It’s been quite some time since I’ve eaten at a Brazilian churrasco. I’m not a huge meat eater, and the pressure of eating a ton of meat isn’t always the most enticing. Therefore, it was even more of a surprise when I visited Grasslands at Anaheim GardenWalk recently, and thoroughly enjoyed my experience.
My experiences with Brazilian churrasco have always entailed skewers of meat that are brought to the table and sliced on to your plate. The procedure at Grasslands is different. Here, you order your meats from the menu — a la carte, or as an all-you-can-eat option called Family Style Dinner ($36.50 adults/$16.50 kids 5-10 yrs). I highly suggest this since you’ll be able to get a taste of everything on the menu should you choose to.
There are also add-ons, but since we didn’t want to overstuff ourselves, we only ordered one item from the “Small Plates” section.
Arepas ($6) which are prominent in Venezuela and Colombian cuisines, are tender corn flour pocket bread stuffed with your choice of beef, chicken or pork and topped with lime crema. The arepa is decent, although not the best I’ve ever eaten.
We were excited to jump right into our churrasco meal and the Featured Meats offer 13 different protein choices. Meats are brought out four at a time if you’re doing the Family Style Dinner. If you’re opting for a la carte (pricing listed reflects 1/4lb/1/2 lb portions) instead, you’re free to do so.
I’m always wary when eating meat, so I was very impressed by the quality here at Grasslands. Picanha Churrasco ($5/$9) is sirloin cap that is very popular in Brazil. I’ve only seen this on menus at churrascarias. The beef is rubbed with sea salt and roasted, then thinly sliced. This is always my favorite when eating Brazilian BBQ. The meat is flavorful and not overly chewy.
Brisket Slow Smoked ($7/$12) is marinated for 24 hours in a secret brine, then dry rubbed with over 11 spices, slow cooked in smokers for over 12 hrs, producing a tender flavorful cut of beef that melts in your mouth. This wasn’t my favorite item. The brisket was under-seasoned — although the BBQ sauces on the table will help some.
We absolutely loved Beef Baby Back Ribs Slow Smoked ($7 for 1 bone/$30 for seven bones) which are large boned beef ribs rubbed and marinated for 24 hrs, then slow smoked or over 10 hours for fall-off-the-bone goodness. The meat was fork-tender and extremely savory.
St Louis Pork Ribs ($18 half rack/$28 full rack) are good — although I preferred the beef ribs. Large meaty ribs are seasoned with Grasslands’ dry rub, then slow smoked for over six hours, then finished on wood fired grills with house-made BBQ sauce.
Skirt Steak Churrasco ($8/$15) is another stellar option. Well-marbled steaks are prepared with sea salt and served at a temperature of your choice. The menu says it is served with chimichurri sauce, however, after reviewing my photos, I realize there was no chimichurri.
There are two types of sausages available. Chorizo Churrasco ($3 each) is a decent offering…
… but the Brazilian Linguica Churrasco ($3 each) was simply outstanding — full flavors with a hint of spice.
Definitely do not miss Thick Cut BBQ Bacon ($7 each) because it was one of my favorites. So flavorful!
If you’re not a heavy meat eater, there is seafood such as salmon, or BBQ Shrimp ($10/$18) — large gulf shrimp sauteed with Louisiana spices, garlic, holy trinity and finished with fresh butter.
But that’s not all. There is also an array of Hot Sides ($6 one helping/$10 two helpings) to pair with your meal.
Brazilian Garlic Rice, Black Beans (vegetarian) and Mac & Cheese were chosen for our first round. I loved the garlic rice and enjoyed it with my proteins. I was happy there was ample garlic in my rice and ended up ordering a second helping.
For the second round, we opted for Yucca Fries (veg) and Greens (olive oil and garlic) — sauteed red onions with kale.
I’m a huge fan of French Fries and these were super delicious with hints of seasoning coating each stick of potato.
Grasslands is featuring “all dads eat free” promotion for the entire month of June in celebration of Father’s Day. It is the perfect opportunity for you to get a taste of all the fabulous meats Grasslands has to offer.
Grasslands Churrasco & BBQ
at Anaheim GardenWalk
400 Disney Way #199
Anaheim CA 92802
Tel: 657-208-1113
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