guarana. DJKung lived on this stuff on our Brazilian trip a few years back. Guarana is an indigenous fruit that looks like eyeballs. DJKung swears that this drink makes his *boys* tingle. No seriously, he gets very perky and animated after this drink. It does have some natural stimulant properties (see Red Bull ingredients list).
I decided to get the fish, and DJKung got the bean stew special. Both were just plain good, no-frills homestyle food. They were about $7 each, and we had plenty of leftovers.
Fish special. This is a saute of bacalao (salt cod), onions, potatoes and olives. It was prepared on the dry side, and went very well with the rice.
Feijoada. This is perhaps one of most popular dishes in Brazil. It is a stew of black beans and a hodgepodge of meats, simmered for a long time till the meat is fall-off-the bone tender. Served with greens and rice.
We liked Brasilia that we came back a few days later, this time with DJKung's pops. We grabbed a table this time. (You can only get the daily specials if you sit at the bar).
DJKung opted for the barbeque special. DJKung's pops and I gravitated towards the buffet. At first glance, the selection looked rather paltry. In truth, this was not such a big deal with the por quilo places we have tried in the past, because the food had been phenomenal. In any event, Brasilia had your typical cold items. The warm items included some tough-looking short ribs, fried fish, yellow and white rice, eggplant parmesan and pureed squash.
Superfatty's first course from the cold buffet. Clockwise from top: mystery dish (shredded chicken?), boiled carrot and steamed asparagus, some lettuce, shedded cabbage salad, tomato and olives, some white cheese. They were ok, nothin' to write home about.
DJKung's barbeque special. This came with sausage, chicken, pork loin, a small piece of steak and several sweet fried bananas. Served with white rice and a little salad. DJKung was underwhelmed by the barbeque, as the meats were not marinated and lacked that distinctive Brazilian barbeque flavor. Some pieces sat too long on the grill and were tough and dry.
Superfatty's warm course. The yellow rice was ok. The fish (either scrod or cod) was very fresh, tender and juicy. The pureed squash (not pictured) was sweet and nutty. DJKung's dad liked the fish and squash a lot.
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