Plenty of guests walk into a Brazilian steakhouse expecting happy hour to include that famous all-you-can-eat parade of grilled meats. It’s an understandable mistake to make given how these places market themselves. A churrascaria built its whole reputation on churrasco – skewer after skewer of meat carried right to your table by gauchos dressed for […]
At a rodízio, the servers work the dining room in a steady rhythm – skewers up on their shoulder, tongs at the ready, and they carve right at your table in one clean motion. Beef tends to dominate the early rounds (picanha, alcatra, fraldinha), and by the time the pork cuts finally make their way […]
After a full Brazilian steakhouse dinner (plates of picanha, lamb chops, garlic beef, the whole spread), dessert is usually far from anyone’s mind. And yet servers still come around with small glasses of a pale orange cream that guests seem to finish in about five seconds. Maybe you’ve spotted “papaya cream” on a menu or […]
At a Brazilian steakhouse, what most guests first see on the rotisserie is a skewer of filet mignon or chicken breast wrapped in bacon – and the natural assumption is that it’s a pure flavor move. A little extra greatness, a little extra indulgence. Fair enough. Even so, it’s only half of what’s going on. […]
Most first-timers at a Brazilian steakhouse spend their entire visit zeroed in on the meat – the picanha, the ribeye, the lamb chops that come out on long skewers in what can only be called a grand parade. And then a plate of crispy fried bananas lands on the table and the whole mood changes […]
A beautiful picanha comes out of the butcher paper, and the thick white fat cap just stares right back at you. The knife hovers over it (whether to trim it or leave it, toss it or eat it) and for a cut with such devoted fans, the answer is different for just about everyone. The […]
Outside of Brazil, most diners’ experience with passion fruit is either a faint background hint buried in a combination juice or a thin decorative drizzle across a hotel breakfast plate – and neither one does the fruit any justice. Brazil actually grows a large share of the world’s entire passion fruit supply, and almost none […]
Picanha made its name on the Brazilian churrasco circuit, and beef picanha has since built a devoted following well outside of South America. The cut’s signature fat cap and its rich flavor turned it into a fixture at backyard cookouts and steakhouse menus alike. Lamb picanha comes from that exact same tradition – and it […]
Brazilian steakhouses have a very obvious promise – fire, meat and those endless skewers that never seem to stop. Walk over to the salad bar and plenty of these places will have sushi out for you – and you might find that pairing a little unusual. The story here is an interesting one. Brazil actually […]
At just about any Brazilian birthday party or Sunday lunch, a glossy and caramel-topped dessert usually makes an appearance – and outside of Brazil, most diners have never even heard of it. Pudim de leite condensado is one of the most well-loved desserts in the country, and if your only reference points are flan or […]
The skewers come around fast, the gauchos move through the room with intent and energy, and the whole meal runs on a set of unspoken laws that no one explained before you walked in. Most first-timers wind up with a polite smile plastered on their faces and a quiet prayer that they haven’t just offended […]
The brigadeiro has quite the history behind it. What started as a political symbol eventually became the centerpiece of nearly every celebration in Brazilian culture, and from there it made its way into gourmet kitchens all around the world – all from a recipe that started out calling for just three ingredients. The history here […]
