A tasty meating: Tucanos Brazilian Grill gets new digs, but offers same great flavors
Picanha is photographed at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
Brazilian Lemonade is photographed at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
Grilled pineapple is photographed at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
A server slices meat at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
A shrimp skewer is photographed at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
A dessert is photographed at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
The Salad Festival is photographed at Tucanos Brazilian Grill. Tucanos will feature a turkey-centric spread available on Thanksgiving Day.
A specialty drink is photographed at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
Grilled pineapple is sliced at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
Meat is served at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
Veggies and meats cook over a fire at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
Bacon-wrapped turkey is photographed at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
The dining cue is photographed with a cocktail at Tucanos Brazilian Grill.
Architectural rendering of the new Tucanos Brazilian Grill coming to University Place.
A few years ago, I had never even heard of Tucanos Brazilian Grill, and, come to think of it, that’s really, really unfortunate.
My first introduction came when a friend, visiting from out of town, insisted we eat there, because there wasn’t one near where he was living, and, well, it was just that good.
Once I got over the initial sticker shock (let’s be honest, I’m a stingy diner at times and the $24 dinner price would feed my family twice over at, say, Wendy’s), I realized that this is one of those moments where you get what you pay for. I was being treated to an incredible, Brazilian-style, meat-laden feast, and, well, that definitely covered the cost.
For anyone else like me who hasn’t taken the plunge and headed to Tucanos, the basic dining experience includes Churrasco which is essentially a Brazilian reference to the epic amount of grilled meat you can partake of during your visit. The Churrasco is accompanied by the Salad Festival, which, in the new location, is an incredibly large island of salads and cold foods, and a smaller island of hot selections.
The Salad Festival alone would make a solid meal for anyone, so it’s convenient that you can also purchase it separately. From fruits and veggies to more cultural selections (hearts of palm, quail eggs, feijoada — a black bean stew), the Salad Festival has an incredible array of selections, and it’s hard not to fill up before digging into the meats.
My personal favorites include small, cheese-filled rolls, fried bananas, the cheesy mashed potatoes and the delicious pasta selections, but from pasta salads to fresh pineapple, soups to salad galore, the options really are quite incredible, and the staff is great about making sure things are constantly refilled, taking the freshness level of your feast up yet another notch.
Though reservations are always a good idea, our visit to the new Tucanos location — a really incredible set up at University Place in Orem, was a bit impromptu, and I braced myself for a lengthy wait, appreciative of the ample waiting area and the fact that water and cups were available.
Fortunately, it was just a matter of minutes before we were escorted to our seats, and snagged a better view of the new interior. Booths and tables are carefully spaced to allow servers to easily maneuver around, and a beautiful outdoor seating area was also available, adding on to an already spacious dining area with several sections that ultimately circled around the Salad Festival and meat preparation area. It was fun to catch glimpses of the chefs seasoning and preparing the massive skewers of meat, but honestly, the best part was sampling it all.
It wasn’t until my first visit to the restaurant that I realized just how much of a meat-lover I am. But maybe it’s also because I hadn’t been sampling the right kind of meats, which Tucanos has no short supply of.
Though you can order specialty skewers (shrimp, sirloin in bacon, sea scallops) as well as a variety of other top-notch foods (King Crab legs, sweet onion straws, calamari, Brazilian Buffalo Wings or Nachos Brasileiros), we elected to stick to the straight Churrasco — there’s no shortage of variety or great flavors, and it’s a constant stream of goodness heading straight to your table.
To start the onslaught of grilled deliciousness, all you need to do is flip the small wooden cue from the red side to the green. Then a series of servers will drop by with bowls and skewers of freshly cooked beef, pork, chicken, turkey, seafood, grilled vegetables and grilled fruit.
My personal favorite has always been Picanha, or Top Sirloin, but that selection was over-shadowed during our visit by a new addition to the flavor festival: bacon-wrapped filet mignon. Delicious Medalhão com Bacon, or bacon-wrapped center-cut sirloin has been a staple of the Churrasco for quite a while, but there was something about the filet mignon wrapped in crisp bacon that was so tender and delicious my husband and I both found ourselves asking for more (which, as a note, you totally can do — requests are recommended, and you can also share your preferences on how you like your meat cooked).
Other highlights included Contra Filé, or New York Strip, Assado (beef brisket), Picalho (garlic Parmesan beef), Peru (turkey wrapped in bacon) and Frango Com Parmesão (Parmesan chicken). We sampled the Lombo (pork loin) as well, but our selection tasted a little dry, and with so many other options, it made it a little easier to prioritize.
A big highlight for my husband was the mango cod — it was so crisp and flavorful that we actually waited around for a second helping.
On the flip side, the Frango Picante (sweet and spicy BBQ chicken thigh) was pretty heavy on the spice and the Fraldinha (beef tender) was a little more chewy than tender, but all in all, there wasn’t much we didn’t like from the great selection we were offered, and it reminded us of a really great thing about the way Tucanos serves the Churrasco: The portions are small enough you can enjoy sampling a variety of things, but you can also hone in on which ones are your favorites (pretty much anything wrapped in bacon, really).
Tucanos seasons the meat simply, and it allows for a lot of really great natural flavors to come through. The variety is pretty incredible, and I feel like there’s always something new or exciting to taste.
We punctuated our meal with a copious amount of grilled pineapple (it’s so delicious, and a perfect palate cleanser), and just had water for our beverage so we could focus on the great flavors of the food, but if you’re willing to spend a little more, I’d highly recommend the Brazilian Lemonade. At $4.95 a person, the lemonade comes with free refills and a variety of delicious flavors, or you can dive into the Tucanos Specialty Blended Drinks — essentially a really fantastically flavored shake. On a previous visit, I sampled the Ipanema, which was coconut milk blended with banana, raspberry and ice cream, and it was a pretty incredible flavor sensation.
The venue also offers a variety of delicious desserts, including cheesecake (which is pretty creamy and tasty) and rich chocolate cake, but that also involves leaving room for such desserts, which can be tricky.
Overall, we were big fans of the new digs, but even moreso big fans of the great flavors that Tucanos offers. We’ll definitely be waiting for our free birthday meals, and enjoying every chance to splurge on the truly excellent food.
TUCANOS BRAZILIAN GRILL
Where: 545 E. University Parkway in Orem
Prices: Full Churrasco is $23.95, or $16.95 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Salad Festival only is $15.95 ($11.95 during lunch). Specialty skewers, appetizers, desserts and a variety of drinks are also available.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday
Info: (801) 224-4774, tucanos.com