Miami's Best Brazilian Restaurants

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Courtesy of Fogo de Chao

The 16th Annual Brazilian Film Festival, presented by Inffinito, hits Miami starting Saturday, August 18, with a list of promising films and events. Of around 100 submissions, 22 will be screened at the Colony Theatre, the New World Center and Miami Beach Cinematheque. Selton Mello's award-winning The Clown kicks off the festival with a free, public wallcast at the New World Center's SoundScape ExoStage.

"Brazilian film has grown a lot. We have five curators, top of the industry in Brazilian film, and they choose the ones that get shown," Viviane Spinelli, co-founder and director of Inffinito, recently told Cultist.

Brazil is known around the world for soccer. samba and exotic food. Its combination of Amazonian, African, Portuguese and native ingredients is distinct. There are dishes like cararu -- a mix of okra, onion, dried shrimp and toasted nuts cooked with palm oil to a consistency much like that of a spread -- that exemplify the fusion of cultures. But the first thing that comes to mind is rodizio. Patrons pay a fixed price and waiters walk around with huge skewers draped with all kinds of meat. There's everything from filet mignon to turkey chunks wrapped in bacon, sirloin steak, roast beef, rump cover (called Picanha in Portugese) and even chicken hearts right off the skewer.

Here in Miami, we are fortunate enough to be blessed with some of the best Brazilian restaurants this side of Rio. Short Order spanned the city to bring you our favorite five.

Courtesy of Grimpa

5. Grimpa
Grimpa is the name given to branches of a very special pine tree, the Araucaria, which is found in the southern region of Brazil that has been traditionally used as timber for campfires and grills. Grimpa at Mary Brickell Village carries on the tradition of those gauchos out in the "pampas" with 15 different kinds of beef, chicken, fish and pork. Everything from lamb shank and flank steak to pork loin and salmon awaits patrons. In addition to the customary salad bar at most of the restaurants on this list, Grimpa actually prepares some hot dishes like cheese bread and breaded banana right at your table.