Achurrascaria is a restaurant serving Brazilian-style barbecued meat. At Brazilian Grill Churrascaria, the meat is served rodizio, meaning that it is sliced from a skewer at your table, while you watch in carnivorous intoxication.

The restaurant opened earlier this summer and is the only spot in Indianapolis where a diner can indulge in the concept -- and what an indulgent one it is.

The Food

The only menu at Brazilian Grill is a cocktail menu -- and the $6 caipirinha (kye-pih-REEN-yah) -- a mix of lime, sugar and cachaca (ka-SHAH-sa), a glorious Brazilian beverage of distilled, fermented sugarcane juice -- is a heady starter. No need to labor over dinner decisions here, although you might waver over the spread of salads and sides on the cold bar.

The experience centers on an unlimited feast of 18 meat varieties, grilled in the back and brought forth on giant skewers. Tables are set with tongs for grabbing whatever morsel is shaved or shoved from the skewer of the moment. Laminated cards with a green (Bring it on!) and a red (No, thanks) side signal servers to stop at your table or keep moving.

Start at the cold bar, which offers primarily Brazilian dishes and an ever-changing lineup. I found tart and spicy greens, snappy black beans and rice (plus yucca flour for topping them), fried bananas, and a lightly spicy relish I scooped onto chicken. Much more was available, and I'd meant to return, but the meat came too fast.

Skewers, which arrive at a decadent pace, hold bacon-wrapped tilapia, turkey, marinated skirt steak, ribeye, lamb, pork tenderloin and more, more, more. Tiny rolls of cheese bread come in a basket and are worthy distractions.

Desserts seem worrying when surely few people have the stamina, but our cinnamon flan ($7.50) and mango sorbet ($7.50) were dazzlers of epic proportions, tastewise and sizewise.

The Service

Skewers showed up in the hands of servers wildly enthusiastic about what was on them and others unimpressed, but they appeared regularly and often.

The Atmosphere

Snug and smart-looking, Brazilian Grill is decked out in warm gold and orange shades. The bar is tucked into a corner, and the buffet of sides sits in a nook in the back of the room, where diners can peer through a cutout into the kitchen.

The Price

$108 for two, including tax, tip and two cocktails -- a better deal based on quantity than quality. Arguing with $27.50 for a nonstop parade of meat is silly, but although some meats were flavorful and succulent, not every preparation merited a green card.

Next Time

More caipirinhas, slightly less meat. And maybe a stop on one of the alternate Saturdays when live Brazilian music is part of the experience.

-- By Tracy Cumbay / Star Correspondent