Dining At Churrascos

Churrascos is an elegant restaurant in Houston that specializes in South American cuisine. This was my first time at this popular gourmet place on Westheimer. We got in early for dinner, early enough to get a table immediately in spite of not having made reservations. White and red accents with tropical touches gives this Zagat rated restaurant in Houston a dramatic, earthy feel. The service is very good, and the waitstaff knowledgeable and helpful.

The signature dish here is the beef tenderloin butterflied (a special cut, churrasco, from which the restaurant gets it name) and served with chimichurri sauce, the Argentine condiment that always accompanies steak. Also very different are the fried plantain chips served at every table, the Argentinean empanaditas, the Cuban-style black bean soup, and the Peruvian-style ceviche. Grilled vegetables come "family style" with every entree.

We began with the empanaditas which were crisp with assorted fillings: seafood, ham, etc. For my entree, I chose the fresh catch of the day, mahi-mahi with crab meat and scallops and drizzled with chimichurri. I shared a side of flambed onions and jalapenos. The entree was great, very filling, and we barely had space for dessert. I finally settled on Feugo de Chocolate, a dense chocolate ganache cake with a carmelized orange gabanero sauce.

Owner Michael Cordúa from Nicaragua is credited with bringing South American cuisine to Houston. He also owns Americas which is equally popular, noisier, but (I can personally attest) is another good option for fine dining.