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Boy do they give you an earful when you first sit down. Our server started reciting all this stuff about how everything works and blah blah blah...we were bored and so was she from the sound of her monotone voice. She must've recited the entire menu word-for-word. Finally we got to the part where we order drinks. I told her, "I just want water." She asked, "sparkling or still?" I said still since I just wanted plain water and I was dying to make my way over to the delicious looking salad bar.
The salad bar was great. They should have an option where you can just pay for the salad bar. My favorite out of the meats was probably the flank steak. It was cooked just right and not too salty. I think the saltiest thing I tried was the beef rib. I was more interested in the salad bar so I didn't try as many of the meats. Anyway, so while I was gorging myself, I noticed that we were the only table with a blue bottle of water and different cups, and other people had clear glasses filled with water. I never even noticed them bringing a bottle because I was pigging out...my fault. We were the only idiots paying for plain old water. I was a little annoyed because when I told our server that "I just want water," she didn't give me an option of tap water. i didn't know I had to specify tap water...I guess I should've checked what exactly they meant by "still" water but the long speech at the beginning and the yummy looking salad bar calling my name distracted me. The point I'm trying to make is that I think the server knew I wanted tap water, but chose to give me the bottled water instead. Maybe I'm the only one who is confused by this but I just want to put it out there so no one else makes the same mistake.
They also give you some cheese filled rolls and plaintains, both were good, especially the plaintains (YUM!) but I didn't have much room left for the rolls. I was saving room for dessert...I got the creme brulee and the boyfriend got cheesecake (which he loved!). We had to hear another speech about cigars, after dinner drinks, yada yada yada before we could get to the desserts.
I want to come back here for the salad bar but the thought of coming back makes me annoyed in advance.
Yes, Brazil may have taken the Olympic bid for 2016, but they've given us something even better: Brazilian BBQ, AKA the famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) churrascaria.
Word to the wise: the internet is your friend. We showed up at Texas with some very nice 50% off coupons (which expired Sept 30). Maybe they'll have another deal circulating the internets again at some point. Just saying, keeping your eyes open for deals can pay off.
Onto the food. The food was good. My recommendation is to stick with the picahna and the filet. Most of the other items (including the "garlic picahna") are way too salty. Even the two items listed carry an ample amount of sodium.
The non-BBQ items were expansive and pretty decent. Though my main strategy (and yes every man needs a strategy when eating buffet) is to eat as little "filler" as possible, I kept a "minimum necessary" amount of fiber on my plate at all times. The green beans were pretty good.
Mashed potatoes and plantains are part of the buffet, but for possible cost-minimizing they are served via the waiters, on tiny plates might I add, only by request. The plantains are sweetened well and really good.
Service was good. When the waiter asked us if we wanted anything in particular, the meat was at our table within minutes. By the way, don't order soda here. I made that mistake. I should've realized when everyone else at my table (Texas veterans) stuck with water. Soda orders are fulfilled with a tiny (non-refill) bottle of pop - smaller than a can in my estimation.
All in all, a good meal. Good service. Good food. Fairly reasonable at normal price. 4 stars - barely.
People thought this was:
I came here with the Carnivore Crew.. ages ago. If not for the 50% off coupon, I'm not sure I could eat enough to justify the full price. But boy was it yummy =) I didn't find the meat to be as salty as many have described, but the waitress did tell us first off that they do have less saltier meats as well. The buffet was chocked full of vegetables, cheeses, meats.. love their asparagus and green beans. Oh.. how can I forget the key lime pie is a winner here!
Definitely sign up for emails from them to get specials. They send them out frequently.
People thought this was:
Did not like this place.
Waiter was snobby as hell. Overpriced and not all that. I know good food, and it's not this place.
People thought this was:
Date Attended: 10/03/09, Saturday
This is your typical Brazillian style steakhouse. Start your meal with the salad buffet items. Plenty of things to choose from and to experiment with, most of which tasted good. There were plenty of staff walking around with choices of chicken, chicken with bacon, filet mignon, sausages, flank, steak with bacon, etc, all of which were tasty as well. They give you a side of mash potatos and plantains.
The cost for 1 dinner is $42.99. For a party of 4, add a few mixed drinks, water, soda (no free refills), a dessert, and you're looking to spend $2-$300.
Decor's nice with friendly staff. Come if you want to try it for the experience or come if you like meat and eat a lot to get your money's worth.
People thought this was:
the salad bar is the best i have ever seen. they offer you such a wide variety from sushi to latino soup. meat quality is ok and service is good. they do talk ablot at the end of the meal when they offer you cigars and liquor. overall though, good experience and would reccommend it with anyone that can eat alot at one time!
Let me start off by saying that I don't eat meat.
Crazy of me to go to a place that serves unlimited meat, right? Well one of the managers at work was treating a small group of us for some accomplishments and this is the place we picked.
I'm also NOT a fan of Malibu Grill when my coworkers decide to go there, as I feel (even when I ate meat) it's just too much food for lunch and their side items were not spectacular. Well, it's completely different and MUCH better at Texas de Brazil. They even let you eat a "light lunch" which means salad bar only.
Obviously I can't comment on the meat they serve, but they do warn you ahead of time that the meats tend to be salty, but they can create a salt-free option at your request. No one at my table complained.
The "salad bar" had TONS of option. The server said 50, I think, and I didn't bother to count but it all looked good. I started with a small samplings of what looked most appealing to me and then went back later for what I loved. I definitely enjoyed the potato salad, roasted squash, orzo, selection of cheeses, and the lobster bisque. The mashed potatoes and fried plantains they brought to the table were amazing. I'm surprised no one else dug into the potatoes. No one touched the cheese balls.
The server was also very attentive and the gauchos were pretty good at always being there with meat when you wanted it. The only thing I did not like was that they didn't seem to pay attention that my meat sign (green for meat, red for no) was always on red. At least at first, as they kept coming up to me asking if I wanted anything. They could probably make the signs more visible. Or pay better attention.
The decor is pretty impressive inside. It's dark and fancy but doesn't make you feel like you're out of place. I was real impressed with how there were walls full of wine.
Overall, the food was great, and even vegetarians can have a great time eating here. Just stay away if you don't eat meat for moral reasons.
The food was pricey, even "discounted" for lunch, so I wouldn't eat here all the time, or at my own free will, but it was definitely worth it to eat here at least once.
The Missus and I used to love to go to this place. We signed up for their email club thing and visited here often. We brought relatives here to show them what a great place it was. The salad bar here is incredible, as is the samples of meat. These are the only reason I give this place 2 stars instead of one.
The last time we visited we were schooled in how not to treat loyal customers. We came in one evening without reservations. The four 'children of the corn' tweens behind the counter told us we'd have to wait about 20-30 minutes. Not a problem. We went to the bar area and had some drinks and waited.
After about 40 minutes we started noticing a trend. Couples who had come in before and after us were still waiting, as were we. But larger groups that came in were seated much faster.
Finally, the Missus went to the front desk to inquire how much longer it would take. The hostess replied with contempt which was overheard by a young manager nearby. He butted in and got us seated. One of hostesses took us to probably one of the worst tables for two in the place. It was longer than it was wide and the seats were at the far ends. And a seat on one end butted up against the waiter station.
Since we could barely hear each other talk, when the waitress showed up we asked if we could move to a four-top just across from us. She instantly went from bubbly to crestfallen as she agreed to go let the hostesses know.
So we moved.
After we moved, the waitress (whose section we apparently moved out of by shifting tables) was re-setting the table we were originally seated at. Another manager came over and began almost berating her for allowing us to move. If that wasn't bad enough, the whole time he was talking to her, he was facing us. Giving us dirty looks like you couldn't imagine. I was tempted to get up and ask him if he'd like to take this outside and discuss it man to man, but didn't want to upset our dinner.
The food was good as usual, but we just never felt welcome in this place the rest of the night.
Needless to say, we've never been back.
TdB has a pretty nice ambience, though the space is a bit tight, and tables are kinda too close together. The meat parade was quite good, I thought, though I think it was a little short on variety. What I will definitely give them props for -- the gauchos were making really quick tours of the place with their wares and heading right back into the kitchen, meaning a really good turn-around of the meat selections. The place was always hopping with gauchos. Good. Our waiter gave us very attentive and helpful service. Very professional: subservient yet friendly.
The "salad bar" was a little bit of a let-down - not a huge spread. I had gone in thinking I might just do the salad bar, but when I saw the spread, I opted for meat. It just wasn't inspiring. On the other hand, the quality of the foods on the salad bar was all quite good. The feijoada I thought was very good. They also had a lobster bisque which was heavenly -- though perhaps a little too heavy on the cream/butter for my tastes, which run more away from, rather than toward, the rich.
I was disappointed that they don't have any beer on tap. The bottled brazilian beer I tried was fine.
The bar at TdB was comfortable; I enjoyed sitting in the lounge area by myself waiting for the rest of my party, as other people came and left. But I give them big dings for the bar, for two reasons. 1. The pervasive smell of cigar smoke. I know some segment of their clientele gets off on this. Too bad. It sucks. Thumbs down on the cigar smoke. 2. their drink prices are kind of outrageous. A manhattan over $10. In a classier joint, I could see it. MAYBE. I shall also complain about the drink itself: it tasted like straight bourbon. I felt like asking the barmaid if she had used any vermouth at all. I should have watched her. Maybe she used white vermouth. I don't know. Just bad.
People thought this was:
I liked Texas De Brazil. It was some serious cholesterol infested, salty eats. While I wouldn't recommend coming here if you're craving that amazing steak from an upscale steak house, you should come here if you want to feed your face with a variety of meats, cheeses, and bananas that some would argue were plantains (they bananas).
Unlike Fago, the salad bar here is OMGazing. It's filled with everything you want from marinated cheeses, to potato salad to... SUSHI! My favorites pieces of meat were the pork ribs and fillet mignon wrapped in bacon.
I would have given TDB 4 stars just because in my opinion beat out the Baltimore and DC location of Fago De Chao but unfortunately I was unimpressed with the service. While the main server was attentive and worked hard (especially for my bananas), the "gauchos" that bring you your meat based on the coin that is either red/green really pissed me off. When my coin was red (meaning NO) they still asked me if I wanted some food. What the hell was the point of these devises if they weren't being used. Furthermore, when my coin was GREEN for YES YES GIMME MORE FOOD, they walked away. It made me just eat more bananas.
It's highly advised you drink a lot of water during your meal. It's quite salty and will provide you with your year need for sodium.
People thought this was:
On the good side, with a coupon, you can get in and out for under $30 including tax and tip. The servers are friendly and the meat comes very quickly. The salad bar is as impressive as I've been told and I wish I had gotten more of the grilled provalone cheese. There's a good number of meat cuts, so as long as you don't bring vegetarians you should be good. The meat is perfectly cooked at medium rare. The couple bites of desserts I tried were fantastic.
On the bad side, it's like eating a meaty salt lick. Yeah, you can ask for less salty cuts, but seriously, there's no need for THAT much salt.
Having eaten at Fogo recently, I have a good idea of the differences, and I'm going to say without a doubt that I'd rather pay the extra money for Fogo (or go for lunch) since at the very least I can't feel my blood pressure increase every time I take a bite.
Worth a visit, but I doubt I'll be back.
People thought this was:
I've dined at this place about 3 times due to company events. Each time, I have left stuffed.
I would say there are two good things about this place. Both the cuts of meat and the incredible salad bar.
My favorite item on the salad bar is the grilled zucchini. I don't know what they on it, but it's got a sweet, savory taste.
Don't get caught up with the Lobster Bisque. It's way over salty.
My favorite cuts of meat are the brisket and the sirloin. I also really like the sausage. I'm not so crazy about the chicken, the pork, or the lamb. The lamb comes out way undercooked.
For dessert, go with the Bananas Foster pie. It's the best. The chocolate cake is just way too rich, but good.
I have a friend who is on their frequent diners club, and he often gets 50% off coupons. That is what makes it worth if. If I had to pay for it myself, maybe not so much.
Once again, the infamous Carnivore Crew came together for an evening of meat-mania, an orgy of grilled protein...
This time around the Carnivore Crew consisted of Tony P., Life member Lester K., Bottomless pit Jonathan R., Michelle L., Natasha O., Mai H., Tim T., Ben M., and myself.
We were split into two tables of five and were seated within a minute or so of each other. Lester and Mai supplied the 50% off coupons.
I sat with Ben, Jonathan, Michelle, and Tim. None of them had been to Texas de Brazil Churrascaria before - so I was the grizzled veteran of our table.
After the obligatory introduction and instructions from our server, the spree ensued. We all made our obligatory tour of the sides and salad bar, then settled in for a blitzkrieg of grilled meats. One thing I will say that I was unaware of until this evening - if you find the meats to be to salty - you can request they grill you up a batch without salt. Apparently they encrust the outside of the meats with some sort of salt cure - hence the references by many folks to the meat being to salty. Well, now you have a choice. If you don't request some unsalted meat - and then you write a review where you blast them and lower the star rating based on that alone - well, you no longer have a leg to stand on.
We flipped our tokens over to "green" and the onslaught began: Garlic sirloin, pork ribs, sausage, flank steak, Filet wrapped in bacon, and a whole lot more. I passed up several cuts of meat as I was stocked with Meat O' Plenty!
My favorites were the Flank steak and the lamb. I like to get an outside edge piece, it's more well done and I like the char. The Flank steak was to salty, but the flavor and juiciness were amazing. Jonathan and I agreed it was very good. But I'm not dinging them on my rating for the place as I could have requested an unsalted Flank steak. I also love the Filet wrapped in bacon. We were also served sides of mashed potatoes and banana/plantains. There was some questions as to whether they were bananas or plantains - they seemed to starchy to me to be bananas - but I could be wrong.
While the food was enjoyable, one of the fun things about Yelp events is getting to know other folks. We had some fun conversations at our table. We de-virginized Michelle as it was her first Yelp event (official or UYE).
I decided to have dessert, as did Jonathan. I had the Carrot Cake - very good and very moist. Fortunately, Ben and Jonathan each took a bite as I was stuffed.
Great evening!
People thought this was:
My first Brazilian Steakhouse experience!
The group split up into several different tables - I…
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I totally agree with Scott S.----if we didn't have my birthday coupon, it would've been ONE star, maybe less. With the coupon, it was 2.-3 stars.
okay, no deletions for Saltiness....I had gone in knowing that it would be salty, but WOW, it was SOOOOOOO salty. haha good thing I asked for the non-salty meat, but there was massive confusion and lack of communication between the waiters and the gauchos so the salty meat kept coming! I was with a 200 pound Korean guy so he just kept eating and eating and eating. As a less than 100lber I like to think that I eat a lot, especially when I'm starving (omg, I could eat 3 steaks!....pause...pause...not!) so I went in starving and thinking I could eat tons...didn't happen.
the lamb chops were so dry and tasteless, the bacon wrapped filets were surprisingly terrible, BUT the sausages were good--maybe it's cuz it was salty when it was actually supposed to be---and spicy too! ahaahha
I got filled really fast and honestly, the salty meats kept coming while the non-salty ones didn't. i even avoided carbs (i do in general anyway) but on top of that, ate salad beforehand to start the digestion! didn't work. ahaha On the other hand, my favorite meat was the top sirloin medium rare, but the question is, was it my favorite b/c it was the only one that wasn't salty or b/c it was actually my favorite? idon't know. ahha
the salad bar was overrated---I read really good reviews about it, and yeah they had some faux sushi and cheeses, but nothing out of the ordinary (potato salad, artichokes, some nasty mushrooms, etc.)
the "plantains" were delicious! I think if i didn't have the salty meats, I would've thought the plaintains were too sweet, but since it was soo salty it was PERFECT.
OH yeah, i was pleasantly surprised with the lobster bisque. Again, on the salty side normally, but combined with the terribly salty meat, it was perfect.
the peach ginger ice tea was delicious even without the sugar.
Overall, I asked my date if he would ever come back here and he said no. I personally said, no brazillion steakhouses in general for me like the no buffet rule. Just not worth it. If we had paid full price for this meal, I would've left feeling even more dissatisfied!
"Is it wrong to fantasize about lamb-chops & Brazilian cheese bread?? Um, do I really care, even?"
These thoughts plagued my mind one day last week, as I 'starved' myself for the dinner I knew I had waited my whole life for. This was not my first visit to a churrascaria, and neither will it be my last. I will base my review for this particular one on service.
I thought I would be partial to this chain because I am a Texan, and have an affinity for Brasil and its many cultures and charms. The hospitality is definitely evident with Texas de Brazil's servers - although, they can be a bit pushy with the different choices of meat towards the end of the night. "C'mon, you know you want filet mignon - just take it."
The salad bar is extensive, as expected. The drinks were pretty tasty. The traditional bananas, potatoes and bread were also served; but, I may have been the only person at my table who was actually interested in eating them. My friends are so carnivorous!
I could tell that I was asking for a bit much when at closing time I requested lamb-chops cooked "well", and none of the servers had such a delight on any of their trays. Well, they brought them. I ate all six - resisting unzipping the top of my pants to "make room". They were excellent, and that made my night. If I happen to visit this part of VA, I will definitely dine here again.
Note to owners: somebody please give a great businessman an opportunity to franchise, and open one in Houston. There is no reason that Dallas should have two....... A sincere plea from a meatatarian.
People thought this was:
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a gorging trip
That started with a cheese puff, first of many I'll let slip.
Mike T. was the smiling birthday man, celebrating one more,
4 friends sat down to feast that day, much meat we looked to score
Much meat we looked to score.
We tucked in with cured meats and cheese, some veggies were there too,
If not for the succulent circling skewers,
The salad bar would do,
The salad bar would do.
But we cast aside our empty plates, big meat time had arrived
With Mmmm pork loin,
The lamb chops too,
The rare sirloin, (avoid salty crust)
Ohhhh, the sirloin,
The parmesan chicken legs
All cooked TdB's style.
So this was the tale of us diners, we ate for a long, long time,
Must give mention to the lobster bisque, it was just divine.
Fabrizio our mindful server, he did his very best
Brought me extra sautéed bananas, and meats upon request.
No eggs! No lunch! No food at all, for day prior you may agree,
Like ravenous carnivores, maximum tummy space free.
So join your friends on occasion, you're sure to get your fill
From the array of meat and dishes, at Texas de Brazil!
(With sincere apologies to CBS for absconding with the theme to Gilligan's Island - but frankly, with all the crap those castaways had on that island I'm amazed there wasn't a TdB just around the corner 3rd palm tree from the left.)
People thought this was:
With buy one get one coupon (the only way you should ever go to this place) - 3 stars
Without half off coupon - 1 star
A great salad bar, a relatively nice atmosphere, and the fun of trying a ton of different meats make this place totally worth 35 bucks after tax and tip to try... once. Without the half-off coupon, though, the bill would have been 55 bucks each, and if I'd paid that much, I would have been extremely pissed that my 55 dollar buffet used the "make everything unbelievably salty so you fill up on water" tactic.
For 35 bucks, though, the saltiness is worth dealing with... once. The service is good despite the fact that they trick you into buying a bottle of spring water by asking you if you want "sparkling water or ...(unintelligible)" and if you say "uh, not sparkling" they bring you a 5 dollar water.
As far as the meats go: The sirloin is really damn good, especially if you get an end slice. The sausage is also damn good. The filet varies based on how much salt is on it. Lamb is alright, a nice change of pace. The pork products are just ludicrously salty and not worth trying at all.
Salad bar/sides: Veggies are fresh and good. The mashed potatoes are too salty, but in comparison to the meat, they're goddamn PERFECT! The bisque was damn good. The prosciutto and smoked provolone were solid (at least prosciutto is supposed to be salty). On the other hand, think you can use a nice sweet sushi roll to kill the salt in your mouth? No, they're surprisingly spicy, and you'll probably want water after them, too.
I dragged my girlfriend to an all-you-can-eat meat place, and I can't ever see doing it again, even at half price. It was worth it for both of us, because it was a new dining experience, but even for a 70 dollar total bill, we could have eaten much better food. I can't begin to imagine why any couple would be happy with their experience after paying the full price. I could conceivably see coming back with a fellow 200+ lb dude, especially if we prepared by coming extremely well hydrated (I went hungover and the salt was just murder), but I bet I still won't.
Tips on using the coupon: It says to present it to the hostess, but if you do that, the hostess will just tell you to give it to your waitress, so avoid that embarrassment and just wait until you're paying the bill.
People thought this was:
Okay, let me first say, for sure it was expensive. I didn't get to see how much it costs, because my boyfriend paid, and I didn't see the menu, but I could tell it was up there. He's not cheap but I think even he was surprised how expensive it was, for a mall restaurant.
It's a white tablecloth restaurant with a four page wine list and offers of still or sparkling water (extra) with your meal. That kind of place. We walked in in shorts (I didn't know it was so expensive -- hey, it's in the mall) and every one was dressed in Sunday clothes. Had I known, I would have worn a nice outfit. We were just hungry and didn't want to go to Cheesecake Factory.
The decor is a bit unusual -- lots of deep reds and dark plank woods -- but not exactly tacky. Huge wall of wine and a large thermidor. It is not the height of beautiful but it is pleasant. I think they should have invested in professional design for the price. The salad bar is crowned with the largest display of artificial flowers I have ever seen. It is not exactly ugly but they are so frankly fake, it kind of cheapens the experience.
We went for lunch Saturday which is brunch there. The service was amazing. They do try to upsell you quite a bit. But they're nice about it. The manager hovered and dropped by our table twice to hear us say how good everything was :)
I've never eaten in a restaurant like this before, a Brazilian style steak place. Our server gave us all kinds of tips, as did the meat-carrying gauchos. We started with lobster bisque (good, a little salty, tasted like roe) and the salad bar. I got a scant half a bowl of this creamy bisque and didn't finish it, so it wasn't a standout for me. Stars on the bar were fresh green beans and asparagus and a wide assortment of thinly sliced, cured meats and cheeses. To me, it resembled tapas fare.
We passed on the eggs, potatoes and sausages, although they all looked good because we were saving room for the roasted meats.
On the table was a small basket of gougeres, the little cheese puffs. They would have been good except gougeres are really only good piping hot out of the oven. I still ate half of a tiny one, though.
The waiter had warned us that the meat would taste salty and that they would prepare salt-free versions if we preferred that. He was right, it was salty, but I like salty so that was fine. He also said it would be medium-rare and it was. It was perfectly cooked.
I asked for small pieces so I could sample a lot of them. The flank steak, to me, was the tastiest and juiciest, followed by the lamb. The chicken was also good and not a bit dry. We also tried the pork and another beef item.
There was a family there with children, and the children seemed to like the food very much. It is my experience that children often rise to the occasion and if you take them to a nice place and treat them well, they behave mannerly.
We passed on dessert but had espresso. We saw the dessert platter. They use a dessert tray of artificial desserts, or maybe they are just sprayed with lacquer. Anyway, they are clearly inedible if not artificial. A mistake in my opinion. A plastic creme brulee does not tempt me to order it. Either present a tray of samples of the real thing, or just offer a menu.
It was all very good, and I would go back if it were not so expensive. Maybe I'll take my BF there for his birthday, though, because I can tell he really liked it.
I am so in love with Texas de Brazil. Yes, I know it's pretty much a scam in that nobody will eat $42.95 worth of meat, and on top of that, they will shamelessly sell you drinks that cost in the double digits, but I am always tripping too much on meat hormones to care! However, the good news is that there are ways to not spend $60 per person to eat here (see below)!
After you check in, you will be walked through the elaborately-decorated dining room and brought to your table. After you sit down, you will be brought some soft cheese-filled rolls to droll over while your server tries to upsell you to buy every expensive beverage in the restaurant, finally ending with asking if we wanted a (non-refillable) glass of soda or a bottle of water. We felt awkward making him go through all of that just to stick with tap water. But don't fall for the hard sell either unless you want to see your check skyrocket. After the spiel, you are free to hit the salad bar. Try not to jump out of your skin when you see all of the tasty offerings.
I am not a big salad fan, but the salad bar here is just awesome. Maybe that's because there is very little salad in it. Featuring charcuterie, cheeses, olives, shrimp, sushi, rice, beans, lobster bisque and some salad items, the selections are immense and impressive. For those who aren't meat eaters, you can actually pay less to just have the salad bar for dinner. For the rest of us, I recommend that you just do some light grazing here, as you will need to save room for the main attraction: the unlimited rotisserie-roasted meats!
Once you are done with your salad bar items, your server will supply you with a fresh plate. At that point, the various meat carvers will start swarming your table if the disk next to your utensils is green (yes, meat!) side up. You will be plied with offerings such as various cuts of beef, lamb, pork, turkey and chicken - fourteen in all. Oh, the tasty, tasty carnage! Just try to sample all of them. OK, don't, unless you want to burst. But do try the all of the sirloin and filet mignon offerings and the sliced pork loin at the very least. OK, try the lamb chops, sausage, parmesan-crusted pork loin and bacon-wrapped turkey too!
It is as important as any buffet you might go to to pace yourself. The restaurant will want to fill you up fast and then send you on your way. Resist this pressure by keeping your disk red (no meat now, taking a break!) side up as much as you keep it green side up. If the servers offer anyway, shoo them away. This will allow you to savor what you have on your plate, while allowing you to eat more meat in total, which is what it is all about, no? You can also take some time to try some of the tasty mashed potatoes and fried bananas that are supplied to the table.
Once you are full with meat, you will have to endure another presentation on the various desserts that are offered, but this one will be easy to resist, which I am sure they understand. However, since it was a birthday meal, we did try a couple of desserts, since one was comped anyway. We chose the Key Lime Pie, which was decent (but too small) and the Brazilian Papaya Cream, which was like an airy lightly papaya-flavored vanilla milkshake. It was interesting and refreshing, but not at all necessary to get.
So how to get over on this place? Well, sign up for their eClub to get offers for discounted, half-priced and even free birthday dinners! For this trip, we split my free birthday dinner offer four ways (giving us a 25% discount each), to make the dinner cost around $32 each before tax and tip. So the price was right, too!
People thought this was:
The food was phenomenal and the service was friendly and helpful. Highly recommend it.
The reason why this gets 3 stars versus 2 stars is because I had a coupon that took 25% off the price.
PROS: large variety of meats, staff was very friendly, they keep piling the meat on your plate, decent salad bar, nice atmosphere
CONS: for the price you pay, the meat seemed over seasoned (very salty) and cooked dry
I'd only go again if it was 75% off, and I had the craving for some dry, salty meat. But more likely, I would just go to 7-eleven and spend $5 on some beef jerky
People thought this was:
Good food, a bit pricey. Bring your appetite and don't get suckered into the amazing salad bar if you're a meat lover!
People thought this was:
Mama Mia! Oh so good...
Now, if you've had the privilege of reading my review for Fogo de Chao you will see that my experience was overwhelming. I was ill prepared and uneducated as to the ways of a churrascaria. But, I earned my wings and I was ready to take another by storm - and thus, I did... at Texas de Brazil!
First of all, this place is in a mall. And not a nice mall. That's weird, but who cares. When you walk in you're immediately bathed in red amber lighting and surrounded by heavy dark woods... hubba hubba. I was immediately happy by the environs.
To begin our eating festivities, we tackled the "salad bar" first. This little area boasts 40 items to stuff in your face. Yes, that's right - FORTY! I tested about 34 of these, and boy I was SO satisfied. I didn't even want to get to the meat part of the evening, as I was uncontrollably hooked on the potatoes au gratin. But my lover knew better and forced the meat heaping upon my plate, and thus it began...
Meat. A four-letter word. Juicy, tender, seasoned, delectable. Melt in your mouth flesh. Meat. I had the best meat ever at Texas de Brazil. The garlic steak, the chicken parmesean, the filet mignon.... oh holy mighty meat eating lord. Thou hast blest me, with flesh anon. Heavens, sing thy praises - this meat was dang good.
One thing to note: the meat wielding servers pay NO attention to your little card yes/no. Mine was on red for most of the time, but they propositioned me repeatedly for a refill. That was a bit stressful, but they were all very kind and it was okay. Who cares.
Go here, and love it. In fact, don't eat for two days beforehand so you're as ravenous as a wolf. Tear up the salad bar with your hungry claws, and bite through all the meat that comes your way. You will leave considerably filled, considerably happy, and considerably heavier.
People thought this was:
I went here for an office holiday party. Great for carnivores, as the meat is endless. I did have trouble finding meat to my liking, as I insist on well done but the selection ranged from rare (bloody) to medium (pink in center). Since I could find no beef to my liking, I ended up eating very delicious sausage and large side portions of fried plantains coated in buttery sugar. Yum! The salad bar is also terrific. Exceptionally fresh, huge variety, and the crispiest bacon anywhere. Also, hubby raved about the sautéed mushrooms. After gorging ourselves on meat and veggies, we all ordered desserts which were massive and delicious. Bring your appetite and have a blast. Its worth it.
For some reason, my mother absolutely loves this place. Its either because she loves all things meat related (which makes me fear for her heart) or she really, really loves the ostentatious floral arrangements.
I will admit that I have always come here with parents and have never paid, so I couldn't tell you how much is specifically costs...my understanding is that its prohibitively expensive.
What I do know is that they put on a very impressive spread (cheese of many variety! salad! cold cuts! lobster bisque! and rice, sweet beautiful rice!), there service is impeccable, and the meat is nom nom nom nom oh dear god so tasty. I like the saltiness but if you don't this might not be the place for you.
I'm under the impression that you pay for refills of soda, but don't for regular ice tea so stick to that (because, clearly, if you're spending the money for this dinner already you're concerned with petty add ons like coke). Otherwise, starve yourself for a week before you come to get your moneys worth.
People thought this was:
Wife V3.0 and I went here last night because we got hungry looking for the Japanese steak house, supposedly in this area. I couldn't seem to get across to the server that we wanted a steak, he kept bringing chicken, turkey and something else. And his English was poor to non-existent.Plus my Spanish and/or Brazilian is worse. Finally he got to bringing real meat but it was tooooo rare. After about 10 minutes he brought something but it wasn't sirloin. It was as tough as nails and SALTY. That was it. I called the manager and told him to bill us for the wine because we were Outta there!
He apologized but to me and she the meat was inedible.
Nice Salad bar but that's not why we were there.
Anyway, Now I have Yelp on my Pre so I'll know where I'm going. (Sakura)
Disappointing...
We went to TdB in Miami and were very impressed with the quality/taste/selection of meat, the service, etc. and were excited to try the Fairfax location, but were very disappointed.
-selection was very limited
-quality was not even comparable to the Miami location
-the salad bar wasn't very good and didn't have enough items
-the meat was inconsistently cooked (some rare, some medium-rare, some medium-well) and WAY TOO SALTY
While the Miami location was worth the full price, this place is WAY over priced for what you get.
I would only recommend going here if you have a coupon and you feel like binging on meat regardless of quality.
IMHO: Best churrascaria I've been too, I would definitely recommend it.
(+)Pro's & (-)Con's:
+Amazing interior
+Great wine selection
+Impressive wine closet/room
+Excellent service (usually)
+Large variety of meats
+Salad bar has many tasty items
+Lobster bisque!
-Not all the meats on the menu seem to come around
-Meat quality is inconsistent
-Somewhat expensive, especially the add-ons and alcohol
-Dessert is not included
-Inconsistent service
# of Visits: 4
My Experience:
I've been here four times and fortunately each time I had a coupon for half-off of my entire party (presented at the end of the meal of course). The first visit was the most memorable as I'd only been to Malibu Grill before then. Being exposed to such high quality meats and service at this place was shocking in comparison.
Over the next few visits I noticed that not all of the meats go through rotations or pass by your table. Also, some of the meats can come out a bit dry/salty at times. The second visit my server was pitiful - I had a fly in my wine which I mentioned to her and she didn't seem to care in the least...
As far as the food goes, you will definitely love the bacon wrapped fillet, flank, sausages, lamb in the mint sauce, fresh parmesan over a salad, lobster bisque, and the smoked salmon (don't miss that one!). I've only ever had the lemon sorbet as a dessert (as I'm usually full by the time the tray comes around) and it was just so-so. A nice touch toward the end is the cigar/cognac tray that accompanies the desserts.
People thought this was:
***4.5 stars****
No better UYE Carnivore Crew event than what Keri M. coined a "meatabration." My first time coming here was for this event on a coupon night and it was worth it. The salad bar was extensive with fancy charcuterie, cheeses and grilled veggies. Didn't assess it more than that since I was there for the meat and not on these fillers.
I found most of the meats top cuts that were well salted and seasoned, little fat and perfectly medium-rare/rare cooked. The ribs were a problem for me since the beef ones were too fatty and the pork ones too salty. At least the pork ribs had some amazing BBQ sauce on it. Of course my favorites were the picanha (sirloin) and Virginia sausage. All these came with sides of mashed potatoes, fried sugared bananas (the table favorite) and those cheesy breads.
Decor was elegant on the border of industrial with well-stocked buffets and beautiful bouquets. What really made the decor was the window through which you can watch the gauchos grill the meats and rotate the skewers. Our server was friendly though it took a while to get refills on our cheesy-bread. She was good in giving us countless plates of the bananas and filling our waters though.
A pretty close second to Fogo de Chao. For the regular price it's not as good, but with the coupon it's an amazing deal!
People thought this was:
Came here for a UYE Carnivore Crew meatabration last night. My first ever visit to a Churrascuria. My conclusion: I prefer steak to order or Korean BBQ. I don't feel TdB gives the meat the proper atttention (i.e. marinating, good gristle-free cuts, proper cooking) that would make the meat rival made-to-order steakhouses like, say, Ray's the Steaks.
I do love that the leg of lamb provided here is med rare and, if you ask, you can get rare pieces. In fact, a lot of the meat here is served medium rare, which I think is fantastic. But none of the cuts really stood out to me. I would prefer if they provided funky dipping sauces at your table. It gets a little boring when all you are eating is meat that tastes a lot like the last piece you ate.
The salad bar was not your average lame type, but instead this included marinated vegetables and generally more enticing vegetables. But I wasn't here for veggies so I had very few of them. I gorged on vegetables earlier that day so I could fill my stomach with meat for this dinner.
The atmosphere here is quite nice. The majestic wine cellar in the center of the room is striking (and very tempting!).
Note: if you come, leave grandma (and other safety-conscious people) at home. There are so many people running around with large knives, it would rattle the nerves of any nervous person with a hint of fear of knives.
People thought this was:
This was my second visit to this establishment. They have definitely improved the meat offerings. The first time I came here, I thought the meat were a bit too salty. The offerings we got last night were more balanced and much more flavorful.
I had arrived late after sitting 2hrs in 495 traffic. The Carnivore Crew was already feeding by the time I got to the restaurant. We were all split into 3 separate tables. Fortunately for me, I was able to squeeze in next to Karman. The meats were being delivered at a steady pace all night and I was able to get my fill of the delicious garlic sirloin, leg of lamb and filet mignon. The virginia sausages were pretty tasty too. They had a slight spiciness. The beef ribs were well marbled and had a great meatiness flavor to it. However, it was also very salty. I couldn't eat much of it.
I ordered a 2005 Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre which was a wonderfully balanced Chilean cabernet that has a smooth finish. It matched well with the meats. Lydia generously bought another bottle for the table. I pointed out a Rhone wine; a Vacqueyras that was also wonderfully balanced with a quick finish.
The meal was very good, the company was even better. Overall, it was an excellent finish to the Lunar New Year.
People thought this was:
So now I've officially been to both Fogo de Chao and Texas de Brazil.
My experiences at Fogo rate 5 stars, and I'm giving TdB 4. Here's why:
The coupon deal is great, and makes this a more affordable and nigh comparable meal to Fogo.
However, I'm trying to judge this restaurant on its own merits and not as a comparison with its only slightly more expensive competitor in DC. As such, I would rate the flavors of the meat I sampled as good but not outstanding. they seem to make a habit of piling the salt onto their meats. A little salt goes a long way on a rare to medium-rare cut of meat. It can bring out whole new worlds of flavor. When there's too much, it eclipses the natural meaty goodness. This was the case with the beef ribs and Garlic sirloin, both tasty, but a little bit too heavy on the sodium.
Other examples include the BBQ pork ribs, which were probably the highlight: tender, juicy and well seasoned. The bacon-wrapped filet had a strong flavor, but needed to be a little less done. The bacon-wrapped chicken was actually better - the bacon rendered the chicken juicier than normal and added a nice punch to the vanilla-of-meats. The lamb chops were mild but tasty and the leg of lamb, while quite nicely cooked, actually needed a bit MORE salt to really open it up.
The mashed potatoes and cheese-rolls were very good, but clearly designed to fill you up (a tablespoon of the mash feels like it weighs half-a-pound). The glazed bananas were fantastic. We put in multiple requests for refills and our table of four ravenously ate several helpings.
The salad-bar was impressive, carrying all sorts of items that tempt you away from the main event. The smoked salmon was good, but (as is the theme) a little too salty. The cheeses I tried (Parmesan, Mozzarella and goat-cheese), were delicious. The lobster bisque (soup-of-the-day) was fair, but (one more time) spent a little too long down in the salt mines.
The service was good (though they were a little remiss in water refills over the course of the evening). The waitstaff was largely attentive and the gauchos (see: purveyors of meat) seemed to be available whenever you turned over your "give me meat" paper coaster .
With the coupon in play, this restaurant definitely rates a visit, and is certainly worthwhile experience.
People thought this was:
**** 3.5 Stars on Food and 5 Stars on Dessert *****
Gluten Free: Lots of choices, possibly celiac friendly as the meats are cooked separate from the salad bar items. The only things not edible are the soups, cakes, and usual no-no's (like bread, pasta, etc). The do have a nice assortment of edible desserts: Flan, Lemon Sorbet, Papaya Cream. Ask for the Allergen sheet which has all the necessary information on it.
Decor/Environment: It's a pretty nice decor in terms of the outside, the bar/lobby/waiting area, and in the seating area. For groups larger than 6 getting one the few tables they have for large groups may be a little difficult.
Company: Fellow Carnivore Crew peeps Lester K, Tony P, & Mai H
Food: The waitress informed us that the meat was cooked Brazilian style and therefore coated with rock salt {of which I think she meant sea salt}. If it was too salty we could get it with no or less salt. I like salty food so for me the meat was PERFECT, in fact I found some cuts not salty enough. The semi-circular cuts that Lester kept getting the whole chunks of instead of slices wasn't salty enough for me. However, mixing it with either the mashed potatoes or the grilled Parmesan worked pretty well. Lester & Tony told me what cuts they were but I really don't remember. I'm not a fan of lamb or bacon so I didn't eat any of those meats. The garlic sirloin/flank was pretty yummy as well. The only thing that I didn't like was the sausage, I felt it was nothing more than a gloried hot dog. The salad bar was a really really nice spread, even for someone who can't eat pasta or bread. Lots of cheese, vegetables, & rice (pasta, bread, & soup for the non-gluten challenged as well as some cured meats).
I would like to state for the record that the Papaya Cream was FANTASTIC! It's nice to be able to have something sweet that's not ice cream, sorbet or the ubiquitous flour-less chocolate cake. I also found it not too over priced for what you get at $7 which could easily be shared.
People thought this was:
had a very nice outing for a long overdue CC event. nice to see some old and new faces from Yelp.
this place appeared to be a very classy joint, located at the Fair Oaks mall right next to the Cheesecake factory. parking was ample, and the place was pretty crowded (we were there at 7pm).
first off, the food was good, but i don't feel its worth the full price of almost $50 a person, but if you have a 50% off coupon, it's definitely worth a visit.
they started us off with these great small bread cheese type bread that our table devoured. the wide assortments of meats, ribs were plentiful. some were slightly salty as some of the other reviewers have mentioned, but overall very filling, and it just came non stop until you cried mercy and flipped your little card to red. After a while, the ribs, steak cuts all blended in, so i can't really recall which i liked the most. the side dishes they brought out were fried bananas (which were great) and mash potatoes (i didn't have any of that to comment).
the salad bar was good also. they had different assortments of cheese, sushi (i wasn't big on the sushi, but others at the table enjoyed it), seafood, etc.
the waitress we had did her job well, and when we asked for more bread and fried bananas brought them out with a smile.
overall, i enjoyed the place, especially with a 50% off coupon. i ate so much that i didn't have to eat for literally another 18 hours ( granted i woke up at noon the following day and didnt get hungry till 3pm).
People thought this was:
Sign up for their email list. With the coupon, this place is fantastic.
They give you a coupon around your birthday for a free meal with a purchase of at least one dinner. So if you go with one friend, it's 50% off = $23/person which is an amazing deal. And they give you a free desert which you can take home.
The quality of the meat is good, though somewhat variable. What we enjoyed include bacon-wrapped fillet mignon, frank steak (awesome) and garlic sirloin. Very juicy and nicely salty. The main (and perhaps the only) seasoning is good salt, just like Brazilian barbecue should be. The pork was generally tough and dry, and ribs (pork and beef) were nothing to speak of. We had one fillet that was well-done even though they claim that everything is cooked medium-rare (unless you request otherwise).
I almost forgot to mention their salad bar. It's not really a salad bar. Their salad selection is not great, but if you think of it as a side dish buffet, it's good. The lobster bisque was excellent.
Overall a very pleasant experience. Our server Tanya was very friendly and competent and helped to make our experience even better, even though we were cheap customers with a coupon. She earned a big tip.
People thought this was:
Come here with an empty stomach so you can try all of their available meats! Some of the meat are indeed salty, but if you tell your waiter/waitress to have less sodium on the meat, they can accomodate your needs. Sooo the meats I tried are: chicken parmesan, filet mignon, lamb chop, lamb, sausage, etc etc etc!!! They were wonderful. Their salad bar was awesome, and their side dishes of mashed potatoes and plaintains were delicious and absolutely fantastic. Make sure you sign up for their eClub on their website, and you can receive a 25% off coupon on your visit!
People thought this was:
This place is very good but I think Fogo De Chao is a bit better.
My favorite slices of meat were probably their lamb shops, bacon covered fillet and chicken. The salad bar is great, surpisingly good potato salad (serisouly it had this delicous smokey flavor and just the right about of mayo and seasonings). IF you love asparagus a delicous raspberry vinegrette beckons to be poured on their perfectly cooked and chilled asparagus spears. Beans and rice were tasty (black beans and white rice though, nothing fancy). The mushrooms were rather salty, which is a shame because I absolutely love mushrooms. Nothing was bad, some stuff was just better than others. I actually really liked the crusty bread slices they had on the salad bar as well. Plantines were AMAZING, seasoned with a bit of oil sugar and cinamon.
The only bad thing was our server. She only came over once to our table. We finished easting and had to get the manager to get our check. Thats kind of a bummer at a place in this price range. However I do compliment the manager on actually getting the check and handing it to us and acutally running our cards. I thank him for doing so to ensure a speedy checkout and not just asking the waiter to do it for him.
Its $42 a person which isnt sooo bad because its all you can eat and pretty high quality. Im sure everyone will find a few things here they really like.
People thought this was:
Come hungry or don't come at all. Bring your stretchy pants, and certainly don't wear anything that can't be splattered on, unless you're crafty with a napkin like I was.
Our group was split into 3 tables and I had the pleasure of being seated with my favorite Yelp men. My whole table rocked--Su, Lester, Karman, Tony, Lydia and Neal.
The salad bar was huge; I loved Lester's lengthy review of it. I had some of the roasted red peppers, beets and asparagus. As for the meats, I tried a little of everything but found I really, really loved the lamb chops and the filet wrapped with bacon. The Brazilian sausages (linguisa) were also very good. The meats were all very tender, but on the down side, were also a little too salty for my tastes. Of all the different cuts I tried (and Lester's review probably sums them all up quite nicely), all but one was free of excessive fat. On a side note, the ribs were pretty good and I was happy with how tender they were.
I certainly enjoyed the wine bought by Tony and Lydia and thank them both for sharing!
Going there with the coupon is really the only way to go, though.
In case you look for this place, it's next to Champps and the Cheesecake Factory.
People thought this was:
Mmmmm pao de quejo!!! (the cheesy dough balls everyone mentions)
The sirloin is fantastic. When they came to the table, i would ask for the outside peices of the beef because they had the most flavor.
If you are there to eat steak, try not to fill up on the small stuff and just wait till the good meat comes to your table.
Try a caipirinha with dinner to get the full Brazilian experience :)
As a previous reviewer mentioned, join their mailing list for discount coupons...no reason to spend $50 a person here.
People thought this was:
So now that I've experienced the magic that is Fogo de Chao, Texas de Brazil ceases to impress to the extent that it did when I first tried this spot. This is not to say that it's not worth the $20 dinner (with one of their frequently e-mailed out coupons), it's just not quite on par with its more expensive, higher end cousin.
Surprisingly packed at 2000 hours, considering it was a Tuesday night, I can only assume that the volume of patrons was a reflection of the deal coupon available for use that particular evening. We ended up even having to wait for a few minutes, this was after calling in a half hour in advance to put our names on the waiting list.
Shout-out to the Prime Meatister, Su K, for jotting down the note about farofa in his review of Fogo. I -knew- there was some kind of Brazilian seasoning that I'd had before, and I couldn't remember the name of it. Yelp Mobile to the rescue! Although it took about five minutes to scroll through the hundreds of reviews on my Blackberry, I figured out what the name of it was so I could ask our server for some. Turns out, they keep it in a giant bowl next to the soup at TdB, for future reference...
[Note: If you get nauseated by viewing verbal diarrhea in written form, stop here.]
parmesan chicken - tender and juicy; parmesan pork - less tender, mediocre; leg of lamb - gamey!; lamb chops - mild; flank steak - tough; garlic sirloin - sadly, super tough! but great flavor... disappointing after waiting twenty minutes specifically for this cut to arrive; sirloin - the most tender and juicy cut all night; bacon-wrapped filet - savory, but not particularly tender; sausage - sausage; generally meat was less overly salted than I remembered
[You were warned.]
Although our waters weren't refilled that frequently, our server was very polite. She even brought out a complimentary chocolate cake for our birthday girl that was decadent, but light. Yumtastic.
Gotta say... I'm glad that I put down some greens after gorging on meat. When consuming vast amount of protein, fiber = necessity. I'm just sayin'.
I'd come back, but not without a deal. Still, $20 for AYCE meat? That totally appeals to the frugal yellow man in me.
People thought this was:
Holy crap, this place is like heaven on a stick!
Okay, first off, expect a pretty stiff price tag…
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Fairfax, VA
Category: Steakhouses
Vienna, VA
Category: Brazilian
Neighborhood: Federal Triangle
Category: Brazilian
Fairfax, VA
Category: Steakhouses
Centreville, VA
Category: Restaurants
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