Green Forest Main Entrance

When my oldest son told me about Green Forest Restaurant in Penn Hills, I couldn’t wait to go. A going away dinner for another son provided the perfect occasion for our family to visit the restaurant at 655 Rodi Road in Penn Hills. Thirteen of us went and we had one of the best dining experiences in a long time. I can tell you I’ll be going back soon.

So, what is churrascaria dining? To be honest, I didn’t have a clue. What I did learn was that it is barbecue dining done the traditional Brazilian way which is over an open pit using natural wooden charcoal. The meats are served on spits or skewers and carved at your table during your meal. And when I say they come to your table, they come often with up to dozen or more different types of meat! And, the meats are only one part of the meal. There is a huge gourmet salad bar and hot buffet offerings. All this for one price! It is unlike any other meal I have experienced.

One meat selection fresh off the open grill

The restaurant itself is located in an office building right off Parkway East, so it is not obvious from the road. Once inside, it is a colorful place with plenty of space in two different dining rooms. The tables are colorful, lighting is adequate and the atmosphere is somewhat festive.

Before I get ahead of myself, let me explain how the dining experience works at Green Forest Brazilian Restaurant. After you are seated one of the waiting staff explains the churrascaria procedure (no menus). There is a large cold gourmet salad bar (warm bread on the side) and about five hot buffet dishes set up on another table. To start your meal, they bring a plate of Fried Bananas & Yucca. It’s different and tasty. You order your drinks (no alcohol is available, but you may bring your own), go to the salad bar and hot buffet and when you are ready there is a red and green spool on the table that you turn up showing green to start having meat brought to the table. When you have had enough or want to take a break, you turn up the red side to stop delivery. By the way, one of the interesting drinks offered is the Guarana Beverage (Brazilian Soda). It is a fruit flavored drink.

Part of the salad bar

There is so much to tell you about this great restaurant. The gourmet salad bar is one of the most interesting ones I’ve seen. It’s huge and offers a variety of special dishes and plenty of seafood. How about fresh oysters on the half shelf? And, that’s just the beginning. There is shrimp, smoked salmon, trout, crab, crab legs, seafood salads, fruit (strawberries when we were there), Portobello mushrooms, grilled zucchini, red peppers, eggplant, salad greens, tomatoes, onions, garbanzo beans, cheese and much, much more. What I can tell you is their something for everyone and the salad and food is very pleasing to the palate.

The hot buffet offers a few traditional entrees plus rice, roasted potatoes and several soups. There was a great salmon dish, Brazilian national dish of feijoada (pork and black beans stew), chicken and one with rice and lobster meat. I snitched the lobster meat (having grown up in New England) and was delighted with the great taste. Outside of the Brazilian national dish, other dishes are offered at different times.

The heart of the meal is the variety of meats brought to the table. All the meats are right off the grill, on skewers and carved at the table. Yu may have as many slices as you want. I have never seen such a variety! There were beef and short ribs, chicken, sausage, lamb, pork loin, pork ribs, rib eye steak, prime rib, skirt steak, top sirloin steak, Shiskabob, turkey or filet with bacon, and tenderloin with garlic. The restaurant owners, Flavia Naccarato and Ozzie Fortini (they are married), come in early day and prepare the meats and food for the evening. They are both Brazilian natives and bring us the rich tradition of their country’s cooking.

There are so many choices of salads, hot dishes and meats (not to say anything about dessert) that one cannot possibly eat everything. I was near full after the salad bar! If you are planning on going to Green Forest, you may want to consider not eating for a week! It is one price for the meal, $28.95, or if you want the salad bar and hot dishes without the meats, $24.95. Drinks and dessert are extra. Reservations are strongly suggested. The bigger your party the more fun you have, unless you would like to have an intimate setting of two. Hours are Tuesday through Thursday 4 to 10 p.m., Friday to 4 to11 p.m., Saturday 3 to 11 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 10 p.m. Visit their web site at www.greenforestcafe.com or call 412 371-5560 for more information. Green Forest is located at 655 Rodi Road, Penn Hills.