Brazilian food question (JCCyC? Anyone?)

[eyesroll]

This weekend, we went with my parents to Sal e Carvao, a churrascaria (sp?) in Illinois. For the uninitiated, this is a restaurant in which men wander the room, carrying meat on sticks, and they carve off slices or chunks for whoever wants. This particular restaurant had 14 different cuts of meat (and two days later, I'm still feeling kinda gross), plus a salad/side bar, and mashed potatoes and fried bananas on the side. Not veggie-friendly, to say the least, but it's good for people on Atkins or South Beach, if they pass on the sides and stick to the meat and salad.

It's the fried bananas I'm wondering about -- is this actual Brazilian food, or an American bastardization? These were bananas, not plantains, that were dipped in a slightly sweet batter and deep fried until the insides were almost creamy. If this is actually Brazilian food, got a recipe?

Needless to say, I ate way too many fried bananas. But I still want to make them sometime.

[SoCalDem]

1. yum.. plantains & fejoada

Plantains are the best... :) thinly sliced and deep fried crispy.. or smashed & fried with garlic & a tad of lime juice :):)

[Sandpiper]

2. They're authentic

They fry the sweet kind in Brazil too.

They also have several different kinds of sweet bananas in Brazil, as opposed to the one that you'll generally find at a US grocery store.

How was the salad bar? A good churrascaria will also have a good salad bar with lots of different vegetable salads and fruits.

Not Brazilian myself, but lived in Sao Paulo for a while.

[eyesroll]

3. It was pretty decent, but not a lot of fruit

They had apple salad; I think that was it on the fruit.
But they also had some decidedly non-Brazilian touches (prosciutto di parma, fresh mozzarella) and a lot of marinated or grilled vegetables, and beans and rice.

I'd love to go to Brazil, too -- I'd imagine a churrascaria even in touristy areas would cost less than this one did (in the suburbs of Chicago).

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. They serve non-Brazilian things at the side buffet in Brazil too.

In short, it's authentic.

Edit: how much did you pay?

[eyesroll]

5. $39.50/pp

Which is about what one would pay at a Chicago steakhouse for mid-range steak, potato and (maybe, depending on the place) a salad.

It was for my dad's b-day/belated father's day.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. AIEEEEEEEEEE

Come to Brazil and get all that for US$ 10.

Heck, if you stay here one month you'll get even with the plane tickets! And don't get me started about clothes, generic trinkets etc...

[eyesroll]

7. So I've heard...

The manager (from Brazil) of the restaurant came around and asked how everything was. My dad speaks Portugese, so he and the manager got to chatting (my dad was showing off), and the manager said that there are some high-end churrascarias in Brazil (US$30 or so), and there are also lower-end establishments where one can eat oneself silly for $5.

But I guess it works the same way in the US, too -- some of the best food I've eaten in Wisconsin comes from a little Laotian noodle shop, where it costs $12 for Vince and me to eat dinner. Down the block, $2 Vietnamese sandwiches with bbq pork. Drive a mile or two into the city and things start going up real fast.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

9. Paying US$ 30 (almost R$ 100) for a Rodízio in Brazil is idiotic

Lots of top quality places for US$ 10-12.

Pretty good places for US$ 7-8.

There are some rodízios for as low as US$ 5, but they're so-and-so at best. Avoid them.

[Sandpiper]

8. When I was in Sao Paulo from 1998 - 2000

The exchange rate at the time made a meal at my favorite churrascaria about $8.00 USD.

The most popular churrascaria here in San Diego is $28.00.

It makes me sick.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

10. You'll all have to excuse me, I'm going to have my US$ 1.60 lunch

Not a rodízio, of course, but pretty good. Plenty of veggy soup and free side dishes (pasta, rice, beans, veggies). Only the main dish is a limited portion. Nothing of questionable quality.

Cruel, ain't I?

[eyesroll]

11. I can eat for $1.60 -- I think that's what some of the more vile

frozen dinners cost. :eyes: Maybe I'll stop and get Vietnamese sandwiches for dinner tonight.