This kind of Brazilian barbeque is a buffet-style restaurant. They have a bar with hot foods like spaghetti or asian noodles, different kinds of potato (mashed, seasoned wedges), fried plantains, fried yucca and other items. They also have a cold bar with an assortment of salads (caesar, potato, etc.), tabouleh, cherry tomatoes with olives and cheese cubes, green beans, different sliced luncheon meats and different kinds of sliced cheeses, sliced tomatoes, and on occasion, shiitake mushrooms, which I love. They have also periodically had hearts of palm, which are pretty tasty too. Their cold bar selection is pretty much an upscale salad bar. They also have a few other hot dish platters, including some kind of fish and pork barbeque ribs, as well as two kinds of soup.
The signature aspect of the Brazilian barbeque, though, is that they bring around an assortment of just-cooked meats on a big sword directly to your table. The meat runners (I love that title) will usually carry two swords of different meats, though on our last visit, one of the meat runners came around carrying four swords. I was amazed that he could handle that many! The assortment of meats includes lamb, sausage, tri-tip, beef short ribs, chicken, skirt steak, tenderloin, sirloin, bacon-wrapped turkey, duck, pork loin, beef shish kabob and garlic roast beef. On our last trip, they even had pork chops, which we'd never seen before. I also like the chicken hearts, but they don't usually have that wandering around since not many people seem to eat them. You generally have to request that, and then they'll make a skewer. In the past, we've also seen them have prime rib on the bone wheeled around on a cart. They also used to have rabbit, but they've since taken that off the menu.
On the table, there's a wooden cylinder that's painted green on one end and red on the other, with it being yellow in the middle. If you want the meat runners to stop at your table, you put the green side up. If you don't want the meat runners coming to your table, you put the red side up. I have no idea why there's yellow in the middle. Maybe if you put the cylinder down sideways, they're supposed to walk by slowly. I'll have to ask about the yellow sometime. If it's an item that's pre-portioned, like the duck or turkey or chicken or sausage or short ribs or something like that, you generally tell them how many of each piece you'd like. If it's something that's still a slab of meat, like the skirt steak or the tenderloin, they will usually cut off a slice, but you can always ask for more than one slice.
On our earlier visits, we would generally get a plate and put some things from the bar and then go back to our table, making sure there was still room on the plate for the meats. When we visited with friends, we noticed one person was getting an empty plate onto which the meats could be placed, and we thought that was a great idea, so we've adopted that method since.
On our most recent trip, the lamb was particularly tasty, as was the short rib. Chicken and turkey are entirely too boring to have in a place like this, so I don't even bother. The husband likes the duck there, but it's not cooked in a manner I like, so I'm going to have to remember to pass next time. There are many different kinds of beef, so I generally wait for the ones I really want, though sometimes, it's tempting to just try what they come around with. I love that the meat is so hot and fresh, but the only downside is that the meat tends to be cooked a little more than I would normally prefer it, but it's still very tasty.
One thing we noticed and liked about the meat runners is that at some point, when you've turned them down enough times, they'll ask you if you're waiting for something in particular (this time, one of the meat runners even went through the list of things they had), and if you tell them, they'll bring it out on their next run. There have also been other occasions when we've had the cylinder turned to red, but we've noticed a nearby meat runner with something we hadn't seen or looks interesting, and they'll notice us and come over to show us what they have anyway. I love that they pay that much attention.
The area where they cook all the meats is clearly visible, so I've stood there on occasion just watching them. Pretty amazing.
They do have a dessert cart that they push around, but we rarely have dessert because we're already so full from dinner itself. I did try a fried plantain this time, and it was pretty tasty, so I think I'm going to have one of those as dessert from now on.
There's a waterfall down the front window that faces the street, and if you sit at one of the adjacent tables, the water can be very loud. It's a fairly large place, and they can generally accommodate very large parties. We've regularly seen tables of 12 or more together. When we were there with our party of 10, we ended up at two adjacent tables because it happened to be during a very busy time.
The meat runners are always very nice and helpful, and the wait staff is usually very good, though we have on occasion had trouble getting timely drink refills.
The dinner price is $26 per person, with children 4 to 12 at half-price and children 3 and under free. The price is inclusive of the hot and cold bar and the meats, but beverages and desserts are extra.
With the combination of the great meats and the terrific cold bar, not to mention the attentive meat runners, this is a place I'd definitely recommend.
Here's their website. If you go to the menu link, there are pictures rotating through where you can see some of the meat skewers as well as the cold and hot bar.
Green Field Churrascaria
381 N. Azusa Avenue
West Covina, CA 91790
(626) 966-2300
(888) 295-1306
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1 comment:
Yellow is supposed to mean "no meat now, but check back in a little while." Red is supposed to mean "bring the check."
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