August 2, 2009
An all-you-can-eat meat buffet? Oh, we’re so there!
The first time I heard about Texas de Brazil - Churrascaria or Brazilian Steakhouse (http://www.texasdebrazil.com/) was from a friend who lives in Florida. She posted pictures in her Facebook account and described how she enjoyed her overall experience there. It sounded so much fun and interesting that when Texas de Brazil opened up in Town Square in Las Vegas, I immediately added it to my “restaurants to visit” list.
I told my husband and stepson that I wanted to go to this “all-you-can-eat meat” buffet place. No further convincing was required. They were ready to go!
The modern day steakhouse was lively with music and people stirring. A lovely hostess led us to a semi-private section. Our reserved table was brightened up by elegant blue water goblets. To the right of each plate setting was a mini tong that rested on a round red card. Our friendly waitress explained that when we were ready for the “meat feast,” all we had to do was turn the card over and show the green side. That would signal the gauchos to come to our table. The gauchos are the meat carvers carrying two-foot long skewers of meat specialties for our taking. As long as the card is green, they will keep coming. The tong was to be used to pull the portions off the skewer.
To start us off, our waitress gave us Brazilian house-baked cheese bread. You could tell it was fresh from the oven: warm, soft and tasty with the cheese filling. Next, we checked out the 50-item seasonal salad bar that included appetizers, soup, salads, and sides. I had a little of everything. I couldn’t resist the lobster bisque soup, heart of palm, artichokes, roasted bell peppers and zucchini. I also tried items that I’ve never had before like the Peruvian or Brazilian salad. But popular favorites were available too like Carpaccio, Romaine lettuce, asparagus spears, sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes and mozzarella balls. So, picky eaters are covered. They were all yummy!
As soon as I finished my starters, I flipped my card to green. No sooner did the gauchos come flocking to our table! I was wrong to think that it would take them a while to come around carrying the meat-filled skewers. I must say, I was overwhelmed when offered filet mignon, BBQ pork ribs, parmesan chicken, lamb, pork loin, chorizo sausage and more. Oh my! But the one to remember is the signature sirloin called “picanha” which was a melt-in-your-mouth sirloin steak!
While we were there, I noticed that the restaurant staff moved about non-stop. The service was remarkable! It showed that the staff loved their jobs and were proud to be there. I glanced at the other tables around. There were a lot of big groups at long tables. But big or small parties, they were all having a great time at this “churrascaria.”
This truly is a meat-lovers heaven. My family and I agreed that we would have to come back and experience this all over again!
