A Little Taste of Brazil in Waltham

I've driven by Panela de Barro for the past 4yrs with curiosity.  Finally I satisfied my curiosity/hunger and ventured in one afternoon to see what this modest Brazilian establishment had to offer.   Once you walk in through the front door, you are faced with a buffet.  Anyone that has traveled to Brazil would understand.  They love buffets!!  To bad Ponderosa still isn't around.  Or is it?  I'll let you know shortly.

Anyhow, I'm not a huge fan of buffets at all.  The thought of everyone dipping into the same bowl just turns me off.  aka germ phobia.  yuck!

 After I got over my fear, I made my way straight to the plantains.  Nothing will compare to the plantains in Costa Rica, but I had to try for myself.  Delish!!  I also had some rice and poa de quejo(cheese bread).  I probably could have eaten the entire basket of poa de quejo, but I had to save some for the line behind me.  Oh, did I mention that I tried cashew juice?  Very peculiar, but good.

For people that want a taste of  Brazil, this is a good place.  I'm not a huge fan of meat so I passed the man, standing behind a little window,  handing out slabs of beef.  I'm pretty sure the meat lovers will be "satisfecho" at the end of their meal.  Overall the food was good, but I was hoping to see the panela de barro(pot) overflowing with traditional Brazilian fare.  

FYI - Ponderosa does still exist.  Apparently there is one in Attleboro, MA.