• These Brazilian-owned restaurants capture the flavor of Brazil.brazilian flag image by smn from Fotolia.com
  
  Churrasco is a traditional type of Brazilian barbecue cooked over an open flame. In Rio de Janeiro and around Brazil, these barbecue restaurants, called churrascarias may be "a kilo" where you pay by the weight or "rodizio" that's served at the table in unlimited quantities. These Brazilian-owned eateries are less than 30 miles from New Brunswick and offer an authentic dining experience.
  
  

Brazil Country Restaurant

• In his culinary tour of South River, central New Jersey blogger Rob Timko says he doesn't order off the menu at Brazil Country Restaurant. Instead, he tells the server, "Give me $20 of what's good today," and leaves with three carry-out containers filled with meats (bacon-wrapped turkey, sausage, spare ribs, steak and chicken) and sides of carrot cornmeal and rice. The restaurant has a two-page menu of appetizers, salads and entrees, or a buffet that's available "a kilo." The restaurant features rodizio service Thursday through Sunday. Brazil Country Restaurant is seven miles southwest of New Brunswick.
  
  Brazil Country Restaurant
  65 Main Street
  South River, NJ 08882
  732-613-0983‎
  
  

Casa Nova

• Approximately 25 miles from New Brunswick are the Ferry Street and Adams Street locations of Casa Nova in Newark. The first page of the two-page menu, written in Portuguese with English translation, is "a kilo" with 20 items available in small, medium and large sizes. On the flip side is an extensive fixed-price menu of churrasco, soups, salads and steak, chicken and seafood dishes. All the dishes are served with rice, beans and a choice of traditional sides, such as fried bananas or yucca. On his New York-New Jersey blog Eating in Translation, Dave Cook recommends a beef skewer dredged in farofa (manioc flour) and topped with steak sauce. Casa Nova restaurants offer dine-in and delivery service.
  
  Casa Nova
  262 Ferry Street
  Newark, NJ 07105
  973-817-8712
  
  70 Adams Street
  Newark, NJ 07105
  973-589-3322
  casanovagrupo.com
  
  

Rio Rodizio

• Rio Rodizio (formerly Rio 22) is a rodizio restaurant with a separate 30-seat sushi lounge and granite bar with front row seating to view the chef artfully preparing hand rolls and sashimi. Authentic Brazilian and innovative Japanese-influenced dishes and desserts are available in addition to the rodizio. Sushi is half price on Monday nights, live Brazilian music is offered on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and several drink promotions run week-long. The restaurant draws an all-ages crowd and is popular among young hipsters. According to the Star Ledger, the Rio Rodizio is like American Idol, "a place that somehow manages to appeal to every demographic, yet like Rio, still maintains its magic." Forget simple mixology, you'll likely catch the bartender doing tricks with a tower of martini glasses. Rio Rodizio is 30 miles northwest of New Brunswick.
  
  Rio Rodizio
  1034 McCarter Highway
  Newark, NJ 07102
  973-622-6221