Austin-based Brazilian eatery celebrates six-month anniversary with Grand Opening on Sunday, July 25

July 16, 2010 - PRLog -- Rio de Janeiro native, Elias Martins, and former English teacher in Brazil, Ben Googins set up their card table at the Downtown Austin Farmers’ Market in 2006, loaded with traditional and contemporary Brazilian savory pastries called salgadinhos.  While renting kitchen space by the hour and working their respective day jobs, they successfully placed their all-natural, gluten-free packaged products in over ten retail stores in Austin, including Whole Foods Market and Spec’s Liquors.

After bouncing around several Austin kitchens, including a stint at a Sixth Street lounge, it became clear they needed a home of their own.  “We’d been building our brand for almost four years and it really felt like the right time to go out on our own.  We wanted a way to showcase just our food, and that includes our dedication to the cuisine and spirit of Brazil,” says co-owner Ben Googins.

With some major cleaning and many gallons of brightly-colored paint, what was a Mexican restaurant on-and-off for the past 30 years became Rio’s Brazilian Café, a full Brazilian restaurant. The Café has indoor and outdoor seating, on-site and street parking, and a full production space in the back, dedicated to their packaged products.

To celebrate their amazing start, Elias and Ben are hosting a Grand Opening party on Sunday, July 25th, from 5pm to 10pm.  DJ John Moon will spin Tropicalia, a 60s era Brazilian music revolution that got greats Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil exiled to Europe.  

EsquinaTango, a nonprofit dance and cultural center, will have a Samba demonstration and mini dance class, and Team Ronny Lis, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy, will demonstrate the art of Jiu-Jitsu and give pointers on self-defense.

A free raffle will include prizes from Ana Brasil, Justine’s Restaurant, EsquinaTango, and a Kit Caipirinha, which has all you’ll need to make the national drink of Brazil.

Specials will include $1 Lone Star drafts and $2.50 Brazilian Hot Dogs, a delicious wiener-in-a-bun topped with corn, potato sticks, peas, parmesan cheese, mayo and more.

Families are welcome, and dogs can hang out on the patio.

Rio’s Brazilian Café is located at 408 N. Pleasant Valley Rd, just north of Cesar Chavez and catty-corner to the Capital Metro headquarters.  The grand opening celebration will take place on Sunday, July 25th from 5pm to 10pm.  The full menu and more information can be found at www.HowDoYouRio.com.

Images are available at http://www.riosofaustin.com/photos.htm.

For more details or to schedule an interview, please contact Ben Googins, Rio’s Brazilian,
512-636-8534.

About Rio’s Brazilian Café

Rio’s Brazilian Café is the only all-Brazilian, all-authentic establishment in Austin that is not an eat-all-you-can steakhouse.

The Café serves lunch and dinner plates, salads, soups, salgadinhos, pão de queijo (cheese bread) and desserts, plus beer, wine, ports and coqueteis (fruity alcoholic beverages.)  Many items are gluten-free, and there are several vegetarian options available.

The Café is open Tuesday through Friday from 7am to 9pm, on Saturdays from 10am to 10pm, and on Sundays from 11am to 9pm, with brunch served from 11am to 3pm.

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Rio's Brazilian makes gluten-free frozen cheese breads (pao de queijo), all-natural spicy culinary sauces (malagueta) and has a Cafe on the East Side of Austin, Texas serving traditional and contemporary Brazilian cuisine.