Touro Brazilian Steakhouse - Richmond Hill

Touro Brazilian Steakhouse) is located at 125 York Blvd. in Richmond Hill, northwest of the intersection of Hwys. 404 and 7. Formerly known as Touro Churrascaria; a churrascaria is a Brazilian barbecue or a restaurant using rotisserie barbecue cooking, and it is indeed that but still a proper rodizio with passadores who both cook and serve skewers of meats circulating among tables, Sim/Nao tokens, and a buffet. AYCD pop is available for $2.65. Touro has a large well-decorated and elegant cavernous interior, not too loud. Google Maps indicated there is a dress code but this may only be for the dinner period; we went for Sunday brunch as a last-minute and very fortunate change.

 



  

From the buffet, Mishy and I both loved the spicy beef meatballs. Black beans with pork was delicious, a nice variation on the usual pork and kidney beans. Couscous salad was interesting and had a nice flavor. Potato salad was good but a bit muted. Spring mix salad was very good with Greek feta dressing. Bacon was a bit dry but it was the last in the tray, so was not bad at all considering, and I can forgive it just for being bacon. Dates were good, nicely seasoned, although could have used some more vinegar but that is how my mother made them (and Mishy's must have as well, as she said the same thing.) Baked eggplant was okay but muted, not much seasoning but it is eggplant and all, and I am not a fan. Scrambled eggs were also a bit dry, however again they were at the end of the tray. Corn salad was excellent, very well spiced with a very earthy and bold flavor. Mishy said that the pasta salad was bland, but I liked it.

On to the rodizio offerings finally, the first round chicken legs were a bit dry but still delicious. The second chicken leg was moister and had more flavor. We both absolutely loved the top sirloin steak (I should hope!) and the picanha steak, although the first one was well done. The second picanha was rare and we preferred it that way, got an OMG from Mishy, and brought to mind more Anthony Bourdain wisdom to avoid well-done it is as it is used to hide cheaper cuts… it also overpowers the natural savour of the meat. Parmesan pork was delicious and an excellent flavor combo. Garlic steak was actually better than the same offering from Capacabana. The other item which was superior was grilled pineapple, done to perfection at Touro with plenty of cinnamon and brown sugar. Dark brown in hue, at first I mistook this layer for remaining rind and was avoiding it but happily soon found out what it was. Parmesan steak was delicious and savory. Sausage was good though have had more zesty, but it certainly sufficed.

I didn't try the dessert menu as I was already very happy with several pieces of sugared cinnamon pineapple that I eaten throughout the meal. Touro was a memorably good meal, and an absolutely unprecedented value at $29.99 for full rodizio for Sunday brunch. Service was awesome, constantly refilling drinks and picking up plates and the entire ambiance of the place was wonderful. There were a couple of minor imperfections in the buffet items which hardly affect the outcome, as it is so overshadowed by the rodizio, so although I can't rate Touro as perfect, its value gets it as close as possible. Looking forward to my next visit there!

Rating: 9.5-10 / 10