Murilo Ferreira has always dreamed about opening a steakhouse.
So the online reviews two months into the opening of his Rodeio Grill are like music to his proud Brazilian ears.
Guests online consistently describe his different kinds of steaks and other meats as “tender, flavorful, juicy” and his desserts as “decadent.” There are 35 salads and side dishes set in a buffet.
“A place we truly love and always recommend to friends and family,” one online guest reviewer wrote.
The atmosphere is meant to feel like the small town farm Ferreira grew up on in Brazil, although in today’s vernacular, guests write that it’s “Instagrammable,” with big farm hats for photos.
“I worked hard and I never gave up my dream. It’s been my dream since I was a kid to have a coffee shop and a steakhouse,” Ferreira said.
Rodeio Grill, which is all about the authentic flavor of Brazilian barbecue, seats about 100 and is brimming with business on weekends is located in Hartford at 2074 Park St., suite 109.
He also owns two cafes on Park Street, Villa Brasil Cafe, 1944 Park St. for about 10 years and more recently, Cafe Brazil Bakery, 1916 Park St.
Ferreira owns the restaurant/grill with two friends, Fabio Mage and Gilberti Jose, both in the construction business in Florida.
It’s Ferreira who is the restaurant/culinary expert, having watched his mom and grandmother cook on the farm, where they cooked a lot of meat because they raised animals.
He loved to cook, but in Brazil went on to become a college math teacher, where he met his wife, Suelen, a student, who also grew up on a farm in Brazil.
She “fell in love” with the United States, he said, during their 30-day honeymoon that included visiting places such as Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, San Francisco, and Las Vegas.
It was in California working in noted Los Angeles steakhouse company for years that he became a culinary expert, specializing in steak and Brazilian BBQ. The owner of a taught him English, “how to treat people,” and he went on to manage three of the steakhouses.
“I’ve always worked in steak houses. This is the first I’ve owned.”,” he said.
When he was ready to open a business, California was too expensive, so a brother in Connecticut invited him here to open the first cafe.
He travels frequently to Florida because he’s in the construction business with Mage and Jose.
At Rodeio Grill the food is set up buffet style with a carving station with numerous meats, including beef, chicken, lamb, sausage, pork. He hired an expert from Brazil to cook the meat and uses a huge grill from Brazil.
The buffet is weighed at $13 per pound, but they are working on an all-you-can eat model for the future, he said.
The meats include five different steaks, chicken, lamb, sausage, pork.
A guest online wrote: Amazing experience at Rodeio Grill! The food was absolutely delicious and everything came out fresh and perfectly cooked. The atmosphere was great too, super clean and welcoming. Definitely one of the best Brazilian steakhouses I’ve been to. I’ll 100% be coming back!
Salads and other dishes on the buffet include two types of rice, salmon, steamed vegetables, beef stew, French fries, fried Yucca, pasta, beef or chicken stroganoff, fried plantains, Brazilian potato salad, fruits, mashed potatoes.
Carlos Mouta, owner of Parkville Market, who also owns the building where Rodeio Grill is located, said he eats there several times a week said the food is “delicious,” and the decor is, “out of this world.”
Mouta, a self-described foodie who stays away from carbohydrates, said the price is good too.
They are open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
As for the atmosphere, he said, “We try to make it exactly as we grew up in a small town on a farm.”
There are big hats, cow bells, images of farm animals and “People can wear the hats and take selfies to post on social media.”
How does Ferreira like the steakhouse business now that he’s actually in it?
“I love it. Where do I start?” he said.