naBrasa Brazilian Steakhouse

by Frank D. Quattrone

At a time when dining out might seem like a luxury most of us can ill afford, wouldn’t you like to take a short culinary vacation just miles from your home? That’s precisely what you’ll find when you visit naBrasa, the Brazilian steakhouse still delighting patrons in its twelfth year in Horsham, not far from the Bucks County line.

At naBrasa, a Portuguese phrase for cooking over hot coals, you will lose track of time. You’ll experience rodizio, naBrasa’s signature style of interactive dining not available anywhere else outside the big city.

According to co-owner and longtime face of the restaurant, Rui Lucas, rodizio originated on the pampas of southern Brazil and Argentina in the 18th century. Cowboys would transport huge herds of cattle from ranches to markets up to sixty miles away. When hungry en route, they would slaughter a steer and spin its meat on their swords over an open fire, sharing the delicious, juicy meat. Rodizio is a modified re-creation of that tradition, offering guests far more choices than those available to the cowboys of old.

naBrasa offers a theatrical experience where masked servers dressed like dashing gauchos carve your meats tableside right onto your plate. During our last meal there, I believe I rediscovered my lost love for steak. But let’s start at the beginning.

Unless you order one of the restaurant’s handcrafted specialty drinks—I recommend Caipirinha, Brazil’s refreshing national cocktail, made with cachaҫa (a Brazilian sugarcane rum), muddled lime and sugar, with your choice of exotic fruits—your meal begins with an unlimited Salad Bar, featuring a staggering array of hot and cold items, all prepared fresh in-house daily. They range from American comfort food (think mac and cheese) and various salad mixes (from Caesar to chicken salad), to charcuterie, authentic couscous, imported cheeses, cured meats, quail eggs, sushi, and Brazilian rice and beans.

Because of Covid-19 safety protocols, a masked server accompanies two guests at a time to the Salad Bar, where your choices are neatly arranged on two huge plates for your enjoyment back at your table. Another safety protocol is the virtual elimination of paper menus. Guests can access the menu online on their smartphones by using the QR code provided. The server, like our high-spirited Chris Llewellyn, will assist you or provide a paper menu if you request one.

Rui Lucas said that virtually the entire staff, like Chris, are full-time, resembling the “career hospitality mentality” that tourists enjoy in most upscale European restaurants. General Manager Tomas Zozaya, a courtly Californian with Venezuelan roots (who was raised in Madrid), says that “guests feel really comfortable here because of the close-knit family feel of the whole staff.”

Eve and I couldn’t disagree and enjoyed Chris’s lively attention and observations almost as much as the rodizio that soon followed our Salad Bar (we especially enjoyed the shrimp mango salad, chorizo, huge New Zealand mussels, and couscous).

Then begins the real fun. At each table, along with aromatic Portuguese cheese bread (fried bananas and mashed potatoes are also offered as sides), is a two-sided card called a queue. When the orange side is up, that signals the parade of gaucho chefs, each bearing one of fourteen exquisite cuts of meat on an outsized skewer recalling the swords cowboys would use in days of old. Flip the queue over to the grey side and the gauchos will pass you by and allow you to enjoy your meal at your leisure.

Before the gauchos arrived, preceded by the unmistakably heady aroma of freshly grilled meats, I found myself in seafood heaven as we were offered a delicious portion of freshly grilled salmon with a tangy coconut sauce. We bypassed the Leg of Lamb and Chicken Wrapped in Bacon to save room for the cuts to follow, each carved and cooked to absolute perfection. The rotisserie grill, explained Rui Lucas, operates at three heating levels to control the temperature of the meats.

Eve, who prefers her meat rare, was especially impressed with the Flank Steak, Top Sirloin (as was I), Top Sirloin Garlic Tips, and Filet Mignon. My personal favorites (I like it medium rare) were the tender, juicy Beef Ribs, the Pork Sausage, Pork Loin with Parmesan, and Filet Wrapped in Bacon.

Even at fifty percent capacity (another safety protocol), naBrasa was buzzing on a Thursday evening. Somehow, we left room for dessert. Luckily, Pastry Chef Gorette Leite, the wife of co-owner Celso Leite, had prepared some tantalizing Portuguese and other sweet treats to enjoy. Eve chose the Crème Brulee with a huge fresh strawberry and I had the super-rich Peanut Butter Bomb with a cup of double espresso—a fine finale to an impressive, authentic meal engineered by Executive Chef Claudinei Sarinella, who grew up, cowboy-style, in southern Brazil.

naBrasa also offers Sunday Brunch, with seven premium meats, fish and fruit served tableside, along with Belgian waffles and pancakes, omelets, lobster station, baked goods and desserts, and classic Eggs Benedict.

As I said earlier, our most recent excursion to naBrasa was like a mini-holiday—exquisite food, warm service, and a rare theatrical dining experience. Unforgettable.

naBrasa Brazilian Steakhouse is located at 680 North Easton Road, Horsham, PA 19044; 215-956-0600; www.nabrasa.com. Open for dinner Monday–Thursday, 5–9 p.m.; Friday, 5–10 p.m.; Saturday, 4:30–10 p.m., & Sunday, 4–9 p.m. Dinner Sunday-Thursday: $40.95 per person; less for children; Friday & Saturday: $45.95 (less for children). Sunday Brunch, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. ($35.95; less for seniors and children). Reservations recommended Friday to Sunday. Curbside pickup and local delivery also available.