BBQ or Buffet:Watching Soccer at Cafe Brazil

My original plan to visit Café Brazil centered around a soccer match – fitting for a Brazilian restaurant.

Up until July 29, when Jurgen Klinsman was named the coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team, the soccer story of the summer was the U.S. Women’s Team. The team's up and down play at the Women’s World Cup in Germany, culminating with two dramatic games against Brazil and Japan, caught the attention of even casual sports fans.

Unbeknownst to many fans, another high-profile international tournament was happening simultaneously.

The Copa America is the “World Cup” of south and central American teams. Happening every four years it, it is not nearly as big as the World Cup, or as profitable as the European Championships, but it's full of the same nationalistic pride.

This year’s tournament, like most previous ones, favored a final clash between powerhouses Brazil and Argentina. Brazil had won four of the last six tournaments, and Argentina had faced Brazil in the final game two of the last three times. Both teams underperformed at the World Cup in South Africa and looked poised to reassert their position of dominance.

But some things in sports are not meant to be.

About fifteen minutes after the U.S. Women’s heartbreaking defeat to Japan, Brazil crashed out of the Copa America at the hands of Paraguay. 

So my plan to watch Brazil play Argentina in a soccer match at a rowdy place full of Brazilian’s was not meant to be.

To make up for the sports hiccup, I waited until August to go watch Brazil play a friendly match against Germany. Not the same fervor as Copa America, but a game nonetheless.

I arrived at Café Brazil at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, about midway through the first half of the game. Walking through the open, shady courtyard, there was smooth calm around the place.

I was greeted by a buffet on my left and two waitresses/cooks sitting down chatting in front of a fan. The restaurant was empty, and the walls were bare except for a plasma screen playing the Brazil-Germany match.

I stood still, awaiting instructions.

“Hi, how are you, please sit anywhere,” one of the waitresses said as they both stood up.

I plopped down at one of the many brown four person tables in front of the TV.

Not knowing if there was a menu, or table service, or just the buffet, I sat and waited to see if anybody came to me. After five minutes another customer walked in speaking Portuguese with the workers. He filled up a plate of food from the buffet before sitting down and taking in the game.

I took that as my queue to go to the buffet.

At $5 per pound for the buffet, $6.50 per pound for the barbecue, and $8 for both, Café Brazil is reasonably priced with good food. The buffet offers hot and cold dishes ranging from rice and beans, to grilled chicken and marinated beef, to salad and fruits. (Since they charge by weight and the plates are much heavier than the take out containers it might “pay” to opt for the latter.)

Unfortunately for me, the barbecue men were out that day, so I only had the buffet to critique. Everything tasted cooked and seasoned, and nothing looked like it had been sitting under the lights forever. Buffets can be tricky in that sense, especially during off hours where few customers are trickling through. In the 35 to 40 minutes I was there, I noticed someone changing out dishes: a very good sign.

Before I left one of the waitresses told me on weekends they sometimes have bands and tend to get more crowded during the evening hours. I guess that's not such a bad replacement for a soccer match that never happened.

Cafe Brazil is located at 37 N. Main Street in Port Chester. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 7am - 12am. Eat in or take out. (914) - 934 - 1600.