The mid-Cape restaurant community knows the importance of the Brazilian workforce and the key roles they've played in commercial kitchens over the past fifteen years. More than 50% of my kitchen crews in the mid-90's were Brazilian, and every member was as reliable and conscientous as any staff I ever had. Some humorist back then suggested that if a Brazilian restaurant ever opened in Hyannis, it would have to be staffed with Irish.

    There is a Brazilian restaurant in Hyannis today, but Brazilians staff it, and it's called The Brazilian Grill. You'll find it on Main Street, in the west end, where the old Mari Jean's used to be a couple of decades ago. I suggest you should find it, too, for you will have a most enjoyable dining experience there. Owner Zen Lemos bought the building and the business seven months ago when he sold his interest in another Hyannis restaurant.

    The Brazilian Grill is a Churrascaria, a Brazilian barbeque house, with an accompanying buffet of soups, salads and side dishes. Churrasco has been a culinary tradition in Brazil for over three centuries. “Gauchos” pierced large pieces of meat and slowly roasted them over an open pit fire while they shared stories of their adventures on the open plain. At the Brazilian Grill, Churrasqueiros in costume circle the dining room with large skewers of grilled meats, and very sharp carving knives, slicing pieces of juicy and flavorful meats hot off the grill right onto your plate. It is a very impressive display, and quite a variety of meats, including beef tenderloin (plain and wrapped in bacon), sirloin, flank steak, lamb, chicken wings, chicken wrapped in bacon, pork loin, ribs, pork tenderloin and sausage. Your table is given a marker with a red and green side; green indicates you wish to be served, and red politely lets your Churrasqueiro know you are full, or at least letting your first round settle.

    I've gotten a little ahead of myself in my enthusiasm, so let me back up just a little. The Brazilian Grill offers a wonderful buffet of soups, salads and side dishes. Of particular note is the butternut squash soup. This soup is almost worth a visit by itself, it's that good. Don't miss a bowl! Salads included a Caesar and several tossed versions, and the dressings included a passion fruit offering that was quite heavenly. Tuna tartare was a surprise on the buffet, but a delicious one. The garbonzo bean and tuna salad was another nice side dish.

    Further down the buffet line you'll find some wonderful hot dishes, too, including several different black bean offerings. We'll talk about that in a minute. Other hot sides included two rice dishes, mandioca frita, baked bananas, roasted potatoes, a braised chicken dish, a braised beef dish, cassava flour (used often with meat instead of a sauce or a gravy in Brazilian cuisine), and Brazilian cheese bread. The buffet is offered as a stand-alone, or with the churrasco. You would not be dissatisfied with simply the buffet, although I do recommend you order both . . . . after all, it is a churrascaria, a grill house, and if you're there, you probably aren't a vegetarian. The meat is the star at the Brazilian Grill.

    Black beans are a staple in Brazilian cuisine. The national dish of Brazil is feijoada, braised black beans with pork, onions and lots of garlic. You'll find a decent feijoada recipe here, along with some of its history dating back to slaving days. A plate of feijoada, some rice, mandioca frita (fried manioc or yuca), baked bananas and cheese bread (pão de queijo) would make a wonderful meal any time, and you will find a delicious version of each at The Brazilian Grill.

    But don't pass up the churrasco. The meats come to you straight from the grill, visible on the other side of the glass that separates the dining room from the kitchen, skewer after skewer lined up, wonderful grill fragrances permeating the room. Be sure to engage the Churrasqueiros in conversation, too . . . they're friendly and attentive to your needs, and they'll keep coming back as often as you like. The room is warm and has a homey feel to it. The buffet is nicely presented, and staff attends to it often to keep the offerings fresh and appetizing.

    The buffet with churrasco is an “all you can eat” specialty of the house, but be sure to save a little room for dessert. We had the Brazilian flan, and were very glad we did. This version uses sweetened condensed milk, in addition to whole milk, and so the final texture is rather dense, but in no way heavy. It was the perfect ending to a very good meal. Try your own hand at this wonderful treat . . . . you'll find a good flan recipe here.

    There are other menu items at The Brazilian Grill, and I don't mean to diminish their worth by passing them over in this review. The buffet and churrasco are the stars of the show, and so my intent is to elevate them to their proper place. The buffet, alone, is $9.95; with the churrasco, $17.95. This puts it, perhaps, just a little above a family-friendly venue, although three families, including young children, were there on one of our visits, a busy Saturday evening.

    Cape Dining Out makes a distinction among restaurant categories in its rating system. The Brazilian Grill straddles the mid-range and family-friendly categories, but in either one it scored well with us. The service was friendly and warm; the quality of the food was high; and for the price, the value will be hard to beat anywhere. The Brazilian Grill earned 3.5 Cods with a score of 44 out of 50 and is strongly recommended for a terrific and satisfying dinner out.

    One more thing . . . . a little personal touch when you leave: ōbrigado is Portuguese for “thank you”; and boa noite (pronounced noich) is “good night”. It will earn you a smile from the staff.

If you go . . . .

Copyright © 2004

MLM Celtic Enterprises

No portion of this article may be reprinted or republished without the express written permission of the copyright holder.