somewhere recently I read about a new Brazilian* chain that would be opening in Orlando called Giraffas.  With over 400 semi-fast food locations in Brazil we didn’t totally know what to expect because the menu said steaks and burgers.  I don’t generally think of steaks as fast food.  We put it on our to do list and yesterday were planning on heading to Magic Kingdom when we took a look at the waits and quickly changed our minds.  Giraffas is located on I-drive in the heart of the tourist district and is surrounded by loads of random one off outlets for sunglasses and sportswear.  The decor was fresh and modern and had lots of touches from  a cute pair of giraffes shaped like a knife and fork.  It is a counter ordering scenario where they deliver your meal to you.  I ordered a picanha burger with cheddar and bacon and a side of giraffas sauce which turned out to be chimichurri in butter sauce alongside a side of fries.  I walked away from the counter at that point and was surprised to learn that Z ordered a steak with fries, black beans and quinoa.  Quinoa?  I’m not really sure why he didn’t have rice or some veggies but that is what he wanted.  He thought it might be a specialty or something.  Everything came out fairly quickly-I’m not sure how they stage the kitchen so that a steak takes only a few minutes to cook but it came out in under ten minutes and was definitely cooked to his specifications.  My burger was nice and beefy-I’ve since learned that picanha is a standard Brazilian cut kind of rumpy.  I liked to dip it in the chimichurri although it was hugely garlicky.  I thought it was maybe a little expensive but not terribly so.  The food was pretty good and it was fun to people watch the largely Brazilian tourist crowd.

*Brazilian.  I mean the country and/or people-makes me giggle.