What: The full rodizio dinner
Where: Churrasco Brazilian Steakhouse, 450 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
How much: $69.95 for all you can eat
Contact: 760-409-7555; churrascobr.com/churrasco-palm-springs
Why: Lots of meat!
The first Brazilian steakhouse I ever dined at was in Palm Desert. Almost two decades ago, I visited Picanha Churrascaria, located on El Paseo; the meal was splendid. Not only was there an all-you-can eat salad bar and buffet; men were bringing around a variety of freshly grilled meats on gigantic skewers. What’s not to like?
Picanha later moved to Cathedral City—to a location with less foot traffic and much less charm—and closed in 2013, leaving the Coachella Valley without a Brazilian steakhouse. Earlier this year, Churrasco Brazilian Steakhouse arrived to fill that void, following up a Reno, Nev., location with a second spot in the Palm Springs space previously occupied by Woody’s Palm House.
The hubby and I decided to dine there on a recent Friday night. The bad news: Only four or five other tables were occupied at any given time during our visit, which leads me to believe the Churrasco folks really need to work on getting the word out, because—here’s the good news—the food was absolutely splendid.
The “fresh market table”—the salad bar/buffet—had a wide variety of salads, cheeses and cold meats, as well as hot dishes and sides like chicken stroganoff, mushroom risotto, fresh salmon and more. (If you want to enjoy the buffet without the skewered meats for dinner, you can do so for $43.50.)
As for those meats on giant skewers: There are more than a dozen beef, lamb, chicken and pork cuts, ranging from filet mignon and top sirloin (the “Picanha,” the house specialty) to lamb chops, parmesan-coated pork loins, linguica and more.
Everything was yummy; the service was good; and even the cocktails were superb. Make sure you’re truly hungry before going to Churrasco—but definitely make sure you go.
