Texas De Brazil
3.5 stars
4112 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa 813-871-1400, texasdebrazil.com
Photos by James Ostrand
You have to hand it to the upscale chains like Ocean Prime, Roy’s and Texas De Brazil, newly opened near International Plaza in Tampa. They really know how to set a mood.
It helps that they start with bigger budgets than most independent restaurants, along with dedicated designers and plenty of practice, but the effect is still impressive. Texas De Brazil opens onto a large dining room framed by tall wood columns and soaring arches studded with hundred of metal rivets the size of my thumb. In some places, it almost seems like those rivets could serve a purpose — perhaps fastening the decorative wood to the wall — but certain areas are downright crowded with the jutting nubs, creating an almost menacing effect that’s part Hellraiser set and part Spanish inquisition.
Enormous wrought iron chandeliers continue the Moorish keep theme, tempered by floor-to-ceiling windows in the back and a stupefying flower arrangement above the buffet that towers over the entire room. Of course, those windows look out over the office parks and traffic on this stretch of Boy Scout, but at least it tempers the severity of it all.
The food, however, fits the throwback medieval vibe. Texas De Brazil is a churrascaria, a dining trend that fits American tastes more than its Brazilian origins. All you can eat meat, no need to get out of your seat.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2011.