Restaurant Review: Boi Na Braza

So I finally made it to downtown Cincinnati’s Churrascaria, Boi Na Braza. I suspended my disdain for the new canopy with hokey cupola and was greeted by a relatively nice interior. We had early dinner reservations on a Thursday and while the bar area to the left was lively, the restaurant was still pretty quite. I had made reservations online and when we arrived my electronic request for a window table was easily accommodated. We sat right at the corner of 5th & Vine. From my seat I could observe the "Dance Out" on the Square.

Most of you know the drill: $44.50 gets you a small platter of appetizers plus the all-you-can-eat salad bar & selection of fifteen grilled meats including beef, lamb, chicken, pork, and sausages. The selection of appetizers, besides these little rolls, was average at best -- a little cold and forgettable. The rest of the meal however was fantastic. The salad bar is a bit of a misnomer. It includes various salads but also various meats & cheeses, smoke salmon, and side dishes to go with you meal. The gauchos bring around the skewers of grilled meat and I tried to get a sampling of eveything. I was unsuccessful. I literally was so full towards the end I had to pass on a few items including the ribs, which I later read in CityBeat were very good. The only ‘miss’ in my opinion was the sausage, which was just ok. It was hard to understand and keep track of what each entre was sometimes. Mostly because at times I had a quick succession of gauchos bring over meat after meat and I had to think, "Ok, which one is this?"

Dinner was a birthday celebration so we did have dessert and coffee, which was extra and not included in meal. Dessert selections were brought over to you on a cart. We chose the carrot cake and it was good . . . up there with others in this town I would say. (My favorite dessert in this city though still is/was Sturkey’s Chocolate Cheesecake Cake.)

All in all I really enjoyed the meal and the experience. By the time we left, the restaurant had filled up. Patrons even included Mayor Mallory! We walked home through Fountain Square and sat on the couch for the next hour in a semi-catatonic food coma . . .