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Since you specify the 128 loop, this place is about a half-mile directly off 128 in Woburn..
I can't claim to be an expert on Brazilian BBQ but I have twice had their Rodizio BBQ and it has been delicious. Service is prompt, friendly and the place is both handicap and child friendly. Also the Brazilian version of a Mojito, the Caipirinha is a great compliment to the BBQ.
It is right off Rt 128 in North Woburn, on Rt 38, about a block past Pho#1, another favorite.-----
Churrascaria Rodeo Brazilian Steakhouse
920 Main St., Woburn, MA 01801›2 Replies -
nsenada
Oct 5, 2009 07:17 AM
This thread's from May - not sure if there have been many changes: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/609017
I like the Midwest Grill in Inman, it has been fairly consistently good the last couple times I've been there (no dessert included anyomre, though).
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re: nsenada
itaunas
Oct 5, 2009 07:55 AM
Not much has changed, but that thread was more for someone coming from Metrowest and was for a specific radius. As in that thread it would be useful to know what the poster is looking for -- high end churrascaria, variety of meats, just good picanha, drinks, etc.
Midwest in Cambridge: reasonably consistent when busy, medium-large selection of meats. Grill over charcoal. Ok buffet, if they have the oxtail its a good bet. They have dropped the price a couple of $ on lunch and dinner rodizio. Live music 7x24 and full bar. In the bar you can order chopped bbq with fried yuca (also chicken hearts, sausage). Muqueca also does Picanha a la carte (gas grilled).
Somerville: Gauchao: decent charcoal grilled churrasco, one of the better buffets. They have fixed-price takeout, but do not have a rodizio. No alcohol. Rodizio in East Somerville is also charcoal, was related to Gauchao, but has different ownership now (were talking about beer/wine license, but not certain). Their rodizio was $12-14 and was as good as Gauchao, so better option for just meat, but buffet not as good. Valentin, Magoun Sq, grilled over charcoal and is what was called Pampas/Churrasco Grill, but changed ownership and haven't been since. Rodizio I think is $12.99 and they were trying to get a beer/wine license (previously Pampas had trouble transferring a full liquor). Bom de Boca Grill, gas grilled, large delivery area no alcohol. Cafe Belo -- charcoal grilled, nice bar and live music, they tend to have pork ribs and sometimes beef ribs which are less common, but often quality can be poor.
Probably the best value rodizio is Pampas in Everett -- Broadway on the Malden line, which you would have to take a bus or better with a car. Last I was there its still $9.95 and they do an excellent job with grilled meats, although the buffet food itself was barely edible. Beer/wine. There are several other options in downwtown Everett with inexpensive rodizios (Brazilian Country Buffet (charcoal?), a better Cafe Belo, Picanha's (gas?), Oliveira's per-lb mostly better buffet no alcohol at least pre-move, but rest I think are full bar) but I haven't been recently.
All rodizio prices include the buffet, but drinks and dessert are usually extra (at a high end churrasco, the desserts would be included).
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re: itaunas
Luther
Oct 5, 2009 05:22 PM
I went to Valentine right after the ownership changed, they hadn't changed the signage yet but the credit card machine said "Valentine Pizza". The buffet items were pretty good but the meats were way overcooked- unless you were really picky about which parts you had the guy cut, you got a jerky-dry corner piece.
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re: Luther
itaunas
Oct 7, 2009 07:14 AM
This is a big difference between Brazilians and Americans at churrascarias and rodizios, something that business owners take advantage of. Whether its a rodizo or per-lb, Brazilians will specify exactly what they want, point to the part of the meat, even refuse something in a per-lb if they don't like it. You have that right. Obviously the communication at somewhere like Valentim is more complicated. At a Rodizio, you will get better service if you specify the meats you want, otherwise they bring things intended to fill you and less expensive cuts. For Americans they will often assume you don't want chicken hearts. Its worth being educated on the cuts, asking for what you want (even asking for them to grill some) -- I want picanha, medium rare, or suffer with endless rounds of garlic bread and less noble cuts.
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re: nsenada
itaunas
Oct 7, 2009 07:08 AM
The cheese bread is simply Pao de Queijo, which you can find in abundance in the area. If you buy it from a bakery try to find one which makes it fresh (often they will sell small ones by the bagfull), rather than a convenience store which has heated the frozen ones an stuck them in a warming case. If you want you can buy the frozen ones, or its quite easy to make with the right tapioca starch*. Weekend mornings are a good bet and Padaria Brasil Bakery in Framingham is probably the best metro-west bet closer in.
Here in Boston we have never had a high-end churrascaria with a massive everything-included buffet, lots of meat and extra care to grilling, trained service, full wine list, etc. I could be overlooking something in CT, but to my mind the nearest churrascaria which comes close is Plataforma in Manhattan. I think they actually come closer to offering a closer dining experience to what you have in Brazil than Fogo de Chao but that is probably for another board. There was a Porcao in NY (and I believe still is one in Miami). I also though Brazilian Grill did the mid-price rodizio better than the respective restaurants in the Boston area, but that opinion is a couple years dated.
I think something interesting could be done with a high end churrascaria in the area, but there isn't a lot of "expense-account" dining open so if one were to happen it would probably be a chain like Fogo or Texas de Brazil. I think we do have some decent lower-price churrascarias, which is where I am most inclined to spend my money. Although I wish we had more a la carte Brazilian options, something which was stronger before having been eaten up by the fixed price marmitex and cut-rate rodizio locations which are both backing away from the race to the bottom on price (some places were offering a $4.99 marmitex which could serve two). Oasis has gone away from that, Muqueca is solid, PB Restaurant and Cafe Brazil seem to be struggling a bit. More a la carte would be preferable. And if you take the close to $100/pp which you can spend at a Fogo de Chao, its a pretty good downpayment on a flight to Brazil :-)
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re: itaunas
itaunas
Oct 7, 2009 11:19 AM
For the * on the tapioca starch, which I left out in my experience is worthwhile searching out the Brazilian polvilho, rather than using generic tapioca starch such as from a Asian market. And there are better and worse Brazilian brands, so it can be an advantage to shop specifically at a Brazilian store. In Brazil there are two types, polvilho doce and polvilho azedo, translated sweet and "bitter" or really "fermented." On packages you will often see the word "amido" such as "amido doce" which is a more generic term (polvilho is a kind of amido). In any case they have different chemical properties and give a different result, but both are used (and sometimes mixed) in pao de queijo recipes.
For the Panificadora Modelo fans, the smaller Petisco across the street is a nice complement -- they do different things better. They sometimes have homemade doces, do some Brazilian soups, have good salgadinhos. Modelo is much better for the pao de queijo and Bread and Co. over on Broadway is another weekend morning Pao de Queijo option.
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re: nsenada
yumyum
Oct 7, 2009 10:41 AM
That cheesy bread ball is the bomb, man. I like it at Panificadora Modelo in Magoun Square, Somerville. Here's a post about what else they do well ...
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re: yumyum
StriperGuy
Oct 7, 2009 12:52 PM
I agree, Pao de queijo mmmmm. Particuarly amazing if you can ever get some hot right out of the oven.
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re: StriperGuy
itaunas
Oct 7, 2009 01:19 PM
A couple of other polvilho tips, its used for crunchy items called biscoitos de polvilho as well as pao de queijo. There are ubiquitous bagged polvilho puffs which come in a peanut shape which blow away cheese doodles (not much cheese in most though, in Brazil you can get them locally made). Here denser forms are made, more like cookies and several bakeries have them. They are a bit chalky in taste. I meant to give another shout out to Cake and Cia in Everett on the "hidden gems" thread a month ago for walking in and the owner had whipped up a batch of coconut biscoitos de polvilho, but also had some savory ones baked but hadn't had time to take them out. I certainly haven't hidden it, but most even hounds would walk right by w/o noticing its there.
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re: Chris B.
itaunas
Oct 7, 2009 07:32 AM
Several hounds have had decent meals there on Weekends. I had a disaster of an experience on a weeknight, which just screamed of cutting corners. Primarily it was with service, but the meats and buffet both suffered. I have had some inconsistent experiences with the MW in Cambridge and when its not busy, they will slow roll putting more meats to grill, but most of the time its been a good overall experience.
You could try it on a weekend. Or go to Pampas in Malden (for meat only, the buffet isn't very good, beer/wine) or Fire Bull in Peabody or Oliveira's for a per-lb. If you need a full bar there are several options down in Everett right on Broadway.
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