About 10 minutes into our meal at Trolley Square's Rodizio Grill, my husband said to me, "You know, this place reminds me of an ad I once saw for a barbecue restaurant. It said, 'If eating animals is so wrong, how come they're made out of meat?' "
I laughed and said, "Yeah, it sure would seem that meat is the dominant theme here."We lapsed back into the munching, which, at the moment, was on roasted ham and roasted pineapple and mahi mahi.
Truly, though, the theme is Brazilian barbecue. And while it may not have the obscure animal treasures you might find in the real Brazilian deal, the hook still works well for this small chain.
This is how it goes. You order the "Full Rodizio." This gets you the unlimited appetizer plate (specialty breads and dips, fried bananas), unlimited salad and side-dish bar, and unlimited meats. It's also a good time to order drinks. I recommend the house lemonade. It's made to order and has a unique flavor: slightly bitter with a mellow cooling side. (Coconut milk?)
Or guarana, the Brazilian soft drink known for its energizing qualities. Rodizio's also has a wide range of 100 percent fruit juices that look interesting, like guava, passion fruit, pear, pineapple and even cashew.
With ordering out of the way, get your side dishes. The salad bar is downright ordinary and sparse, on the American side, that is. If you want to be more adventurous, move around to the Brazilian side. Be sure to try the mashed potatoes; they're well seasoned and don't need anything on top.
Don't forget to save space on the plate for your meat.
Now, back at your table, you have a little wooden tumbler thingie. It's red on one end and green on the other. Green means keep the meat coming. Red means you're taking a break for a bit.
If you keep it on green, you'll get servers who rove around the room with spits full of various roasted meats coming to your table every few minutes. Don't be afraid to take a break. It can get to be a lot.
See the little tongs at the side of your plate? When your meat person starts slicing, grab the top end of the slice, so that when he's done, you can put it on your plate. You'll get the hang of it.
After all this, is it good? It's certainly novel. It's like a buffet without the effort.
But is it good? I enjoyed the meat. The chicken drumsticks are very tender. The mahi mahi is tender, with good flavor, but ours was a little dry. We tried pork loin. We tried roasted vegetables. We tried beef tender (my favorite). We tried ham with pineapple (sweet and delicious), top sirloin in garlic and Parmesan and turkey wrapped in bacon. I liked them all.
For the most part, everything was cooked just right. It was good fun and busy eating.
The menu does have vegetarian choices. I have a vegetarian friend who left satisfied. But let's not kid ourselves, this is a meat-lover's dinner. A Brazilian-style barbecue whose novel concept may impress you more than the hastily prepared sides and salad and leave you feeling as though all you had for dinner was meat.
Full Rodizio lunch $9.95, Full Rodizio dinner $15.95, appetizers $4.95-$6.45, sandwiches $6.45.
Rodizio Grill
*** (out of five)
Trolley Square, 220-0500
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m-11 p.m.
Payment: major credit cards, local checks
Stephanie Tanner-Brown may be reached by e-mail at stephanie@desnews.com