“It was perfectly charred, glistening from the golden and slightly crispy fat,” Evandro Caregnato recalls in Churrasco: Grilling the Brazilian Way, of his first churrasco bite of skewered beef. “The look and smell enticed me to take a bite, and when the meat hit my lips, it was salty, juicy, and delicious. That one bite was pure perfection.”
If you’ve tried churrasco, you know he’s not wrong. For the uninitiated, let me introduce you to Bullvino’s Churrascaria Brazilian Steakhouse, which has locations in both Bloomington and downtown Saint Paul. Churrasco is a way of grilling premium cuts of meat that dates back centuries when gauchos (cowboys) used hot coals to cook meat, seasoning it with coarse salt. At the restaurant, servers, called gauchos, carve the meat tableside to the customer’s preference of doneness.
At Bullvino’s, customers flip a card to a red or green side indicating to stop or keep going with the meat offerings. Beef is the star, but other options include lamb steak, bacon-wrapped chicken, pork ribs, chicken hearts, and more. Abacaxi, pineapple roasted with cinnamon, is a sweet reprieve. Blake Hagert, a Bullvino’s owner, says to “come hungry and stay a while. This isn't a quick meal. It's meant to be enjoyed over a couple hours with the people you came with.”
Hagert recommends the picanha, the top sirloin with the fat cap on, and for a warm weather treat, pairing it with a caipirinha (Brazil’s classic cocktail made with lime, sugar, and cachaça, a spirit distilled from fermented sugarcane juice). Though picanha didn’t originate with the gauchos way back when, they did develop the technique of folding meat to create a fat cap. This protects the meat during cooking, allowing it to remain moist and juicy and creating a distinct delectable crust.
Sauces (ask for these!) are available at no additional cost and include chimichurri and a Hmong pepper sauce.
The Brazilian Table
Vegetarians, take note. In addition to the green-means-go card-flipping and hot-off-the-grill meat, there’s also unlimited visits to the Brazilian Table. Hagert’s advice is to pace oneself. That’s difficult to follow when faced with hearts of palm, asparagus, roasted zucchini, roasted bell peppers, salads such as shrimp or caprese, and multiple potato salads as well as grain salads: farro, quinoa, and couscous, to name a few. Cold foods include fresh fruit, ceviche, smoked salmon, as well as charcuterie – salamis and cheeses such as Manchego, Swiss, and blue cheese crumbles.
Hot sides include feijoada, the Brazilian black bean and pork stew, arroz carreteiro, or wagoner’s rice (a rice mixed with bits of meat), pão de queijo, the well-known cheesy bread (these are not popovers, people!) crispy polenta, velvety garlic mashed potatoes, and caramelized bananas. (Some hot items are delivered directly to the table.)
Hagert says Father’s Day is one of their favorites all year to host. He says, “On Father's Day especially, I want Dad to sit back, not lift a finger, and leave full.”
