Samba Taste of Brazil

Rating:

The former home of Gusto Cafe and Wine Bar didn't stay dark for long. Happily, the Mainstreet storefront has found new life as Samba Taste of Brazil, where the Pantano family -- Brazilians Joe Luis and Maria Lucia and their son Gabriel -- infuse a warm and gracious sense of hospitality into their colorful, casual restaurant. The starters start out right: tender rice croquettes, the tasty salt cod cakes, grilled bread topped with grilled shrimp liberally dressed with garlic, fried pastries filled with hearts of palm or ground beef, pork-chile sausages smothered with grilled onions. The home cooking-style entrees lean on the comfort-food end of the dining spectrum. A stew of black beans and sausages had a crockpot vibe (in a good way) and was served with couscous-like farofa (toasted flour), rice and collard greens. Beef is served a half-dozen ways, usually with mashed potatoes or rice or a cassava puree. Tilapia, lobster and shredded cod also make it on the menu, which is rounded out by several stick-to-your-ribs rice dishes (accompanied by chicken or shrimp) that were billed as risottos but had more of a paella feel. Some dinner prices veer into the mid-$20s, but most hover in the mid-teens. Lunch's salads, sandwiches and entrees land in the $6 to $9 range. Skip the imported-from-New Jersey desserts and stick with the decent house-made flan. A small market is stocked with Brazilian supermarket staples, and the moderately priced beer and wine rosters include a few South American selections.