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If someone suggests going to a churrascaria, be forewarned: Don’t eat anything before you go! Taken literally, churrascaria means “house of barbeque,” and what you get is basically servers coming up to your table with an assortment of meats on a sword, offering you a cut, slice, or serving (depending on the type of meat). In addition to all this meat, there is usually a buffet/salad bar to complement the dining experience.

Yesterday, I was taken to Picanha, which I was told was one of the best churrascarias around. I was very optimistic upon entering and seeing the different meats rotating. I also enjoyed the natural brightness to the restaurant (thanks to their large windows). It’s a very comfortable environment, and the service was friendly from the moment you walk in.

As soon as we sat down, we immediately got back up to grab a plate at the buffet. My big weakness at the buffet table? The plantains. Picanha made them very well - nice and crispy on the outside, sweet taste, and maintaining the banana flavor. I must confess, I made a couple return trips for the plantains. One of my friends strongly recommended the Chicken Straggonoff, which I tried, but did not care too much for. The chicken was a bit tough and flavorless for my taste buds. Other things I enjoyed on my plate were the pesto rice, garlic mashed potatoes (with tons of garlic), and black beans and sausage. The mixed greens and romaine lettuce for the salad looked fresh, but there wasn’t an awful lot of variety for the toppings. I didn’t mind too much, as I was there for the meat anyway.

To get the ball rolling, you must turn this little wooden item that is on every table. For those who have never been to a churrascaria, there are 3 colors on the wooden piece - red, yellow, and green. To signal you want meats to be brought to your table, you must turn it upside down so that the colors are green, yellow, red. A nice assortment of various meats were soon brought to our table including: pork loin, parmasean chicken, barbeque chicken, carne asada, garlic beef, polish sausage, etc. I didn’t try them all, as they didn’t all look appealing to me. The garlic beef was a bit too dry for my liking. I think my favorites of the day were the barbeque chicken (which was nice and juicy on the inside and just slightly crispy on the outside) and the carne asada, which I believe is their signature dish. The meat itself is tender and flavorful, while the outside had a wonderful salty coating. All the other meats I tried were just average.

Try not to fill up too much - even though it’s an all you can eat and most people do max out in such situations. Why do you need to save room in your stomach? For the dessert! We sampled the cheesecake and the flan. The cheesecake was quite rich and enjoyable, but nothing special. The flan, on the other hand, was a genuine surprise! It didn’t look like much, very plain… then when I took my first bite, I was in heaven. The flan was very creamy and delightful. Let’s put it this way: one person at the table is on the Weight Watcher’s program. He saw my flan and was completely disinterested. He begrudgingly took a bite. Next thing I know, the plate was passed right in front of him, and he finished the whole thing.

Picanha Churrascaria
269 E Palm Ave
Burbank, CA 91502
(818) 972-2100

Hours:
· Daily 11am-12am
· Bar 11am-2am

Tips:
· One word of advice - the cheese bread/rolls are highly addictive, especially when they come straight from the oven. They bring you a basket full of these harmless looking things. As good as they are, don’t fill up on them!
· There is limited street parking. Don’t waste time stressing about finding a spot. There is a parking lot right next to Picanha’s that’s free parking for 2 hours.

By Pauline (see more of her posts).