Recently I traveled to a new shopping area in Lexington to try out the Texas de Brazil restaurant.  Since I have been to Brazil I really was looking forward to experiencing the food and bringing a little slice of South America to Lexington!

The restaurant is located in a planned community in Lexington called The Summit at Fritz Farm.  Retail shops, various restaurants, and luxury apartment living are all included in the development.  It’s a cool place to visit.

As we entered the restaurant we were warmly greeted and shown to our table.  I have to tell you that the restaurant is absolutely gorgeous!  The lighting, fresh flowers, and color scheme are all lovely.  It’s not only a great place to do business but also an outstanding place to have a date night or family outing.  They even have Happy Hour!

The restaurant has a large specialty cocktail list.  I chose the Caipirinha, which is the restaurant’s signature drink.  The cocktail is made from fresh fruit and sugar that is muddled and then mixed and shaken with Cachaca.  I chose the combination of strawberry and coconut.  I wanted the full Brazillian experience! The flavor combination was delicious.

According to Wikipedia, “Cachaca is a distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice.”  Basically, it’s the Brazillian version of Rum.  When I traveled to Argentina recently they drank it too.  It was very popular.

The drink was very good.  It bordered a little on the sweet side for me but it was refreshing and flavorful.  I could picture myself sitting in a tropical location, like Brazil, enjoying one!

Our server, Lupe, was very knowledgeable.  Lupe explained the menu to us and how to use the red and green markers on the table for the meat serving.

After enjoying our cocktails, we made our way to the elaborate salad bar.  A stunning floral arrangement adorns it.  There are over 50-items to choose from!  It could be a meal in itself.

On one side of the bar is the hot side. The lobster bisque that was offered was some of the best that I have ever eaten.  The creamy bisque was full of flavor and chunks of lobster meat.  I could taste the brandy in the soup which really gave it a depth of flavor.  Lobster bisque is one of my favorite things to eat in the world.  I’m telling you this was good….Fabuloso!!!

Also included on the hot side were potatoes au gratin, rice, and baked cod.  They all looked great and were very well prepared. Everything presented was very fresh.

As I said earlier, Texas de Brazil is a restaurant that has something for everybody…..in abundance!  The salad bar had plenty of vegetarian items, sushi, seafood, Farofa, Tabbouleh, Couscous, grilled vegetables, and the list goes on and on…..

I’m a huge fan of charcuterie.  I could make a meal out of meat and cheese every night.  Choices included prosciutto and salami as well as chunks of crunchy bacon.  The cheese selections included fresh parmesan and mozzarella, goat cheese terrine, and various artisan cheeses.

Smoked salmon and all the accouterments were available as well as shrimp salad.  Jalapenos and fresh cilantro in the shrimp added a little zip to the dish!

The food quality and the presentation of the items were outstanding in every way.  Extra care was taken to keep the area clean and well stocked.   Staff was constantly checking and cleaning around the containers on the bar.

Have you ever heard of pineapple carpaccio?  Thinly sliced pineapple grilled with brown sugar and cinnamon was simply delicious!  This would make a nice Thanksgiving side dish.

Lupe inquired as to how we wanted our meat prepared.  When I was in South America I had some of the best beef that I’ve ever tasted.  I was looking forward to trying it here.

After ordering a glass of wine from the extensive wine list.  As you can see, there are many different types of wine and regions represented at Texas de Brazil.

First up was a very serious gaucho that was serving chicken wrapped in bacon.  Big skewers of meat are brought to the table and you use tongs to remove it and place the offering on the plate.  The chicken was so moist.  It was really tasty.

Lupe brought mashed potatoes and fried bananas to the table.  The bananas were sweet and acted as a palate cleanser to have between meat servings.

Next up was Brazillian sausages, beef ribs, and parmesan crusted pork tenderloin.

Lamb chops and leg of lamb are also offerings.  Mint jelly and chimichurri are available to top off the meat of your choice.

Brazilian-style barbeque is traditionally prepared by coating the meat with a coarse salt rub. The salt really brings out the flavor and the natural juices in the meat.  This is usually the only ingredient that is used when grilling in South America.  The specialty of the restaurant is cut of meat called Pincanha.  It’s very popular in Brazil and is a very tender cut of meat.

After we couldn’t eat any more meat it was time for dessert. Lupe said her favorite pie was coconut chess pie.  Sold!  It was delicious.  The key lime pie was quite good too!  The restaurant has an entire presentation with the desserts that includes after dinner drinks.  They had some of my favorites!

The restaurant has a special room available for business dinners or private functions….guaranteed to impress and delight your business colleagues or guests.

Texas de Brazil is a restaurant that has several locations nationally and internationally. The website says that they have restaurants in Saudia Arabia, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. If you are in a city fortunate enough to have a location, then you need to visit. It will be your pleasure, and you won’t be disappointed.  I’m looking forward to my next visit!

This post is in collaboration with Texas de Brazil. All of the opinions and photos are entirely my own.

Texas de Brazil Pineapple Carpaccio Recipe

Pineapple Carpaccio …recipe for 4 to 6 ppl

Ingredients:

1 ripe pineapple, preferably golden variety

Cinnamon sugar mixture
½ cup white granulated sugar
¼ cup white powder sugar (confectioner sugar)
2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
Remove outer skin from pineapple, following the edges to retain the circular figure. Place each pineapple in cinnamon sugar mixture and cover outside edges, gently rubbing mixture into the pineapple.

Once all edges are heavily coated with the cinnamon mixture, place the pineapples standing up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Bake in the

oven at 350 F for approximately 40 minutes. Cooking times and temperatures may vary per oven, the pineapple needs to have a golden-brown edge and the core to be slightly translucent.

Allow the pineapple to cool completely at room temperature.

Slice the pineapple into thin, neat slices. Fan out onto a very large serving platter (there will be a lot of slices) or onto plates for individual servings. Sprinkle evenly a little of the brown sugar mix.