Olympics 2016 Recap: An Exclusive Look Inside The Oakley Safe House (Slideshow)

The vibe of the Oakley Safe House was very unique. Remember, Oakley athletes are not only the top athletes of one country, but of the world. Whereas the competitors from one country might stick together in the Olympic Village or their own houses, it was all a melting pot in the Safe House. They came by for a number of reasons, including to get a bite to eat and hang out on the couches, watching events. We heard different cheers depending on who was succeeding on the TV screens at the time.

One of the main goals of the Oakley Safe House was to act as a place where the athletes could get their gear. If you saw many of the Rio 2016 stars wearing the same green shades, it's because they were all part of Oakley's Green Fade collection. Fitted with the high-tech Prizm lenses, all of the athletes wore the special-edition green eyewear to represent unity. Every single frame of the 100,000-piece collection had been hand-painted, which is pretty cool.

Lots of celebrities rolled through the Safe House and you never knew who you might run into. For instance, Brazilian superstar skateboarder Leticia Bufoni came through to check out the gear. She's the only female athlete to have won three X Games gold medals in the same year and might very well be competing in the Olympics very soon now that skateboarding has been added to the events.

Food is the ultimate bonding tool and — make no mistakes about it — it was the centerpiece of the Safe House. The spread started with salads, including the following classic (next slide). Oddly enough, we found a lot of Italian restaurants in Rio de Janeiro as they definitely enjoy the Mediterranean cuisine. The red, white, and green was represented here with a tomato and bocconcini salad.

There was a wide array of salads on the menu. As you can imagine, the athletes are very conscious of calories and nutrition, and vegetables are an integral part of their diet.

Speaking of healthy eating, the Sambazon bar had an acai berry bowl stand set up for those looking for a light, healthy meal. They preached the powers of acai — an antioxidant- and omega-packed berry — which come from the Amazon. There were various healthy toppings offered to add some more macronutrients to the mix.

There were Evian water bars around the Safe House, but for those who felt like moving up from PG to an R rating, they had access to a fully stocked open bar. From liquors, to cocktails, to wines, to bubbles...the staff of bartenders was ready to pour.

Moving to the main courses, there was a very clear theme: Serve the athletes meat. Ox ribs were just the first of many protein options to ensure that the athletes were rebuilding those muscle fibers that had been working so hard.

Ox ribs might seem like one of the unique meats on the spread, but it's really just beef ribs. The American athletes — especially the ones from the South — definitely appreciated this addition.

Sausage invited pork to the party, and it was the only pig option. There were also a couple of fish choices including salmon and sea bass.

A creamy sundried tomato risotto was one of the sides for those who were craving something other than potatoes.

Chicken hearts might be a strange sight to you, but in Brazil it's very common. They're a dish you'll find at the local churrascarias, and here they were simply grilled with a little bit of salt and pepper.

Flank steak is a South American classic. It's one that many North Americans avoid when visiting the butcher because it seems like a cheap cut. While that's true, it's a very flavorful cut when prepared properly. When cooked to medium rare, it's a gem. Cooked beyond, and you're eating rubber tires.

The red meat parade continued with rump steak, also known as the popular picanha. In North America, it would be known as the rump cover or top sirloin cap, but that piece is then butchered into other cuts like the rump, the round, and the loin, which we don't usually use for grilling. However, in Brazil, this is among the most prized meats. It's grilled with all of the fat intact to keep the meat nice and moist, and then that fat is removed before serving.

With a lot of chewy cuts on the board, melt-in-your-mouth filet was the softest of options.

You can tell that the chefs know their customers by the size of the grilled vegetables. At a typical steakhouse, you'll see a scant carrot or two along with two thin strands of asparagus. There was no skimping here, with large pieces of carrot, eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms that had a kiss from the grill.

With more than 500+ Oakley athletes looking to refuel — plus all of their handlers, agents, coaches, and so on — this became one busy grill. It acted as a popular place for winding down the night with one more piece of flank.

While the vibe inside was lively, the patio was chill with low-key conversations; perfect for post-competition contemplations.

For dessert, how about an on-call Bacio di Latte gelato cart? A rotation of four flavors was only a scoop away: dangerous for those athletes who were still competing, but delicious for those who were done counting calories.

After the athletes had refueled, many of them hung out in the little headphone/music section. Bang & Olufsen ear muffs just laid waiting for someone to plug them in and bring them to life.

Those looking for a more social atmosphere could hang out in the wood cabanas outside. With couches and large cushions, they were a comfortable place to relax at the end of the day.