Dining by Design: Rodizio Grill- The Brazilian Steakhouse

A gaucho serves meat to the table

If heaven is anything like Rodizio's, I'll definitely have to rethink some of my more questionable habits.  Handsome gauchos stream toward your table ready to present you with delicious, rotisserie meats.  It's almost like a fashion show- but each model carries a high quality steak down the runway :P.  Every bite is mouth-watering and the choices are endless.

When you sit down at the table, the server provides you with three appetizers: banana frita (cinnamon-glazed bananas), polenta, and pao de queijo (cheese bread).  I did not care for the polenta, but the banana frita was delectable.

There is also a salad bar that you can visit whenever you want, and however many times you want, over the course of the meal.  The salad bar is so extensive that it warrants its own space in the back portion of the restauraunt.  The cold section contains traditional build-your-own salad ingredients, but also features a host of already created dishes.  My favorites included the cucumber salad, roasted edamame salad, the shrimp ceviche, and quinoa salad.  The quinoa salad had a unique flavor profile.  When I think quinoa, I think green-chic (Whole Foods, recyclable bags, hiking, trail mix, and hippies).  I'm used to quinoa with raisins, dried cranberries, or other hints of sweetness.  This quinoa was heartier, mixed with beans, corns, and peppers.  I enjoyed it.

Cold salad options. Counter-clockwise from left: shrimp ceviche, cucumber salad, edamame salad, quinoa, mushrooms, fruit, turkey pastrami

The hot section is at the end- don't miss it!  Make sure to try the feijoada, a traditional Brazilian stew made with black beans and meats.  It can be placed over rice and sprinkled with farofa.  Farofa, also known as yucca root, is a light Brazilian flour.  It enhances the flavors of the feijoada and adds texture.

If you order the Full Rodizio (as we did), you also have your choice of rotisserie meats.  You are given a wooden toggle with green and red ends.  When the green end is pointed up, the gauchos have the green light to come to your table with the meats.  They carry different types of poultry, beef, pork, and sausage on large metal spits.  They will let you know what they have, and you can indicate whether or not you would like to partake.  As they carve the meat from the spit, you reach out with a set of tongs and transfer it to your plate.

The gauchos informed me that the Picanha (pea-con-yeah) is their most popular cut of steak.  It is a top sirloin that they describe as a "lean juicy cut of meat with a mild... flavor."  Personally, I preferred the fraldinha.  And when I say prefer, I mean it was the most perfect piece of steak I have ever had in my life.  I am a true carnivore- by elementary school I was ordering prime rib at restaurants- so I like to think my endorsement means something!  The fraldinha is also referred to as the beef tender.  It melted in my mouth.  I was so enraptured that the gracious gaucho gave me a pronounciation lesson ("fraw-jean-ya!") and held it up for me to see whenever he walked by.  Other memorable beef selections were the seasoned tri-tip sirloin ("maminha"), the pot roast ("assado"), and the whole sirloin ("alcatra".)

Coracoa (chicken hearts) and lime

As for the chicken... Rodizio's has a lot of heart!  Literally!  I went there on a mission to try the Coracao, or chicken hearts.  Chicken hearts are small- about an inch in diameter.  The texture and taste reminded me a bit of sausage.  They came with lime quarters that I squeezed over them for a zing of citrus.  I loved them!  The gauchos said that for Brazilians who frequent the restaurant, the chicken hearts are the second most popular dish after the picanha.  American patrons often steer clear of them, but I encourage you to try them.  Not only are they good, but it is a rare opportunity!

Make sure to snag some abacaxi, or glazed grilled pinapple.  Like the meats, it comes warm on the spits.  It tastes amazing on its own, but the juice brings out the flavors of the meat as well.

There are an abundance of pork and seafood selections, too.

If at all possible: save room for dessert!  Dessert is not included in the all-you-can-eat prix fixe, but it is certainly worth it.  The server will you bring you a large sample tray with about six desserts.  I love it when restaurants do that... I like to see what I'm choosing :).  I opted for the pudim de leite, or caramel flan.  I loved it!  It was not overly sweet, and tasted pretty authentic for a commercial steakhouse.  It came topped with a cinnamon-sugar wafer.  Open letter to Rodizio: if there is an extra box of just the wafers somewhere in your kitchen, please feel free to send them my way!!!
 

Pudim be Leite (flan)

Rodizio is fun for a meal out.  When I eat out, part of is just the simple pleasure of being with wonderful company in a festive place.  On the other hand, I also approach food with abounding curiousity.  Rodizio certainly satisfied my craving for new knowledge.  It gave me the chance to try various cuts of meat in succession.  The meats are only lightly seasoned, so the proteins themselves ultimately stand alone.  Unlike other restaurants where I choose one cut of meat, I got to taste the difference between a top sirloin, a bottom sirloin, and a whole sirloin in one sitting.  They are surprisingly different!  For example, I now know that I far prefer the tender bottom sirloin to the top cuts.

If you have food sensitivities, do not be deterred from trying Rodizio.  Rodizio is quick to offer an "allergies and intolerance" guide so that diners can navigate the salad bar and choose satisfying meats.  Rodizio prides itself on its array of gluten-free selections.  The guide will also alert you to the presence of nuts, dairy, eggs, garlic, onions, MSG, and corn.

In addition, Rodizio will accomodate you if you have a preference for how you like your meat cooked.  If you prefer your meat more well done, for instance, they will carve a piece from a more cooked section.  In general though, I would defer to them.  They know their meats and aim to give everyone a nice piece.

Rodizio is a great place for birthdays.  While there, we saw the gauchos serenade a birthday party with a round of "cumpleanos feliz" accompanied with tambourines and drums.  You are all invited to celebrate there with me next year.  It's 8 months away, but it looked like so much fun that it's already on my mental calendar.
 

Rabanada (Cinnamon pastry with caramel
drizzle and creamy center)

So if you're looking for heaven on earth, head over to 5 Broad Street in Stamford, CT.  For more information, check out http://rodiziogrill.com/stamford-connecticut .

5 Broad Street
Tel. 203.964.9177