Midtown Lunch

I don’t know about you all, but Brazilian food isn’t really something I think about or even think I can eat for lunch. Sure, there’s Churrascaria, but I’m not rich enough to eat there. Right next door to that on W. Broadway (btw. Franklin & White) is bright yellow Barzinho, or the place where there are a bunch of lunch options for $10. Lunch’er Chris passed along the intel on this intriguing lunch deal. Find out if it’s worth going out of your way for and see the +/- after the jump.

This place is sandwiched between its more expensive older South American brother and neighborhood favorite Columbine (which is moving to another location soon). A line was snaking out the door of that shop and several people stopped to look at Barzinho’s lunch menu, but didn’t go inside. When I went inside there were only a couple of other tables occupied, but hey, more Brazilian food for me!

You get a choice of either a main dish, or an appetizer with rice and beans for your $10. It was a tough choice because literally everything sounded good, but I settled on the Brazilian national dish of feijoada and my friend who volunteered to come along to double stomach space got a plate involving a fish fillet, fried banana, rice and beans and zucchini.

I was a little afraid I was not going to get a lot of food here because it is, after all, in Tribeca where rent is high. Then my food came out and I was happy with the amount of plates being heaped on my table.

The feijoada of beans and a few chunks of beef was in a cast iron pot and there was a plate with rice, orange slices, tomato and onion, and farofa. Did I mention farofa was a ground up root powder with bits of bacon in it? And there was a separate plate of collard greens. When all of this was mixed together it was a party in my mouth.

My friend’s fish was good and she had no complaints about anything on her plate. Because this involves a lot of rice and beans (and in most cases, meat, although there are a bunch of vegetarian options), you are probably going to get enough food here to make you full.

I like this place for many reasons, mostly because they’re putting Brazilian food within reach of those of us not on an expense account for lunch.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Wait, I don’t have to donate plasma to pay for a Brazilian lunch?
• You get more than enough food to fill you up.
• I learned what things like farofa and feijoada are.

THE — (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• It’s too far out of the way for me to get to.
• I’d rather just go get some rice and beans at Sophie’s.
• I can’t pronounce anything on the menu!

Barzinho, 225 W. Broadway (btw. Franklin & White), (917) 499-2419