By Ciara Long, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Starting this week, Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Market (CADEG) will host a pre-Easter festival, with special dishes on offer at its restaurant and promotions on a range of products available in its stores. The Mesa Santa festival, now in its fourth year, will open on March 24th and will run until April 9th this year.
To celebrate the end of the Lent period and the countdown towards Easter, CADEG eateries will be providing a range of seafood dishes among its offerings for this year’s festival. Participating restaurants will provide their own interpretations of traditional, pre-Easter fish dishes, accompanied by wine.
Specials include restaurant Bacalhau & Cia’s grilled gadus morhua cod fillets, accompanied by Philadelphia-stuffed potatoes and broccoli rice, as well as Barsa Restaruante’s Amazonian moqueca, Costelão da Cadeg’s cod pastéis and Espetáculo Restaurante’s smoked herring with garlic risotto.
As a part of the promotion, various restaurants provide wine along with the fish, including Empório Gourmet Steakhouse and Gruta São Sebastião. Others, like Cucina Penna, will provide desserts instead.
There are prices to suit different budgets between the participating restaurants, beginning at R$70 per dish and stretching up to R$200.
Many wine shops within CADEG will also have special promotions during the pre-Easter period. Wine stores Beco de Vinho and Global Wine Importadora will both have promotions on selected bottles and boxes of wine for the festival, as Arte dos Vinhos. Certain wine shops will also have in-store tastings for potential customers.
Store Cerealista Lela will also participate, offering a selected range of fish, wine and oils at a special price during the festival. Other shops selling a range of goods, from food, alcohol and other drinks to electronics, handicrafts, stationery and home products will also participate in the festival.
Opening times vary between stores and restaurants. Visitors should consult CADEG’s website when planning their trip.
What: 4º Festival Mesa Santa no CADEG
When: March 24th – April 9th
Where: Mercado Municipal Do Rio De Janeiro, Rua Capitão Félix, 110 – Benefica
Entrance: FREE (meal and products prices will vary)