A Taste of The South Bay : Dining Spots in Your Area

William and Ana Cox wanted to bring a taste of their native Brazil to the South Bay, so one year ago they opened the Amazon Cafe in Redondo Beach. Located in a mini-mall, the small cafe is decorated with posters of Rio de Janeiro, tropical trees and toy parrots perched above the tables.

Highlights among the appetizers include coxinha ($1.75), shredded chicken and cheese encased in pastry dough, and risoli , buttermilk turnovers filled with mozzarella, provolone, cream cheese and Parmesan ($1.50).

For a salad, there is chicken salpicao ($2.50), which combines cole slaw, carrots, raisins, and red and green peppers with chicken. It is a dish as colorful as the parrots that swing overhead.

A tender pork loin ($8.50), baked with rosemary, thyme and marjoram and rubbed with Dijon mustard, is a popular main course. Like all entrees, it is preceded by soup or salad and accompanied by rice, black beans and fried bananas.

But the real star of the menu is the feijoada plate ($7.50). When the Saturday crowds at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro get hungry, many head for their favorite restaurant to indulge in this national dish of Brazil. Available only on weekends, feijoada is a rich stew of pork loin, smoked sausage and sun-dried beef, simmered for six hours with black beans and dried herbs.

Served with black beans, rice, yucca flour, fried collard greens and hot sauce, it is a robust, full-throttled plate of food.

Chef Tomaza Zapata prepares a few nightly specials including shrimp bobo--small shrimp, tomato, bell pepper, coconut milk and mashed yucca cooked together and then topped with large shrimp.

On Saturday nights, live Brazilian music is provided by a guitarist or keyboard player.

The Amazon Cafe is at 2301 Artesia Blvd., Suite 5, Redondo Beach. Open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight. Telephone (310) 371-2915.