FOOD

The meat is the headliner at BR77, and the grill-station format turns the churrasco into a personal tasting menu. Picanha is the essential starting point. The sirloin cap carries its signature band of fat, and BR77 works that edge over the fire until it is salty and crisp while the beef underneath stays juicy. A garlic-seasoned version adds another layer without hiding the meat.

From there, the beef lineup gets deeper. Maminha, the Brazilian tri-tip, is especially tender and deeply seasoned, while the beef rib arrives as tender fire-roasted meat cut right from the bone with the richness and softness that slow fire brings out. Bacon-wrapped filet mignon is worth making room for: the lean tenderness of the filet picks up smoke from the bacon without losing its own texture. Ribeye and fraldinha give you still more ways to compare fat, char and beefiness.

The non-beef cuts are not consolation prizes. Cordeiro brings the savory, slightly gamey character of lamb, and the parmesan-crusted pork loin pairs a sharp cheese coating with thick, juicy pork. Linguiça Toscana supplies the snap and seasoning of Brazilian sausage. The beer-marinated chicken thighs may be the sleeper of the grill, remarkably juicy and tender enough to feel every bit as intentional as the premium steaks.

That self-directed station matters most once favorites emerge. A return can mean another slice of picanha instead of waiting through a rotation, or a second piece of beef rib while it is exactly the cut you want. Coarse salt at the grill and house chimichurri keep the finishing touches simple.

The buffet side of BR77 is more refined than a token steakhouse salad bar. Camila’s-style salpicão brings pulled chicken in a creamy dressing with raisins and crisp potato sticks, while smoked salmon with capers, assorted cheeses and marinated grilled vegetables push the cold side toward a more polished spread. Black beans and white rice keep the meal anchored in familiar Brazilian comfort food and give the richer meats an earthy counterpoint.

The Brazilian starters are dangerous precisely because they are so easy to keep eating. Pão de queijo has the elastic, lightly crisp exterior and soft cheesy center that makes the bread nearly impossible to treat as just one bite. Thin yuca fries are crisp and starchy in a way ordinary potatoes are not, and the sweet plantains land almost like a bridge to dessert. Chicken bites and fries are available too, but the Brazilian sides make the meal feel most specific.

There is even a worthwhile detour for anyone not choosing the unlimited churrasco. The Gaúcho Burger is a half-pound blend of ribeye and picanha, flame-grilled with bacon, cheddar, arugula, caramelized onions and smoky sriracha mayo. It is almost a compressed version of the restaurant’s meat-first philosophy.

BR77 succeeds because the selection rewards comparison. Picanha against garlic picanha, filet against ribeye, lamb against pork, salpicão against the richer hot sides—each return to the grill or buffet gives the plate a new direction. The best strategy is restraint at the beginning. The meats are too good, and too easy to revisit on command, to fill up before enjoying the full BR77 dining experience.