Pleasures of the Flesh: Grill Hall Prazeres da Carne
Most everyone by now as been to or at least run across one of the Brazilian steak houses back in the U.S. There are a couple of big chains (heavily advertized, I might ad in airline magazines!), Fogo de Chão and Texas de Brazil being the most common. While in Chicago a few years back, I had my first experience at one, Fogo de Chão, and it was quite interesting.
So, what do you get at at churrascarias? First off, don't bring your vegetarian friends with you. A churrascarias is not vegetable friendly. When going to at churrascarias your goal is to eat meat. Cow, lamb, pig (there might be some chicken thrown in, but why bother). Oh yeah, there's also a salad bar (placed there to distract the unwary from the primary goal, eating lots of meat).
So, when I went to Brazil, I was hoping to stop in at a churrascarias. And there were plenty to choose from, smaller places, and even Fogo de Chão. When my colleagues expressed interest in Brazilian steak, our hosts said they had just the place for us, Grill Hall Prazeres da Carne. In translation, The Pleasures of the Flesh! Ah, and how true!
We arrived early and our group of ten or so had a nice big round table that made for good conversation. The passadores (meat waiters) soon descended on us with shrimp and chicken, but our hosts to eat sparingly of the first offers (if at all) as the offerings get better as the evening goes on.
Wait you ask, how does this work? Well, each guest is given a token, red on one side, green on the other. As long as you are showing green, the passadores will come to your seat and offer you food. Feet is most often served on long skewers (or swords) and cut directly onto your plate.
And so, the meat came. Lamb chops, beef in various cuts (filet, sirloin, etc.), sausages, and more. As the evening drew to a close and the table was showing mostly red, a side of beef was rolled out on a table (too large for the swords) and tender slices passed around.
Not the kind of meal that you want too often, but for a once in a while treat, especially when on the home turf of the churrascarias, it was a great meal.
More photos.
Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 4 February 2010
Rating: ****
Address: Rua Borges Lagoa, 1065, São Paulo, SP, 04038-032
Website: http://www.grillhall.com.br/
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