Barzinho

Note: Barzinho closed in August 2011.

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 Barzinho opened quietly not long ago in TriBeCa. In a neighborhood known for splashy restaurants, this one flew under the radar. I’ve found no announcements in the usual sources. A liquor license application dated October 2009 is still pending; beer and wine are available now.

The cuisine is Brazilian, and inexpensive. The space is bare-bones, to say the least. With its mismatched furniture and minimal décor, it could be somebody’s basement rec room. I wasn’t up for a full meal, but I ordered two snacks—certainly not sufficient to reach any conclusions about the place.

Brazilian sausage (above left) came from a specialist butcher in New Jersey (I asked), but they tasted just like Bob Evans or IHOP.

Yuca, also called Cassava, is the world’s third most-common source of calories, after rice and wheat, and much favored in lesser developed countries. An order of fried yuca (above right) made clear why it hasn’t become popular in the U.S. The mushy and largely flavorless starch will be nobody’s favorite substitute for french fries.

There were only about three customers, but I visited quite early—around 5:30 p.m. As I was leaving, a live Brazilian band (guitar, percussion, vocal) was starting to play. I thought: this might not be so bad! But it was time for me to go, and I caught only a snatch of it.

I wasn’t wowed by either of the appetizers I tried, but they may have been an unrepresentative sample. Barzinho deserves another chance.

Barzinho (225 West Broadway, south of White Street, TriBeCa)