By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Beginning today, Friday July 18th and running through August 2nd the CADEG market in the neighborhood of Benfica located in Rio’s Zona Norte (North Zone), will hold its first Winter Festival with its restaurants and food stalls offering up specially prepared dishes to help warm up the season.
The Centro de Abastecimento do Estado da Guanabara, better known as CADEG, is one of Rio’s best off-the-beaten-path tourist destinations for foodies and those looking to experience a different side of the city.
Established over 54 years ago and well known as a fruit, vegetable, plant and flower market, CADEG has been hosting various culinary festivals to showcase the many restaurants and food vendors spread throughout its three-floors since November of last year.
For the Winter Festival, several vendors will be serving up special dishes with cod, lamb, and pork accompanied with fine wines and carefully selected beers. Among the participating establishments, A Gruta São Sebastião will be serving Bacalhau Moda do Porto, a dish consisting of roasted, salted cod with with eggs, onions, garlic, olives and potatoes.
O Espetáculo will offer a special meal that begins with a sampling of various cheeses, then for the main dish includes Alcatra Recheada (rump steak) with cheese accompanied by two bottles of Therezopolis Gold beer and closes with fried bananas for dessert.
The Empório Gourmet Show will offer two special selections; lamb with mashed sweet potatoes and chimichurri sauce with accompanying Thalassa Cabernet Sauvignon and the second option of Picanha Suína (grilled pork) with cheese and special garnishes.
In addition to the restaurants’ special meals, the stores located within the market will offer various promotions on seasonal items. One the final day of the festival, August 2nd, there will be special cultural programming with themed decor and special lighting, with musician Jimmy Santa Cruz and band will provide live jazz from 6PM to 11PM.
What: 1st Festival de Inverno (Winter Festival) do Mercado Municipal do Rio De Janeiro (CADEG)
When: July 18th through August 2nd. Hours of operation vary.
Where: Rua Capitão Félix 110, Benfica, Zona Norte
Entrance: Free (dish prices vary)
For more information, including the full list of participating restaurants and menus, see CADEG’s official site (in Portuguese).
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