My experience at Churrascaria Copacabana began on a very positive note. While the server explained the evening’s menu, I was getting verklempt like Renee Zellwegger in Jerry Maguire.Who doesn’t love 11 meats?I didn’t even know there were 11 meats!
I only found out about Churrascaria Copacabana recently — it’s been around since September, but I had known it by its former name, Pantanal.I liked that restaurant, but was psyched to see this new Brazilian steakhouse take over the space.The idea is simple — for a fixed price of $35, you get the salad bar (a meal by itself), several side dishes, and the star of the show, the rodizio, which apparently translates to “meat parade”.Servers come around with large metal skewers of meat and slice it right in front of you.And they keep coming.And coming.
Last Thursday I got together with the restaurant meetup, ready to do some serious damage at the table.A few of us vowed to try all 11 meats.We grazed from the salad bar and the servers dropped off the excellent side dishes like fried bananas and black beans.Then the “meat parade” started, with servers and their skewers coming in waves.It was sensory overload.There was sausage, chicken, pork tenderloin, several types of beef, and meats wrapped in bacon.The sausage was seriously tasty — juicy and full of smoky goodness.Prime rib was another great one — perfectly tender and seasoned only with salt, letting the natural flavor of the meat come through.Not all the meats were winners though; the chicken was surprisingly bland, and while I love bacon wrapped around anything, the bacon itself was a bit fatty and undercooked.
Dining at a Brazilian barbecue is sort of like a competitive eating event you see on ESPN. You have to pace yourself, focus and hope to not have a “reversal”. I was taking deep breaths after the 9th meat (we were counting). Everyone else was winding down too. Then, almost as a cruel joke, a server came by pushing a cart of some of the biggest beef ribs I had ever seen:
I’m not sure if they were from a cow or a small dinosaur. Regardless, they were delicious. Literally falling apart on the plate. Our 11th and final meat was leg of lamb; I’m hot and cold on lamb, but this one was great — charred and crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. I still had a tiny bit of room for dessert, so I tried the caramel flan. Silky, light and not too sweet, it was the perfect end to a literal meat orgy.
One final note: I realized later that actually, we got a bit gypped. The menu on the restaurant’s website advertises “12 unique meats”. Apparently the barbecue pork ribs were kept off the menu that night. Hmm. I may have to go back to Copacabana and demand my 12th meat.
Getting the Meat Sweats in Port Chester
You had me at 11 unique meats.
My experience at Churrascaria Copacabana began on a very positive note. While the server explained the evening’s menu, I was getting verklempt like Renee Zellwegger in Jerry Maguire. Who doesn’t love 11 meats? I didn’t even know there were 11 meats!
I only found out about Churrascaria Copacabana recently — it’s been around since September, but I had known it by its former name, Pantanal. I liked that restaurant, but was psyched to see this new Brazilian steakhouse take over the space. The idea is simple — for a fixed price of $35, you get the salad bar (a meal by itself), several side dishes, and the star of the show, the rodizio, which apparently translates to “meat parade”. Servers come around with large metal skewers of meat and slice it right in front of you. And they keep coming. And coming.
Last Thursday I got together with the restaurant meetup, ready to do some serious damage at the table. A few of us vowed to try all 11 meats. We grazed from the salad bar and the servers dropped off the excellent side dishes like fried bananas and black beans. Then the “meat parade” started, with servers and their skewers coming in waves. It was sensory overload. There was sausage, chicken, pork tenderloin, several types of beef, and meats wrapped in bacon. The sausage was seriously tasty — juicy and full of smoky goodness. Prime rib was another great one — perfectly tender and seasoned only with salt, letting the natural flavor of the meat come through. Not all the meats were winners though; the chicken was surprisingly bland, and while I love bacon wrapped around anything, the bacon itself was a bit fatty and undercooked.
Dining at a Brazilian barbecue is sort of like a competitive eating event you see on ESPN. You have to pace yourself, focus and hope to not have a “reversal”. I was taking deep breaths after the 9th meat (we were counting). Everyone else was winding down too. Then, almost as a cruel joke, a server came by pushing a cart of some of the biggest beef ribs I had ever seen:
I’m not sure if they were from a cow or a small dinosaur. Regardless, they were delicious. Literally falling apart on the plate. Our 11th and final meat was leg of lamb; I’m hot and cold on lamb, but this one was great — charred and crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. I still had a tiny bit of room for dessert, so I tried the caramel flan. Silky, light and not too sweet, it was the perfect end to a literal meat orgy.
One final note: I realized later that actually, we got a bit gypped. The menu on the restaurant’s website advertises “12 unique meats”. Apparently the barbecue pork ribs were kept off the menu that night. Hmm. I may have to go back to Copacabana and demand my 12th meat.
GRADE: B+
Churrascaria Copacabana 29 N. Main St. Port Chester, NY 10573 914-939-6894