By Mary Young
Tudo
De Bom’s Brazilian style barbecue is a pleasant alternative to tying on a bib
and licking sticky sauce off your fingers.
Instead,
you’ll be served a variety of choice meats that are grilled on skewers and
brought to your table at the moment they are done. It’s called churrasco
rodizio in Brazil; churrasco means
barbecue, and rodizio – roughly
“in turn” – refers to this rotational way of serving. Churrasco
rodizio originated with the gauchos of Brazil’s southern grazing lands,
who would rub chunks of fresh meat with rock salt and grill them on long skewers
over a wood fire.
Diners
at Tudo De Bom use a small wooden token to signal the server. Place it with the
green side up if you want the cut of meat being offered; red side up if you’re
finished or want to take a break.
I
think it would be fun to go with a group, because the interactive service lends
itself to a big table. In any case, plan on a leisurely meal so you can really
savor the star attractions. My companion and I tried pepper steak, very garlicky
garlic steak, lime-marinated pork loin, chicken, chicken sausage, top sirloin,
and melt-in-your- mouth tenderloin. I like the pacing of the courses, and the
fact that portions are small enough to try them all and have seconds on my
favorites.
Supporting
players in this fixed price meal are a salad bar and a buffet of hot items, both
Brazilian and American. The buffet choices vary, but typically they include
Brazilian style rice, black beans, french fries, pasta, collard greens, and
vegetables. Try the yuca flour, a crunchy condiment made from ground manioc
root. The flour is sautéed with other ingredients to punch up the flavor
(chef-owner Marcos Santos prepares it with bacon, onions, and olives). Yuca
flour is used as a meat dip or sprinkled on beans and rice.
The
staff did a pretty good job of replenishing and tidying the buffet table. Our
minor complaint was with the french fries, which were room temperature when we
got there. They were replaced with hot fries later, though.
The
price is $19.98 per person on weeknights and weekend lunches; $24.95 on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday nights. The weekend menu offers more meat varieties and some
special items such as fresh fish and Brahma bull cupim (hump meat).
The
full bar service includes a good selection of reasonably priced wines, available
by the glass or bottle. For a sweeter beverage, try a batida
– a frothy combination of fresh tropical fruit and cachaca, a sugar cane
liqueur.
When
pressed for a dessert recommendation, our server suggested the cheesecake. I was
not disappointed; it was excellent. Fruit sorbets and flan were among the other
dessert offerings.
Tudo De Bom, located on the second floor of McCully
Shopping Center, is an attractive and unpretentious place to spend an evening
with friends. I suspect most of the diners that busy Wednesday night were repeat
customers. I plan to be one of them soon.
Tudo De Bom
1960
Kapiolani Boulevard
in the McCully Shopping Center
Dinner
is served every night
from 5 to 10 p.m.
Lunch
is served from 11 a.m. to
2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday only
Reservations
are recommended;
call 942-0267.
Major credit cards and checks
are accepted.