Sports bar becomes Brazilian steakhouse in Deerfield Beach
Padano Bar and Grill
1825 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, 954-573-7414, ToastTab.com
The owner of 20-year-old Café Vico in Fort Lauderdale has partnered in this Brazilian steakhouse he converted this summer from Vico’s Sports Bar and Grill.
“There’s a large Brazilian community here,” says Marco Vico, whose partners own the original 4-year-old location in Rio de Janeiro and Padano Gastro Bistro in Boca Raton. “Besides a restaurant and nightclub, we consider ourselves a sports bar, so there’s lots of options.”
Bestsellers include picanha steak strips ($14), smoked Brazilian sausage ($12), steak and eggs ($19.99) and lasagna Bolognese ($16).
“I brought the lasagna recipe from Café Vico that’s considered the best in Broward,” Vico says.
The brownielike petit gateau crafted with Nutella ($8) is a sweet ending.
Caipirinhas ($9) and strawberry martinis blended with Brazilian vodka ($11) reign among the cocktails.
Mostly high-top tables with a few red booths, cowboy hats, suspended wagonwheel benches, brick trim and TVs emulate a Brazilian country bar.
Wood barrels line the buffet, served from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily with about 15 types of salads and 14 to 18 hot dishes, including Brazilian-style churrasco, for $8.99 per pound. It’s cleared away for dancing to Brazilian bands and DJs from Thursday through Sunday nights.