Robert van der Meulen (from left), Freya Goins, Dorinha Laubach and Rolf Laubach make up the team behind Dora�s Brazilian Grill. James Dickinson photo
The partners in Dora's Brazilian Grill (1331 E. Cary St., 269-3697) bring a variety of accents to their new Shockoe Slip churrascaria. It's named after Brazilian-born Dorinha Laubach, who manages the restaurant with her husband, Rolf, a native of Germany. Their accents mix with the North Carolina twang of Freya Goins, the chief financial officer, and the Dutch tones of partner Robert van der Meulen, Goins' fiancé, who divides his time between Dora's and his day job as an export sales manager at a wood-veneer manufacturing firm in West Point. The four had worked together at a Charlotte, N.C., manufacturer that closed, but Dorinha Laubach previously managed a Brazilian eatery in Montreal, and Goins grew up working in family-owned restaurants in North Carolina.
The signature meal at Dora's is the Turnstile Rodizio. For $26.95, diners can have their fill of the 10 types of meat cooked rotisserie-style over wood lump coal and sliced onto their plates by "gauchos" — South American cowboys — holding long skewers. Smaller plates are available for children, and there are several other entrées, including a vegetarian dinner.
Goins says neighboring retaurants have made Dora's feel welcome, assisting with advice about food vendors, beverages and other details. "The whole view of everybody is the more variety we have down here, the more people" will come.
