Brazilian Steakhouse To Open At Stamford Town Center

STAMFORD, CT — Another new restaurant is coming to the Stamford Town Center.

On Monday, the mall announced that Terra Gaucha, a Brazilian Steakhouse with roots in Florida, has secured a long-term lease and plans to open this spring at 230 Tresser Blvd. where Cheesecake Factory used to be.

This will be the first Connecticut location for Terra Gaucha, which has restaurants in Tampa and Jacksonville, Fla.

According to an announcement from the Stamford Town Center, the 8,000-square-foot restaurant will include a full-service bar area with seating, four private dining spaces and a spacious, stylish main dining area that comfortably accommodates 200 guests and features a centerpiece gourmet salad and hot bar.

A 40-seat patio dining space will be available and open during warmer weather months. The restaurant is expected to open mid-May and will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner service.

"We are delighted to announce another wonderful restaurant that will deliver a truly authentic dining experience," said STC General Manager Dan Stolzenbach in a news release. "Terra Gaucha will be a dining destination for the entire region, and we cannot wait for them to open their doors."

Diners will enjoy a selection of fire roasted meats, fish and poultry prepared "churrasco-style" in what's described as an "elevated dining experience." The meat at Terra Gaucha is hand-selected and butchered on site to control the quality.

"Churrasco, or Brazilian Barbecue, is a centuries old tradition. In the hills of southern Brazil, gauchos — Brazilian cowboys — would roam the land and herd cattle. They would use natural wood charcoal and rock salt to season the skewered meat over open flame pits," said Rodolfo Melo, managing partner of Terra Gaucha, in a news release. "Today, we use those same methods, roasting succulent cuts of beef, lamb, pork, poultry and seafood that are carved directly from skewers onto diners’ plates."

Tableside service will feature servers clad in colorful South American gaucho attire for an authentic dining experience.

"In addition to great food, Terra Gaucha employees are trained to deliver the ultimate guest experience," Melo said. "Team members are extremely attentive, making sure each guest has a wonderful experience. The entire team works together, and managers are always available in the dining room working directly with guests."

Along with delicious food, specialty cocktails will include Caipirinhas made from scratch with muddled lime, cane sugar and cachaça. Wines from around the world will also be available.

This is the latest in a series of new tenant announcements at the mall. In November, Stolzenbach announced that several new tenants were moving into the complex.

Terra Gaucha will be located near Puerto Vallarta, a new Mexican restaurant that will open next to Capital Grille in the same building where Mitchell's Fish Market and Rascal Flatts used to be. The restaurant plaza also includes Capital Grille, Peter Chang and Pieology.