Restaurante da Tia

Better by the pound

by Andrew Weiner

on the cheap

La Terraza, February 24 Seoul Bakery, February 17 Guido's, February 10

In a city mesmerized by the latest in pan-this, post-that, and trans-whatever cuisine, it's easy to forget that dinner can taste just fine without a prefix. At Allston's Restaurante da Tia, revolutionary culinary philosophies are found in inverse proportion to cheap, hearty Brazilian dishes.

Tia's is a simple room that serves as an informal meeting place for Boston's rapidly growing Brazilian community. A steam table houses the buffet that is the main attraction -- okay, the only attraction. You select one of two payment plans: a plate to go, for $2.50 per pound, or all you can eat for $5.50. One choice dish is a stew made from cornmeal and pork and garnished with ground yuca: the result is something like the posole common in Mexico. The beef brisket and tomato is unlikely to send anyone home hungry; fried fish is often available; and rice, black beans, fried plantains, and salad round out the menu.

Patrons would be ill-advised to leave without sampling one of the sweets. The rich flan ($1.50) is dense enough to have its own gravitational field: it reportedly draws people from points as distant as Framingham. The rice and corn puddings ($1.50), brimming over with cinnamon goodness, are at least worth a trip from across the river.

Restaurante da Tia, located in the Osco Plaza at 81 Brighton Avenue, in Allston, is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call (617) 782-8769.

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