Braza Grill Brazilian Steakhouse has the meats
The top sirloin is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
The Pico de Gallo Salad is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
The grilled pineapple is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
The Mozzarella Sun-Dried Tomato Salad is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
A Brazilian limeade is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
The top sirloin is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
Carneiro Everton pulls out a skewer with meat to give to a waiter to serve Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
The grilled pineapple is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
A Brazilian limeade is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
The Mozzarella Sun-Dried Tomato Salad is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
The top sirloin is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
The pico de gallo salad is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
The grilled pineapple is pictured Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Braza Grill in Lehi. ISAAC HALE, Daily Herald
A few weekends ago, my wife and I found ourselves in the Traverse Mountain area in Lehi and were pleasantly surprised to see that a plethora of new restaurants had sprung up over the past several months.
Naturally, we took the first opportunity to begin checking them out.
Returning to the area on Saturday evening, we opted to stuff ourselves silly at Braza Grill Brazilian Steakhouse. Braza Grill follows that fine philosophy as set forth by other local Brazilian-style restaurants such as Tucanos and Rodizio Grill, where you pay one upfront price and then servers dare you not to eat your weight in delicious grilled meat. What’s not to like?
Braza Grill, which has been open for about three months, was bustling when we arrived, as one would expect for a Saturday night dinner rush. We were told at the counter to expect a 20-minute wait — which turned out to only be about half that time. The slight delay gave us time to look around a bit — and admire the sleek ambiance as well a giant thin metal sculpture of a bull mounted on the wall behind the front desk.
There are two main dining rooms at Braza, and we were shown to a table in the back room. Servers were busy hustling to and fro carrying skewers of the latest grilled meat making the rounds. We couldn’t wait to get started.
As a personal rule, we always challenge ourselves to try out the all-you-can-eat salad, pasta and appetizer bars first. Our plan of attack is to sample the items that most appeal to us, without putting too big of a dent in our appetite. OK, the main purpose is really to make us feel better about ourselves in preparation for the carnivorous activity to follow.
Some of our favorite items from the side bars included the Rice and Chicken Strogranoff, Fried Bananas, Polenta, Mandioc, Three-Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Meatballs, and Rice Croquets. Additionally, we enjoyed the Mandarin Broccoli Salad and the Fruit Salad, which included pieces of pineapple, cantaloupe, kiwi and red grapes.
Like the other Brazilian steakhouses, you are given a token, in this case a round laminated coaster — red on one side, green on the other — that signals whether or not you want servers to approach your table with the latest fresh-off-the-grill skewers of meat. This is a good idea in theory, but it seems to be more of a guideline than a rule.
For example, as we wound down our salad bar samples, we flipped the token to green and began stocking up on an array of passing meats. After getting several and not being able to keep up, we sought to momentarily slow the flow by turning the token to red. But the meats just kept coming.
Now, could we simply pass on the meat options? Again, in theory, yes. But when you are faced with a skewer of honey-glazed ham, peppered steak, bacon-wrapped chicken or grilled pork — and you’re not sure when these particular items are going to come around again — then it’s just too much temptation to resist.
The red card option seemed to work better later in our meal, as servers recognized our pace was slowing down considerably and zeroed in on the token for verification.
Our very favorite meats were the beef tenderloin, which was loaded with flavor, the peppered steak and grilled sausage slices. Our least favorite was the garlic steak, which had a real strong flavor — but that probably just comes down to personal preference. We enjoyed pretty much everything else, which on this night also included spicy chicken (which was reminiscent flavor wise of buffalo wings), grilled chicken, top sirloin, pork loin and glazed pineapple. As things piled up on my plate, I even combined the pineapple and the ham, which was excellent.
The final tally included sampling 11 meats (several twice) and the grilled pineapple. Whew!
Braza Grill also offers dessert. Sometime when we have some room, we’ll have to give some a try.
BRAZA GRILL BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE
Where: 1873 W. Traverse Parkway, Suite A, Lehi
Hours: Monday to Friday, lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., dinner 5-9 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Prices: Lunch $19.99, dinner $23.99
Info: (801) 901-6636, brazagrillutah.com, facebook.com/brazagrilllehi/