We're suckers for ambience. If the vibe is cool, the lighting is right, and the music lends to the overall experience, then we're all for it. From the moment we walked through the door, it was easy to see that this place ticked all those boxes.
Service was prompt as there seemed to be at least eight servers all working the same area with a rhythm that resembled a choreographed routine. Only one gentleman, the main server, spoke English. Everyone else nodded kindly as we tried our tongue at Portuguese.
The food was just all right. I'd be lying if I said it impressed me at all. In fact, we were more pleased with the presentation of the meal, including the logo-clad dinner plates. It appeared as though all the thought went into the vibe, not so much the meal. Honestly, we've had better Brazilian fare in America, England, and Abu Dhabi. The meat was not as flavorful as we'd hoped and the sides were completely lackluster. Table salt needed to be added to the potatoes, as well as butter. We've been to steakhouses all around the globe and have never needed to season on the kitchen's behalf.
All of that said, we are giving this place a two-star rating because it took over 20 minutes to pay the bill. We realize that no place on the planet moves as quickly as America, but their slow pace wasn't even the largest problem here. It was their wifi connection on their credit card machines and their disregard to listen to us. They inaccurately ran our American Express card several times. You see, the security code isn't on the back of the card, it's on the front. We tried to explain this, but he kept saying ok, shaking his head no, and then walking away. I realize this might be due to the language barrier, but it was frustrating nonetheless. Then we offered them a Visa card as this has the normal code on the back and we feared American Express would be shutting our card down after four failed attempts. This didn't work either. Imagine our annoyance. Finally! The main server who speaks English came by to assist. He explained that it wasn't our cards, it was the machine. It wasn't connecting. So after 20 minutes of looking too broke to pay for a $100 USD meal with plastic, we threw cash down and left. Tip included, of course. We are Americans, after all.
At this point, the ambience we'd once enjoyed seemed pointless.
In short: go for the vibe, expect a mediocre meal, and pay cash. read more