GOL! The Taste of Brazil, Delray Beach

Restaurateur Frank Reider began to delve into the ruby depths of wine at his friend's wine soirees while living in Rio de Janeiro. His growing ardor for South American vintages inspired him to open Gol!, a churrascaria with a wine list that earned the restaurant Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence for several years.

Gaucho waiters arrive at each chair offering up skewers of shrimp, salmon, and meat grilled rare in the traditional style. Patrons flip a disk between red and green to indicate whether they'd like more meat or to clear up traffic jams among the waitstaff. A salad bar remains stocked with fresh vegetables and soups as an alternative to the traditional barrage of meat.

Reider found a home for Gol! in a building erected circa 1925. It was originally dubbed the Arcade Building, gaining notoriety in the 1930s as the Arcade and Tap Room. Behind the fully restored façade, cypress-wood ceilings arch over tablecloths and floral displays. Bartenders work behind a bar carved in 1933 from trees whose grandparents were chopped down by George Washington himself. As bossa nova tunes play, the bartenders mix cocktails such as the citrusy caipirinha, which was featured in the Palm Beach Post.