There’s lots to look forward too at Giraffas USA as we are opening new restaurants serving traditional Brazilian cuisine in a new city (Orlando). In the meantime, if you are looking for the best grilled steak in Miami check out the new Giraffas Brazilian grill restaurant in Doral, which has recently opened its doors.

What we are most excited about this spring though is our newest addition to the menu. We are happy to announce that all Giraffas Brazilian restaurants, besides the healthy quinoa salads, will now be offering another delicious healthy treat: the fruit-filled Amazoon Smoothie, loaded with Açaí pulp. Our smoothie packs the same amount of pulp content as the original Açaí in a bowl.

Amazoo Açaí is certified organic and harvested in a sustainable environment and works with the local community to produce only the best Açaí berries.

Açaí Facts -

Açaí is rich in amino acids, minerals and carbohydrates.

Açaí is gluten-free.

Açaí does not contain more calories than fruits regularly consumed, such as banana.

Açaí has a low glycemic rate, which means that it gradually releases glucose into the blood stream and keeps us satisfied for longer.

Açaí is all natural.

Açaí contains a powerful antioxidant that fights cancer cells by neutralizing free radicals.

Açaí is good for sports recovery, vitality and memory enhancement.

So come by and try our delicious treats! Our Latin American Giraffas restaurants bring food and personality from Brazil to South Florida residents at 5 different locations. Whether you are in the mood to indulge in something new or just want to enjoy some old favorites, we promise that our inventive Brazilian food menu and attentive service will leave you truly satisfied.

Your saying to yourself, “Farofa, what?”  First off, it’s pronounced in three syllables, Fa-Ro-Fa and second, it’s one of the most popular dishes to accompany Brazilian meals.  Its smoky and salty flavor is used to accentuate the meat flavor that it most always is served with throughout Brazil and especially at Giraffas.

Farofa is made from flour and bacon, which gives it that smoky flavor.  Most recipes vary a little bit based on family recipes and tradition and depending on what the main meal will be and how it is prepared, for example, barbeque, grilled or combined in a stew, which is very common in Brazilian cuisine.

Every single one of our menu items at Giraffas has a recipe that has been passed down from family tradition and used to prepare all of our side dishes, sauces, meats and poultry.

We’d like to share with you our Farofa Recipe:

Ingredients:

9 oz onion julienne

15 oz cooked bacon, chopped

1 1/2 oz parsley chopped

1 Tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp salt

9 eggs

3 manioc flour

3/4 cup olive oil

4 1/2 oz butter

Directions:

1. To a hot pan, add the butter and cook until the butter melts.

2. Add the eggs to the pan and scramble the eggs using a large spoon. Cut the eggs from 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock. Then from 12 to 6. Eggs should be less than 1 centimeter.

3. To a second hot pan, add your oil, bacon, and onion.

4. Cook for 4 minutes. The bacon should not get crispy.

5. Turn off the fire and add the manioc flour,salt, and scrambled eggs, and parsley.

6. Mix throughly for 1 minute or until the ingredients are evenly mixed.

7. Transfer mixture to a 1/3 pan.

Next time you eat with us at Giraffas, try our farofa and mix it in with our Picanha and see if you can taste that delicious smoky flavor melting in your taste buds.

Our kid’s menu is no different; we love the KIDS at Giraffas and feed them like our kings of the restaurant!

We have four delicious kid’s meals that are all under $5 and are called, “GIRA Meals!”

Cheese Burger

Adults can’t be the only ones eating juicy burgers! Our scrumptious kid’s cheeseburger comes accompanied by fries and smiles.

Meat Ball Spaghetti

Topped with our special tomato sauce and delicious meatballs, our spaghetti will surely have your youngster asking for more.

Grilled Filét Tips

Our Grilled Steak Tips is a complete meal that comes with salad, mashed potatoes, rice, and black beans, making this one of the best meals for those little ones who just love to munch.

Chicken Filét

Little ones are given special attention at Giraffas. Our chicken filet, made freshly on site, comes accompanied by salad, mashed potatoes, rice, and black beans.

Make sure you visit our newly opened Pembroke Pines restaurant.  For more locations you can visit our GIRA Spotter.

We hope to be feeding you and your little ones soon!

U.S. Marketing Director, Carlos Vanegas, remarks, “This partnership is very important to Giraffas because we recognize the immense challenge of introducing a new fast casual concept to an American audience that is little familiar or maintains misconceptions about Brazilian food.” He continues, “After a thorough selection process, we recognized that PI&C is not a traditional and predictable advertising agency. Their processes take them sometimes outside the realm of advertising to find the ideal solution to a business problem. We’re very excited about this new partnership and look forward to great work from them!”

Giraffas Restaurant, named one of the top 10 Fast Casual Restaurants in the world by Travel & Leisure, has successfully entered the U.S. market with a Fast Casual dining experience and a mission of providing what their tagline promises: “A Brazilian twist on what you love to eat.” Not the type of Brazilian restaurant with the all-you-can-eat meat menus to which we have grown accustomed here in the States, the Giraffas seasonal menu introduces traditional Brazilian flavors and cooking methods while skillfully adapting them to the American culture and taste buds with typical dishes such as burgers, steaks, chicken, shrimp and pasta.

The brainchild of founder, Carlos Guerra, Giraffas Brazilian Steaks & Burgers brings 30 years of experience and proven success in Brazil as the third largest chain in that country. They have entered the U.S. market with four locations in the South Florida regions of Miami-Dade and Broward counties and are scheduled to open another three restaurants up through Tampa and Orlando by the end of 2013. With additional expansion plans including 34 locations over the next five years, Giraffas is clearly making its mark in the United States.

Sharing his excitement of the new partnership with Giraffas Restaurant, Founder/ Chief Idea  Architect of PI&C, Domenico Vitale, states, “We got so engaged by the potential of this new brand for the US market.  They are incredibly successful in Brazil because of their great product and we are looking forward to helping them build the same success here.” He continues, “America needs a new choice in dining.  Giraffas can be that new choice.  And the best part?  They are incredible people who are a real pleasure to work with. They needed nimble solutions and that is what PI&C is built to provide.  Very exciting indeed!”

Additional information about PI&C can be found in their website at Pic-nyc.com.

There is, however, one common thread between people, places, cities and countries, and that is the universal message of love.  No matter where you come from, or what your belief system is, the need and desire for love remains steady throughout each and every one of us.

And so in honor of this month’s holiday of love, also known as Valentine’s Day in the United States, (side-note Brazilians actually celebrate Valentine’s Day on June 12^th and keep it very personal among couples and spouses), Giraffas USA will be offering a free Petit Gateau of your choice and a beautiful red rose to all those that choose to eat and share the GIRA LOVE with us on this special day.

As we like to say, Brazil’s been in love with us for over 30 years and it’s time for us to share the love with the rest of the world.

You’re probably asking yourself, “when?”   The answer, and this is according to our most recent insider information, will be next week.  The exact day is not yet determined but our sources closest to the GIRA team confirm that it will be next week.  Just in time for Valentine’s Day.  It’s the GIRA way of saying, “we love our customers!”

Here’s an article that the Sun Sentinel Newspaper about the new restaurant opening in Broward.

Giraffas Pembroke Pines is located at 151 North Hiatus Road, Pembroke Pines.  33026

We recently stumbled across a headline picked up by the Huffington Post from a website called BugerBusiness. It read: Is America Ready for a Brazilian Burger Chain?

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