25 Best Restaurants: Batuqui

Start training your taste buds on Brazilian culture ahead of this year's Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro with a foodie workout at Batuqui. With traditional dishes and Portuguese flowing out of the kitchen, Gustavo Nogueira's 1-year-old restaurant fills the void of real Brazilian fare in Northeast Ohio left by the closing of Shaker Square's Sarava three years ago. We're giving a gold medal to the spot's churrasco de picanha ($26), a tri-tip sirloin served on an iron sizzler platter with rice, tomato relish and farofa — a crunchy stuffing made with yucca flour. "The farofa is basically our bread in Brazil," says Minas Gerais-native Nogueira. But the farofa really wows as a vehicle for the feijoada ($20), a salty, hearty stew of black beans, smoked pork, beef, tomato relish and spices that's usually served at parties. "If you go to any restaurant in Brazil on Saturday, usually they serve feijoada," Nogueira says. Don't miss: As Brazil's national cocktail, the caipirinha ($10) satisfies with a sweet mixture of cachaca — a raw sugarcane spirit — sugar and limes. Great outdoors: Spend those balmy summer nights hanging out in the tiny Victorian home's front patio or more expansive backyard filled with lounge seating and sparkling lights. 12706 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland, 216-801-0227, batuquicleveland.com