4615 Wisconsin Ave. NW (202) 537-0421 Hours of Operation and Prices Lunch: M-F noon-3; Entrees: $8-$18 Dinner: M-Th 5:30-10:30, F 5:30-11:30, Sat-Sun noon-11:30; Entrees: $11-$18 Brunch: Sat-Sun noon-4; Entrees: $12 Other Information • Credit Cards: All major • Reservations: Recommended • Dress: Casual • Parking: Street • Nearest Metro: Tenleytown-AU • Entertainment: Bossa nova Th evening

A large icy caipirinha also sets the scene. This is a jolting limeade made with clear Brazilian liquor, lots of lime wedges and a little sugar. It calls for immediate food to cushion the blow, particularly since this is one of the many restaurants where appetizers are the stars. Carne seca is chunks of cured dried meat cooked to crispness yet nearly falling apart. Mussels come drenched in garlic and dill and flamed with cognac - just right for dunking bread. Other seafood appetizers are flavored with coconut milk and palm oil, a theme that carries through the entrees. A nutritionist probably would recoil in horror, and many people find the strong palm oil an acquired taste. But if you've loved food in the tropics and haven't found any here that matches your memories, palm oil may be the missing link.

The star of a Brazilian restaurant is feijoada, a large pot of black beans crammed with ham, sausage and other varieties of pork. It's accompanied by a platter of toasted manioc meal, reminiscent of bread crumbs, with shredded collard greens and slices of orange. These unlikely components make a great amalgam. The less daring can have grilled steak or fried chicken, though with a Brazilian touch. More elaborate meat entrees run to chicken with pineapple; fried bananas and collard greens; duck with yucca leaves, cognac, olive oil and garlic; or churrascada, a mixed grill for two. Seafood dishes are variations on the palm oil theme. The colors are vivid, the aromas intense, the textures viscous and rich. This is Brazilian food made for Brazilians, not tamed for North American tastes. For some that's a drawback. For most it's an advantage.