Tabocas Brazilian Steak House

While NumberOneSon, Matt, was home recently, I talked him into going to this Brazilian steak house I noticed once while on a mission to find a grocery selling authentic Portuguese sausage in downtown Lowell. "Tabocas" is the name of the place, located on the main drag (Andover St./Rt. 110) in what appears to be a former fast food joint.

TOP: Hot table filled with Brazilian buffet fare; BOTTOM: The main attraction, sizzling on skewers over the grill. Photos taken from Tabocas website.

Goes to show; looks can be deceiving in a place like Lowell. The aroma assails you from the parking lot, but once through the door, the intensity will put grill lovers to their knees, praying to the almighty they won't have to wait long for a table. Damn, that smells good. Peppery smoke and burning fat, the stuff we crave most when eating land-based creatures. While the main dining room was certainly small with room for perhaps fifty, the tables were decked out with fine china, linens and leather. The waiter explained the 'Rodizio', all-you-can-eat grilled meat on skewers ($21.95), while we ordered two Stella Artois. You could also choose off the regular menu, which includes quite a variety of seafood dishes, as well as steaks, chicken and chops ($12.95 - $18.95).

We both ordered the Radizio, a never-ending selection of grilled meat brought to you and carved hot at the table, all accompanied by a worthy salad bar (nicely arranged on a bed of ice) and a wide variety of hot foods, including traditional Brazilian fare and a few pasta dishes.

The side dishes I tried were all tasty, although some fell to the mushiness of 'buffet syndrome' after spending a little too long on the hot table. A tomato cream sauce vegetable dish reminiscent of tikka massala was outstanding, as was something they called 'chicken alfredo'. I don't have another data point to compare Tabocas to other restaurants of this type, but the grilled meats that kept arriving all tasted great and were cooked perfectly: flank steak, filet mignon, NY sirloin, chicken wings, juicy pork kebabs and sausage.

We ate more than our fill, of course, and left there stuffed.

Tabocas, its good food and fine service, is definitely worth a visit. Warning: open in its current incarnation only since December, word on this place is bound to get out and I'm sure it will be difficult to get a table without calling ahead on weekends.

Rating: An outstanding 4.0 out of 5.0 Tomato Salads