Caldo Beleza, Rio de Janeiro

The caldo (a filling soup) is a staple part of Brazilian cuisine, and here, it is served in many delicious forms, accompanied by ice cold beer. This simple hole-in-the-wall spot close to the beaches of Flamengo and Botafogo offers some 12 soups to choose from, including pea, bean, shrimp and the house specialty, Vaca Atolada, or "Stuck Cow." The latter is an extremely filling concoction featuring meat, potato and aipim, a South American root vegetable, whose name presumably comes from the fact that anyone eating too much will feel somewhat like a stuck cow, unable to rise from the dinner table! Should you have room for anything else, there are good bar snacks too, such as some delicious pasteis (little filled and fried pastries). -Lucy Bryson

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