Brazil's gift to the world has got to be supermodels; a quick search of the 'net yields names by the hundreds. However, if you don't like supermodels, Brazil's second gift to the world is fantastic too: food!
Unbeknownst to most Tufts students, Somerville boasts one of the highest Brazilian populations around. While official numbers are hard to come by, one estimate drawn from a public school survey puts the proportion at 16 percent. Regardless of the numbers, it's clear that if you want great authentic Brazilian food, this is the place to be.
Churrasco Buffet and Grill offers five-dollar-a-pound plates eaten inside a no-frills atmosphere. Located in Somerville on Medford Street, the restaurant is a hole in the wall where you'll be lucky if anybody speaks English - but the food? Wow!
When you first walk in, a wall of food stares at you from across the room. The smells of the barbeque pit, garlic-flavored everything and sweet stews and soups surround you, as if they can see your aura of hunger. The stuffed bull's head situated above the buffet may scare you, but just remember: You'll be eating him, not the other way around. The lighting is bright, the TV loudly plays weird Brazilian soap operas, and the smiling staff is friendly.
If you've ever been to a Brazilian-style restaurant, chances are it had a buffet element. The fancier Brazilian restaurants feature huge self-serve selections of sauces, rices, flavored vegetables, yucca products and salads. When one wants meat, give a signal and a waiter brings it to you on a spit, fresh from an open flame. This barbeque style of eating, called churrasco, is popular not only with Americans looking for a thrill, but native Brazilians as well.
So first up, grab a plate, and don't be overwhelmed. Skip the salad bar. While this is a sympathetic, considerate offering for the vegetarians and light eaters of the group, why go to a barbeque place for salad? Instead, hit up the different rice offerings that have been saut?©ed in oil and garlic before being boiled. Some have bean-, chicken- and olive-flavored sauces, while others are served sans dressing.
After that, the main buffet changes daily, though there are some exceptions. Collard greens are a usual staple smothered in butter with a slightly crunchy, salty taste. This reviewer's group particularly raved about the mashed potatoes that featured globs of cheese which melted upon contact with the rich creamy potatoes.
At the end of the buffet section, there is a charcoal pit with a variety of meats and poultry roasting on an open fire. Asking what the meat selections are will yield a response starting with "a little bit of..." As in, Churrasco offers a little bit of chicken sausage, a little bit of pork, a little bit of beef with no fat, a little bit of beef with a lot of fat, and so on. The chicken legs (with bones) are not worth it. After all, you're paying by the pound, so why buy something you can't eat?
Any adventurous person can opt for a little bit of rabbit liver but the point is, Churrasco offers a little bit of everything, and it's a little bit of heaven. The juices seep into the rotating meats and poultry while the charcoal flavor that barbeque chefs swear by is evident in every bite. But make sure to drink a lot of water; the traditional churrasco-style cooking's only seasoning is coarse salt, so the flavor can be a little overwhelming.
As the last step before eating, get your meal weighed, and don't forget about the Brazilian soda and fruit juices in the case below. At the end of the meal, if you're still hungry, check out the in-house-made coconut-flavored flan and tiramisu.
A pay-by-the-pound buffet is great for a diverse group of friends; those small eaters can grab a snack while gluttons can dig in, and the explorers can dive into the aforementioned rabbit livers, curious looking fish stews or peculiar soups, like bacon and collard greens. Churrasco's unique authentic offering of Brazilian food feels like stepping into another world.
And finally, knowing a couple Portuguese phrases can ease your foray into Brazilian fare such as ol??, or al?? (hello), ??gua por favor (water please) and the most necessary of all: eu amo essa comida (I love this food).
