The Dish: Fish Market

I think I had one of the best (if not THE best) meals I have ever eaten today! I went to Niteroi with some friends and we ate at a Fish Market! Niteroi is a city across the bay from Rio de Janeiro. I met some friends from my language classes and we took the ferry over.

Me on the Ferry to Niteroi (with Niteroi behind me)

One girl had been there last week and heard good word on a fish market that also had a place to eat. Getting there was difficult (we had to stop and get directions several times!), and it really is away from anything touristy or commercial. But it was well worth the trek!

The market itself is rather small, but had loads of great looking fish.

The restaurant above the market, though, was where the real action was. It looks a lot like a cafeteria or food court (sans Sbarro and chik-fil-a, though) with tables in the middle bordered by a bunch of small restaurants. We sat down at the luckiest table, because our waitress was fantastic. She spoke very slowly and clearly with us so we could understand her and she was incredibly helpful. When we told her we wanted a recommendation - she recommended we not buy their food! Turns out it is far better (and cheaper) to go downstairs and buy your own fish and then have the restaurant cook it for you. She even came downstairs to point out which stalls were the best to buy from.

The food itself was so delicious. You really can't beat completely fresh sea food. Between 5 of us we had 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) of shrimp and just over 1 kilo of salmon - and then the restaurant cooked them up for us with tons of garlic! We also had some rice and beans and a bunch of bottles of beer. And the best part, this absolutely fantastic meal came in at about 20-25R$ (10-15$). Amazing.

Our 1st course -- the shrimp! Oh my word, so good! Also, I learned how to eat shrimp today. As you can see, these babies still have heads and legs. This is something that I have never encountered before! But, I got the hang of it quickly and was feasting in no time.

We demolished the shrimp :)

I don't have a decent picture of the 2d course - the salmon - because I was honestly so excited to dig in when it arrived! It was fried, which wasn't how I would have ordered it, but WOW. So good! Here is a picture of my friend's plate.

So the food was fantastic and the company was even better :) It was a great day in Niteroi.

Now that I have a weekend full of good eating under my belt (yes, I intended both of those horrible puns) I am happy -- but need to get in a week of good runs this week to make up for it!

Me and my friends from school - David, Dustin, Aimee, Darlene