Updated: 24th Dec 2014; This restaurant is closed according to Urbanspoon.com
Since I was already in Atlanta, I organized a pre-Go-Live celebration with the team located in Atlanta. The Project “ONE” system was not supposed to go-live for the next two weeks but at the rate things are going, we were pretty confident nothing will go wrong. So, we felt safe celebrating ahead of time!
I always wanted to go to a Brazilian Steakhouse which the folks in Atlanta always rave about. The best place is Fogo de Chau but it was too far from the office in Buckhead. So we decided to go to a nearer one called Sal Grosso.
Sal Grosso is located on 1927 Powers Ferry Rd SE.
I had the same stuff for the drinks … the “Southern Table Wine”.
I had been to the Brazilian Steakhouse before in in Vancouver — Samba’s the name I think. The one in Vancouver was sort of disappointing to me. I hoped that this was better. The table setting includes an extra item … a tong of sorts.
The salad bar was nothing to shout about really. I just went one round and that’s it.
Each of us has a card … green on one side and red on the other. They had people coming around and if they see you had the card flipped to the green side, they’ll come by and ask. Problem is almost everyone of the servers are Spanish and some of them don’t even speak English. They sort of grunt and I nod if I had enough. And they are so mechanical, so you better remember to flip this to red if you want time to finish off what you have on your plate before asking for more.
Frankly, I think some of the offerings were quite sorry looking.
Some were good. I had a lot of meat and was surprised that the folks stopped eating quite fast. This meal is, I believe, $40 per person … just for the food and salad bar alone.
Desserts were extras. Like the meal I had at Pappadeaux the day earlier, they brought long samples to tempt us into getting the dessert. This one is even more “gua jiong” … they had seven samples and presented one at a time. Needless to say, EVERYONE got dessert even though some of us were quite full already.
I don’t even know what this is called but I got this from the looks. I remembered it was rich, creamy nice.
The bill came to over $1000 for just the 12 of us who attended. Whew! Good thing I did not have to pick up the tab and expense it. This is because the company entertainment policy is to have the most senior person pay and expense.
I am quite disappointed with the offering, frankly speaking. The setting and interior decor was great but the most important part … the meat … were just so-so.
Hey Ben,
Are you sure it was Spanish and not Portuguese? To the untrained ear, both could sound similar. Yes, Samba is the Brazilian-type steakhouse in Downtown Vancouver. I went there once (5 or so years ago) and was NOt impressed, despite, back then, I was a heavy eater.
In general, churrascaria could be good; however, they also tend to overcook the meat. If the meat was served (both speed and amount) as the meats in a spit in falafel shops you can find around Vancouver (Abdul, which you have visited previously), then it would be incredible. But, alas, that not necessarily the case. Also, in the case of exotic cuts, some people will not even consider it. The one time I was in Samba, I remember they brought elk, hearts and similar cuts and some people just turned them away.
Oh, there is a reason why the most senior person must be the one picking the bill. If it was somebody in the middle, then it would be the senior one approving when it goes through the expense system, a no-no from a control perspective.
There is a restaurant like this in Honolulu, but it is cheaper. I think $30 for dinner, maybe $20 for lunch. It is hit and miss… I think $40 is very expensive though! For that price, it better be good!
Nice pictures!
It says you use digital SLR to take food photos on this blog. SLR is quite big… do you get a lot of stares from the staff? Never run into troubles?
Hi Jackson: My camera is big alright .. and coupled with the the 17-40L lens I normally use which is big too, it does attract attention. So far, restaurants had been good with me taking pictures. Where it is doubtful (I can see from their eyes or body language) I asked them about it. If they say they prefer I do not take pictures, I can respect that. Mostly restaurants will let me take pix because I figure that most of them really does not have much of a choice. I must say that restaurants generally give us pretty good service when they see me taking pictures.
Ben
Fogo de Chao is the best churrascaria here in Dallas. The meat is better here, but it sounds like you had a poor representation. They usually cook things medium rare here. We have at least 5 different churrascarias to chose from. It is not for the light eater. It is expensive. About $50 for dinner. But other places like Rafain’s and Master Grill offer a $20 or less lunch special which is equally as delicious. But it is a must try for meat eaters. Y’all need to head down to Texas for some real meat.