Pork Out Is Brazilian For Meat

I figured that before I left Brazil two weeks ago, it would be a pity to not stuff my face with the most juicy, delicious, succulent meat on the planet. Everyone I spoke to at Club Med said there was one place, and one place only in Rio, to satisfy this meat-lust, and that was Porcão, which is pronounced "pork ow" and is the finest churrascuria, or Brazilian steakhouse, on the planet. One guy named Eric, who wrestled in Michigan before returning to his native Brazil, practically swooned while describing the delicious meats there.

"I'll be the judge of that," I muttered, but I was hooked. I remembered that on a previous visit to Brazil, 25 years ago, a highlight for me was sitting at a table and happily allowing waiters to slice off chunks of barbequed meats onto my plate, which they delivered on swords pulled straight from the rotisserie.

Well, this was one of those rare experiences that actually lived up to the memory. With my friend Diana, who can sock away roasted meat like a longshoreman, I made time on the way to the airport to find Porcão Rios, the best of several Porcãos in Rio thanks to its location right up against a scenic bay, with Sugarloaf mountain rising majestically right outside the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows.

Look, I don't generally rave about something as simple as roasted meat, but this was sensational. The waiters came by with the swords in a steady parade, and from them they cut slices of a roast pork that was so tender that it was like eating a meaty custard, or four different kinds of beef that delivered four different depths of flavor and texture. I actually passed on the lamb chops that one guy passed around in order to save myself for other meats. Another guy arrived with a carving table on which was laid out a whole filleted salmon. A salad bar was lavishly arrayed with everything from hearts of palm and four kinds of lettuce to prepared dishes like seafood risotto and green beans in a cream sauce. It was one of the few times in my life that I didn't have any room left for dessert.

I would go back today, and tomorrow and the day after that if I could. There are Porcãos now in New York and Miami, and I'm sure they're good and exotic, but they can't come close to delivering the experience of Rio. To me, it will continue to remain a defining experience of Brazil, right up there with carnival dancers and the bikini parade on Copacabana beach. Pork out, dude!