Farrah "Fairy" A.'s Profile

So I promised myself to never return to Brasil. I failed myself. (But, I found my tummy grumbling at Agora!)

I have to hand it to them. The food is good, exceeding the typical cafe standards. Desserts? Equally good. Cappuccino? Ahhh. This time, I nibbled on the curried tuna salad sandwich rife with sweet apples, a hint of spices, walnuts. I subbed the chips for a side salad with just the right amount of vinagrette, walnuts and bleu cheese. Amazeballs.

Service: still, was a disappointment. They need to be sent to Antidote boot camp. Or even a mandatory hospitality session at Poison Girl. I will say that they didn't go out of their way (like before) to show their distaste for patrons. They were just unfriendly and cold. Just like this week's weather.

I knew this was gonna happen. "As soon as I post a favorable review of Brasil," I thought, "I'm going to have a bad experience that will prove otherwise." For that reason, it took me forever to first review the Lower Westheimer Cafe, but alas I did, and then this happened...

I've been here hundreds of times, each have polarized service from the staff. And no, it's not just the young teen with a chip on his/her shoulder, it can come from a young adult, too, especially if he's trying to hangout with his lady friend at a table and they keep dinging the bell for him to run food. Get over it, kiddo. In this economy, you should be thankful that you have a job, and do everything in your power like the rest of the world to keep it ... and this goes for a lot of servers, bartenders, bizz managers and owners that I've come across lately. What the bleep, people? What ever happened to great service? I'll even take mediocre.

So, here's the scene. I missed my good friend's baby shower, so my sisters and I -- who also missed it -- wanted to treat her to pizza, dessert and a fun gift-opening session. Our first option, Dolce Vita, is closed on Mondays, so I insisted on Cafe Brasil for their breezy patio (expecting mothers get hot), and locally famous pizza.

Ordering up at the bar, I finished it off with a water and three sodas. Oops, I forget, mom-to-be Lidia shouldn't have Coke, so I immediately changed it. Too late, insisted the server, as he already popped open the drinks. So, I kindly gave them to the fella ordering behind me. (Hope he pays it forward. But who knows...)

The hummus, pesto hummus and tabouli with pita chips and bread made for a great appetizer, but when the server came around and plopped down our grub, he told us with his mumbling, "holier than thou" hipster attitude that we need to leave our table number facing upward "to make it easier to find the table." As I write this, it doesn't sound so bad, but the way he said it and the manner in which he propped up the number was jaw-dropping.

Next up came our Margherita and spinach and feta wheat pizzas -- burnt -- and fried catfish tacos (yum). And ol' preggers couldn't skip out on Tiramisu; we also finished the night off with coffee.

If I could rate the food, I'd give it three stars this time, and the service? Don't get me started. Oh, wait. I already did.

It just sucks when you orchestrate a small dinner for a good friend and poor customer service (which strains from careless management, poor training and policy -- or lack there of) ruins the moment. For my three guests, it was their first and I'm almost certain it'll be their last visit to Brasil.

Brasil is another local haunt I frequent when looking to get some work or reading done. Lately, the construction inside has been a bit distracting, but i like the place so much I still stick around.

I haven't had the pizza yet, so I can't recommend it like everyone else has; but I have had the chicken salad sammy. Good stuff. I like their selection of Spanish and South American wines. If you're a tea drinker, they have this Russian orange tea that's my fave. The only downside of Brasil is that there aren't any outlets (actually, there are only two) to plug in your laptop, so make sure your batteries charged up before you go!