A SLICE OF SOMETHING NEW. Picanha Brazilian Steakhouse is now open, bringing rotisserie-cooked, mesquite-flavored meats and exotic dishes to the Chippewa Valley.

I’m sure we all have an image in our minds of what a gaucho looks like: A South American cowboy with boots and a poncho, rough and tough.

Mark Reams, owner of Picanha Brazilian Steakhouse in Eau Claire, might never have ridden a horse and wears business casual to work most days, but one thing’s for certain: He knows how to eat like a true gaucho, and he wants you to try it out for yourself. 

Picanha, located on Keystone Crossing in the building that was formerly Outback Steakhouse, is bringing the flavors of the Patagonian grasslands home to Wisconsin, at a price you can afford. 

The Picanha Brazilian Steakhouse rotisserie cooks all twelve of its main courses over mesquite charcoal.

After traveling extensively around the United States and falling in love with the flavors of similar Brazilian steakhouses, Mark decided to combine what he loved about his experiences and bring them back to the Chippewa Valley with him. Gauchos cook meat “churrasco,” or over an open flame, and use minimal spices in their recipes, allowing the meat to baste in its own juices. Picanha’s rotisserie cooks all twelve of its main courses over mesquite charcoal, and features servers in traditional garb carrying 28-inch skewers of meat around the restaurant. If you’ve ordered Picanha’s signature “Rodizio Experience,” as the servers walk the semicircular arrangement of booths they will cut off chunks of whichever meat you choose, allowing you to eat all that you care to. 

Picanha, the restaurant’s namesake, is the most flavorful cut of steak from the top of the sirloin, seasoned only with rock sea salt to bring out the meat’s natural flavor. The other eleven options range from New York Sirloin to a leg of lamb to roasted pineapple, all slow roasted over a mesquite charcoal grill. 

The décor within Picanha is South American without trying too hard to be authentic, simple and exotic at the same time. The bar area is available for diners and those waiting for a table (who are 21, of course), and boasts a large drink selection. 

Picanha opened June 12 after two weeks of staff training and another week of “soft opening” for vendors, friends and family members of the employees. So go ahead, meet a gaucho or two, and experience a new twist on your favorite meats – at Picanha Brazilian Steakhouse.

Picanha Brazilian Steakhouse • 5020 Keystone Crossing, Eau Claire • 715-514-4802