If you want to taste the food of another culture, you could go to the old Italian standby up the block, whether authentic or heavily Americanized, or you could try something else. I'm not talking about an unpalatable Thai place, but something more along the lines of exploring new tastes you already like, but might not know about. I'm talking about the Brazilian Steakhouse, and I know just a few such places in the world to recommend.
If you want to have an experience like none other, there are just a handful of places outside of Brazil that offer something I can actually recommend. There is one in New York, Shanghai, Johannesburg and one more in Atlanta. They're all good, each worth your time, and especially if you've never had it before, worth going quite a ways out of your way for.
First of all, when it comes to authentic Brazilian dining, you can't expect your typical dining experience. You won't be offered a menu, you won't have to settle for just one type of food, and your server isn't going to just give you your meal and leave you alone. That's where it starts to get exciting, but that isn't the end of it by a mile.
You'll instead be given a card, red on one side and green on the other. Flip it green-side up, and your parade of waiters will continue stopping by with an array of skewered meats, each fresh off the barbecue, and each bursting with flavor.
Take what you want, and if you want more after that, just put your card out again, and if you need a break, just turn it to the red side to let the server know you're done eating, even if just temporarily.
But here's where the rubber meets the road. Anybody can take a steak, grill it and walk it by your table. You have to go to a place that's authentic to the South American style. They've got one thing great in Brazil, and I'm not talking about coffee (though that's pretty darn good too.) They've got exceptional cuts of beef. Around the world it just isn't the case, so you have to make sure the place you're going serves up the best. Red and Green Steakhouse in Atlanta, for example, is way off the Brazilian path, but they keep it authentic by only serving Angus cuts of beef, and by hand-selecting everything from the salad bar to the top rung sirloin that passes your table.
The modern American version of the Brazilian steakhouse comes from the Gaucho culture of Brazil. Gauchos, these are the people born in the Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil and who have been described as a loose equivalent to the North American cowboy, lived off the land and had no way of preserving their food. They would instead gather together after butchering a cow and cook the meat on skewers over an open fire.
While this isn't quite what's done at a Brazilian steakhouse, it's close enough to make me start to want to sing a few cowpoke tunes in Portuguese.
That tradition of grilling meat over an open fire and sharing it has continued on today in modern Brazilian steakhouses. Though it may not be quite as rustic as eating a freshly butchered bovine in the Brazilian countryside, urban Brazilian steakhouses will give you a dining experience you will find nowhere else.
So you want to know where to go? Here's my list:
New York's Rio 22 Restaurant – This one is exceptional, but it's pricey as hell and I say so with zero reservation. It's a great place, but you'd better come loaded if you want to leave full. Staff is good and the wine selection is delightful.
Atlanta has the www.RedAndGreenSteakHouse.com – Atlanta isn't exactly the hub of American culture, but I went there after a very long day of work and couldn't believe the space, the staff, the food and mostly I couldn't believe the prices. If you're feeling adventurous you should take a stroll through the wine humidor. They have the best selection of South American wines I've seen in the states, and they're happy to show them to you even if you're just looking and curious. Also remarkably affordable, priced at about half what the in-town Brazilians charge for as-good-or-better foods.
Shanghai's Brasil Steakhouse – I haven't been there in about a year, but it was exceptional when I last visited. On account of the favorable exchange rate, it's affordable, but steer clear of the bar or the tab will get over your head in a hot, South American hurry.
Johannesburg's The Bell Pepper = This place has gone downhill in the past couple years, and it's plain they don't pay their staff the way you might want them to, but the food is exceptional and the service is relentless. Leave a decent tip, however, it's what they live off on the service end.
And in no case should you ever tell them I sent you. They don't know me from Adam, unless you're Adam, in which case they might know that you are you and I am not. I just love to eat without end and seek out any opportunity to do so. Special occasion of not, this is the way to do it.
