Rio de Janeiro: Maxim’s Bar and Restaurante (February 2012)

My spouse and I ate dinner at Maxim’s Bar and Restaurante, which is located close to the Copacabana Palace on Avenida Atlantica. Maxim’s has operated in this location overlooking Copacabana Beach for over 60 years. This restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating, but smoking is not permitted in either part. We shared the fejoida for two people, which was apparently very special because this meal is usually made on a weekend, not a weekday. Fejoida is a typical Brazilian stew-like dish containing meat and beans. The dish is traditionally served with rice, and accompanied by chopped fried collard greens, manioc or cassava flour, peeled and sliced oranges, and pork rinds. The meal is often washed down with Brazilian caipirinhas, which accompanied the dish. Another night for dinner at Maxim’s, we shared the paella for two people, which was interesting and plentiful, although not particularly tasty. (We generally try not to repeat restaurants while traveling, but we were tired and it was easier to deal with a known entity than an unknown entity.)