New Cafe Brings Authentic Brazilian Eats To San Rafael
SAN RAFAEL, CA — Among new eateries hitting Marin County's restaurant scene is Brazilian Breads, that now — despite coronavirus hardships that have pummeled the industry — has settled into its San Rafael location, serving such authentic, tasty fare as sirloin skewers, empanadas, garlic yucca fries and a variety of cheese breads.
The new locale on Medway Road initially was to primarily function as a commercial kitchen, along with a cafe, similar to Brazilian Breads' original eatery in Berkeley, according to owner Delvira Nogueira Rodrigues.
After the coronavirus pandemic struck, creating havoc for the restaurant trade, the business plan shifted a bit, and the San Rafael site opened in late May with takeout, delivery and an on-site, mini-grocery store selling Brazilian foodstuffs.
The menu is crafted from Rodrigues' family recipes, which she honed while cooking with her grandmother and aunts in Brazil's Minas Gerais state, a region known as the origin of Brazilian cheese bread — a Brazilian Breads' customer favorite.
"In San Rafael, we built our menu to cater to families, so the food is more 'homey,'" she said. "So we offer actual set meals of typical Brazilian dishes, like rice and beans, casseroles, shepherd's pie and BBQ skewers."
Her recipes highlight the diversity of Brazilian cooking, with its cuisine-melded roots from the Portuguese, Italians, French, German and African immigrants. Ingredients and seasoning are kept simple, with malagueta peppers sometimes adding spice.
"We also have many elaborate dishes, like the French, that go through multiple cooking processes," Rodrigues said. "For example, our pork ribs we marinate overnight with salt, garlic and white wine, then slow-cook it in the oven and finally grill the ribs."
Among the San Rafael dishes: Espetinhos Combinados (Brazilian skewer combos) with two sides and options of sirloin steak, chicken breast with bacon, or a vegan, grilled eggplant; Escondidinho sun-dried beef, chicken or vegan shepherd's pie; chicken or corn empanadas; plus the establishment's signature cheese breads, available as original, guava, garlic or jalapeño.
In 2018, Rodrigues opened her Berkeley cafe, where loyal fans routinely rave over the food, including the empanadas and Picanha steak sandwiches, plus the yucca fries and, of course, the cheese breads.
Now in San Rafael, the new eatery and market, at 26 Medway Road, is open Mondays through Saturdays.
Orders can be placed by calling (415) 521-5651, via WhatsApp (510) 229-6362, or online at the website here. Or check local Doordash, UberEats and Grubhub options for Brazilian Breads.
Brazilian Breads also offers delivery throughout the SF Bay Area - with a $5 fee or for free on orders more than $50. The Wednesday delivery schedule is to San Francisco, the Peninsula and throughout Marin. On Thursdays, deliveries are to Berkeley, Oakland, East Bay towns and to the South Bay (cities south of Palo Alto).
To keep up with the latest Brazilian Breads news, follow here on Facebook for the Berkeley location, here for San Rafael or on Instagram.
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This article originally appeared on the San Rafael Patch
