EAT: Leave it to Brazilian food to bridge the longtime racial divide between the black and white neighborhoods of Coconut Grove . Basil in the Grove reaches out to both ends of Grand Avenue with hearty, affordable Brazilian steak and stew, with some East-Indian dishes thrown in for good harmony. Call early to order feijoada, served only on Saturdays. This hearty black bean stew of salted pork and six different sausages is Brazil's national dish and the Portuguese version of soul food. It's slow-cooked all day until the dark purplish-brown broth turns smoky. Served with white rice, two orders of the stew fed three adults and two children at my house. It comes with chopped refried collard greens, lightly roasted coarse cassava flour and a generous side salad of mixed greens, chopped tomatoes, red onions and Parmesan with soy house dressing.

Basil 's other signature dish, picanha, is also a carnivore's dream. The tri-tip roast is seasoned with garlic salt and grilled with a strip of fat down the side for flavor. Our take-out version came wrapped in tin foil, soaking in its juice. The chunky strips of steak were accompanied by the house salad, along with rice and creamy pink beans. Pair it with pao de quejo, cheese bread that melts in your mouth.

You'll also find the best empanadas in the area here: beef, chicken or vegetable, made from scratch. For dessert, there's kid-approved chocolate chip bread pudding or sweet potato pie.

DRINK: Try your hand at making caipirinha, Brazil's national cocktail, a mix of lime juice, sugar and cachaca, a strong liquor derived from sugar cane.

WATCH: Notorious, Hitchcock's 1946 film, known for its clever camera work and a steamy kissing scene between Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, undercover in Brazil to track Nazis.