Last
night we had the privilege of previewing the brand-new Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse on South Dale Mabry in Tampa before it officially opens on tomorrow.
We were
sad when GrillSmith closed in that location awhile back because I love their
pumpkin crab bisque (luckily, they are moving into the old Grille One Sixteen
location further up the road just north of Kennedy…)
Terra
Gaucha has run a successful restaurant in Jacksonville since 2015. They worked
with BDG Architects to convert the previous Grillsmith location into an elegant
new space that is now fit for the churrascaria style dining experience. This
culinary style originated with the South American cowboys, or “gaúchos,” who
grilled meats over an open flame.
I’ve
been lucky getting to preview the transformation of the restaurant since I work
for the architect. Our interior design team did an amazing job (you can read more
about the design concept here). I love the beautiful wine display at the
entrance as well as the custom sculpture and painting by artist Marc De Waele.
We had
never visited a Brazilian steakhouse before, so I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect.
For dinner, restaurant patrons have the option for either a gourmet salad and
hot bar or the “full rodizio experience” which includes the salad bar as well as
unlimited access to over a dozen varieties of meats cut tableside. We were
invited to be part of the “friends and family” night to sample the menu, so our
meals were complimentary (minus the drinks…)
They
have a diverse wine menu, but we tried their cocktails instead. Lance had the
caipirinha, made with cachaça (a Brazilian rum), sugar, and lime. I had the
same but with muddled pineapple and mint, which I’d definitely order again.
As we
were seated, we were served cheesey puffs of bread along with caramelized
bananas. The bread was good but I wanted to keep room for all the food to
follow. However, we did devour the bananas (they brought us another plate of
them after we cleaned the first plate).
When I
heard they had a salad bar, I pictured it being more like a Sweet Tomatoes, but
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food. They had a few meats and
cheeses (including an enormous wheel of parmesan), grilled pineapple, roasted
garlic, soups, salads, and more.
Once we
had our fill of that, we flipped over a card to signify that we were ready for
the servers to bring us meat. It seems that the second we flipped it over, we
had half a dozen people dashing our way to serve us. We almost had to flip the
cards over as soon as we turned them to green because otherwise we’d never have
the opportunity to try the meats they cut for us.
My
favorite of the meats was the Porco Com Parmesao (pork tenderloin encrusted
with Parmesan cheese). It is soaked in white wine and herbs before being
roasted and coasted in cheese. I also enjoyed the smoky Linguiça (Brazilian sausage)
and the Picanha (their house specialty premium sirloin). The rest came by so
quickly I could barely keep track of what I was sampling. You can see the variety
of meats here (we thought it was funny that the “gauchos” were labeled the same
as the meats on the menu…hopefully they weren’t turning us into cannibals!)
Our
waiter, Dennis, was extremely welcoming and attentive. He asked for our
feedback on the drinks and dishes, which was all positive on our end. I would
have loved to have tried one of their desserts, but we were beyond full at the
end of our meal.
While we
really enjoyed ourselves, we’d have to save this for a special occasion because
it is pricier than we’d spend on a typical date night. Plus, as much as I enjoyed
the food, I just don’t eat enough to make any all-you-can-eat establishment
worth it. Lance already said he wants to come back for his birthday though
because for him, the more meat the better. I wish there was a way to visit and
enjoy the salad bar with a smaller sampling of the meats rather than the
unlimited option.
Happy to
have another new restaurant concept in town and we wish them the best!
Terra
Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse is located at 1108
S Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33629.
They are open for lunch Monday
through Friday 11:30am – 2pm and Saturday/Sunday from 11:30am – 3pm. For
dinner, they are open from 5 – 10pm Monday through Friday, 4 – 10:30pm on
Saturday, and 4 – 9pm on Sunday.
