Isa Bortoletto and Victor Marques opened Made in Brazil at 81 North Main Street in Barre on September 3, serving classic Brazilian dishes for indoor dining, takeout and delivery. Next month, they’ll expand their offerings to include a buffet and traditional churrasco-style barbecued meats.
The couple, who are both Brazilian, moved to Vermont from New Jersey in January to open their first restaurant.
“I was doing construction jobs before — not even close to a restaurant,” Marques said. “But my girlfriend [Bortoletto] cooks really well. She knew the owner of this building, and she saw the opportunity.”
The current menu offers traditional dishes for lunch and dinner, such as Brazilian Stroganoff. A “special plate” comes with picanha steak; rice or pinto or black beans; tomato vinaigrette salad; and farofa, a side dish made with toasted cassava flour that Marques called “Brazilian stuffing.” Picanha steak is a sirloin cap cut that is popular in Brazil but not often served in the United States, he explained.
The “classic plate” featuring rice, pinto or black beans, beef or chicken, and salad is “what Brazilians eat every day,” Marques said. “There’s a lot on the plate — a lot of colors, a lot of nutrients and a lot of different types of food.”
The buffet will feature similar dishes, along with a salad bar. The steak house offerings, prepared on a traditional churrasqueira charcoal grill, will include various cuts of beef, chicken and pork.
Once the buffet opens, Made in Brazil’s hours will expand to include breakfast, Marques said. The restaurant is currently open Wednesday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and is BYOB.
The original print version of this article was headlined “All You Can Meat”
This article appears in Winter Reading Issue 2021.
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