Restaurant Review: Review

Photo by John Anderson

Rio's Brazilian at the Vintage Lounge

Those talented Brazilian boys from Rio's have found a home for their fabulous foods at the Vintage Lounge, offering both happy hour and dinner menus. A hip nightclub housed in a low-lit, retro-chic space, the Vintage transforms during the day into a full-service restaurant serving Rio's popular Brazilian pastries, salads, and soups, all accompanied by its spicy malagueta sauces. Tables set in front of the purple velvet couches are dressed with candles, fresh flowers, and cool black-and-white paisley linens, creating an elegant yet casual atmosphere. Frontman Ben Googins provides smiling table service and tends the bar, making seriously great caipirinhas as well as a signature Malaguetini made with premium vodka and Rio's spicy-sweet original malagueta sauce. Chef Elias Martins has the ample kitchen to himself, so he is able to prepare everything from Rio's Downtown Farmers' Market favorite salgadinhos to full entrées and exquisite desserts.

The daily happy hour features both drink and appetizer specials. For a great deal, try the appetizer sampler ($20), a combo platter featuring risoli de frango (chicken-stuffed pastries), beef kibe, yucca fries, and the new bolinho de aipim, yucca pastries stuffed with smoked Gouda cheese and roasted red peppers, accompanied by Rio's trio of malagueta sauces. (By the way, yucca pastries provide a perfect wheat-free alternative for those with allergies.) On the expanded menu we find soups like traditional caldo verde ($5), made with collard greens and sausage, and fresh, summery salads like the Flamengo ($4), a zesty creation with hearts of palm, jackfruit, cannellini beans, celery, and roasted red peppers in Champagne vinaigrette. For heartier appetites, try the inoque de arroz ($15), rice gnocchi stuffed with sausage and mozzarella in a tomato-basil sauce, or the panqueca de ricota caseira e espinafre ($16), crepelike pancakes stuffed with house-made ricotta and fresh spinach. Seal the deal with the amazing chocolate-and-passion-fruit mousse ($8) for an incredible tropical treat.