Search for Delicious Ends at Brazilian Grill

By: Chris Setterlund, January 6, 2012

CHRIS SETTERLUND - The Brazilian Grill has been a bright spot on the Main Street Hyannis restaurant scene since 2000.

At the end of Main Street in Hyannis there is a little slice of southern Brazil.  The Brazilian Grill Churrascaria (steakhouse) is filled with authentic dishes that will transport you straight to the warmer climes of South America.

Diners have the choice of the soup and salad, the buffet, or the Churrasco a Rodizio, a rotisserie barbecue. I highly recommend this last option at least on your first visit, as it differs from the buffet in one delicious way: you get a gaucho who comes to your seat with hand carved cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and chicken—slowly cooked over natural wood to preserve their natural flavors and served on skewers—until you can eat no more.

Enrique was the gaucho who visited me for several trips.  When I simply could not eat any more meat, I just turned over the card on the table from green to red, letting Enrique know to pass me by.

But wanting to give the best recommendations possible, I tried each and every option that came my way.  The New York sirloin was amazing, but the more typical Brazilian choices were good as well. Though some may not dare, I tried and actually enjoyed the flavorful, chewy chicken hearts. You have to not think of it as a chicken heart and just go for it!

The rodizio also includes unlimited visits to the buffet, which offers a wide variety of salads, vegetables, cheeses, pasta, soups, and delicious Brazilian entrees suitable for vegetarians or those who prefer to eat on the lighter side.

I was surprised by the sushi rolls on the buffet line, considering that the other choices were straight out of southern Brazil: fried plantains, black beans, beef stew, roast chicken, roast beef, and delicious polenta with beef. 

Little Rio in Hyannis

The Brazilian Grill is the brainchild of Max DePaula and his cousin Walter, who desired to open a Brazilian-style churrasco near where they worked in Kingston.  Co-owner Kelly Borsatto explained that the cousins realized there was an even larger Brazilian population in the Hyannis area, so they set their sights there. 

After purchasing and renovating the building on Main Street, the Brazilian Grill opened its doors for the first time in September 2000.  While the food is ethnic, the clientele is “a big mix,” Borsatto says.  She then told me an interesting story of a local man who desired to learn Portuguese. 

“He came in nearly every day and sat at the bar,” she recalled, “and slowly learned the language by speaking with the Brazilian customers.” 

The Brazilian Grill’s dining room is almost always full.  I sat at the bar, which is nearly closed off from the dining area, making it a sort of escape from the bustling crowd.  There are three televisions surrounding the bar, one tuned to what I can only assume is a Brazilian network.  One by one a group of Brazilian workers entered the bar area and were greeted warmly by the bartender, Dani.

When I asked if it was always so busy in the mid-afternoon, Dani calmly began naming off the busy times and days.  By the end she had named pretty much every day of the week and every time of day.  

A doce vida

For those looking for an authentic Brazilian drink, Dani had a couple of suggestions.  She makes her seductively sweet Brazilian specialty, the caipirinha, out of strong sugar cane rum called cachaca, with plenty of sugar and muddled lime. 

Dani also poured me a shot made of cachaca de coco—or coconut rum. 

“It sits inside the coconut for two to three months,” Dani explained as she popped the cover off one such coconut. 

If you have not filled up on the buffet and the endless parade of delicious meats, be sure to stick around for dessert. The most popular dish is a Brazilian chocolate cake, but I opted for the pineapple upside down cake, topped with nuts and vanilla ice cream atop a healthy puddle of hot caramel. 

The fact that local Brazilians consistently fill The Brazilian Grill says a lot for the restaurant’s commitment to authenticity. But the only thing visitors to this Hyannis hot spot need to have in common is a taste for delicious food with an exotic flair.

Be sure to bring your appetite!