Reply #63: A lot of it is the atmosphere, and how the food is served. But... [View All]

[Common Sense Party]

At a Brazilian steakhouse (like Rodizio's--in Salt Lake, Denver, Houston, I think), the food is roasted on spits or swords over open flame. The main item is different cuts of beef, but they also barbecue chicken, turkey wrapped in bacon, sausage, ham, pineapple, vegetables, sometimes even exotic cuts like snake.

Then the servers take one of the swords off the fire and circulate around the restaurant. They bring it right to your table, and if you'd like some, they slice it off for you. So it's always hot and fresh off the fire. The meat is tender, juicy, lightly seasoned with salt and garlic...

Sorry, I'm salivating right now.

You eat as much as you want. You have a little marker on the table. When you have the green side up, the servers will keep coming to your table. When you're stuffed--or when you're focusing on the excellent salad bar--you turn the marker to red and the servers don't bother you with more cuts.

So, unlike Texas-style barbecue, it doesn't rely on lots of thick BBQ sauce. Unlike Tennessee-style, it's not pulled pork, etc. with vinegar-based sauce. The meat is the star. Usually you don't need to put a thing on the beef, because it's so good as is. (Don't get me wrong, I like the Texas and Southern-styles, but I like Brazilian better.)