Move over Yollies, move over Samba, move over Pampas. There's a new meat feast in town, and it's not just about the meat. The basic theme is rodizio, brazilian barbecue, or gauchos running around with swords of meat that are carved tableside.

Texas de Brazil is a chain restaurant. They have learned how to do it right. The whole place is themed in an open setting with old woods. It is a smart casual atmosphere with a nice bar area before you enter the dining room.

Once seated, service is perfect. Introduction, explanation of the process, beverage service, and you're on your way. There are a lot of employees and they all have their own job and do a remarkable job of not getting in each others way. After beverage service, you start at the salad bar. It is the most amazing salad bar I have ever seen. Every item looked perfect and every item I tasted was perfect. There are two attendants that keep the salad bar fresh and clean. It is chilled very well, every item is fresh, and I think everything is homemade or nature made. Forget about buffet salad bars that you are used to. This is the real thing. Across from the salad bar is a hot bar with soup of the day, potatoes au gratin, rice, and beans. During the salad festival, a server brings out little bites of cheesy garlic bread. It's good stuff.

When you are ready to eat, you take the little red disk on your table and flip it over to green. The gauchos start coming to your table with hunks of meat. They are constantly roaming the room, so they are coming faster than you can eat. So rule number 1 is don't be afraid to say no because they will be back in just a few minutes. Get what you want to start with and flip the disk back to red. During this time, a server brings out a bowl of garlic mashed potatoes and small fried bananas in cinnamon and sugar to cleanse the palette. Some of the gauchos are a little color blind and offer you meat when the disk is red. They are just messing with you with temptation.

Once you get started, you are still free to take a break for some drinks, more salad, or just catch your second wind. Beverages and sides are continuously monitored and refilled. Clean plates were offered several times. I felt service was perfectly attentive. After the meal, a special rum cocktail is offered, as is coffee, cappuccino, and other after dinner drinks.

I wondered how many different meats they had and wished there was a score card to keep track of them. Some places like this advertise which meats they will be serving. This place does not. After about 10 minutes it is easy to see that this place has about twice as many as any other brazilian BBQ in town. I tried to keep track and take notes, but they came faster than I could write. When my disk was green, I never waited more than 1 minute for food to show up and sometimes there were 3 gauchos in line to offer me something after the current gaucho. Here are the meats that I recall...

Filet mignon. Small cubes about the size of a really big marshmallow. Easily cut into 3 seperate bites.

Garlic sirloin. Carved off the spit. It was dry as sirloin often is. It was very good.

Leg of lamb. Carved. Tasted like leg of lamb to me.

Top sirloin. Carved. After the garlic version, this was more bland

Parmesan chicken. Delicious chicken legs.

Parmesan pork tenderloin. Chunks about the size of D cell battery. Very good.

Lamb chops. 2 bone cuts. Tender and flavorful.

Flank steak. Carved. Pretty good,

Chicken breasts in bacon. Marshmallow size cubes. Flavorful.

Beef ribs. presliced and on a plate. This was the only offering that wasn't on a spit. Very tender.

Sausage. Little fat links of sausage that were spicy and delicious.


There were at least 3 or 4 other meats that I either forgot about or missed. This was a lot of food and that leads to the first disclaimer. Some people like to eat a lot of food, some people like to eat quality food. They do a good job of blurring that line and it's easy to over eat.

Another disclaimer is to remember that all the meats are cooked over an open flame. Some of the meats are more traditionaly cooked a different way that makes them more moist and/or tender. For instance, the chicken breast in bacon tasted good, but it was drier than what I am used to. The sirloins were drier. The lamb chops were not melt in your mouth tender. It doesn't mean these meats are not good. They are good, but they are different.

A final disclaimer is sodium. These meats are partially cured in sea salt. There is a distinct flavor of saltiness in the food. If you eat a lot of meat, you are also eating a lot of salt. It would be to your advantage to keep this in consideration and deal with it the way your body handles it best. The sea salt is good, it adds flavor, and it is almost addicting.

All the meats are cooked medium rare. If you want it different, just ask. If you want your meats sodium free, just ask and they will take care of you.

AYCE dinner is $44.99. Doors open at 5pm. There is also a veggie option for about $25. So if you like meat and someone in your party does not, they will still get a great meal. On November 28, they will begin serving lunch for about $25. Their specialty after dinner rum based fruity drink comes in a cute shot glass and was $7. I did not try it. Deserts looked nice and were extra.

This is not the kind of meal that you eat at often. At least not me. I have eaten at the other brazilian BBQs in town, and in that style, Texas de Brazil is the best. It is also the most expensive. It may be a year or more before I eat like that again, but if I do, this will be my choice.

Where is this place at, JMT? Thanks for the good review!

Duh, I really blew that one.

Texas de Brazil is in the new Town Square Center. It is easy to find as it is a corner property of the main building and is the closest store to the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Sunset.

You are tempting me to rent a car in December! I was thinking of going the taxi/monorail/bus route this time.

You are tempting me to offer free shuttle service.

You are tempting me to starve myself for 3 days before trying this place out - it sounds great. Thanks for the review, JMT!

Mike, there is one in Chicago. Have you heard any reviews locally?

It's funny that you forgot to add the address of this place on your post Joe. Recently, I caught an add for this place in the "I love Las Vegas" magazine. They never posted an address either.
Reservations needed????

Seating is computer controlled and even walk ins are asked for a first and last name. If there is any hint of showing up at a prime dining time, it wouldn't hurt. I was there on a Thursday afternoon, shortly after they unlocked the doors. By the time I finished the place was about 3/4 full. The bar looked to be about half full when I left. I don't know if they were waiting for a table or not.

burp!

Well, Gee.

Las Vegas IS the city of temptations!

I have yet another temptation. Turn down the volume on your computer and visit their website at http://www.texasdebrazil.com then find the link that says to join their e-club for rewards.

I just signed up and got an immediate e-mail response with a 25% off coupon that expires in 30 days.

If you want to "play the game", first remember that the initial coupon expires in 30 days, so you MIGHT not want to sign up until you are in a 30 day window of dining there.

Note that the sign up form asks for your birthday as well as your anniversary. I am going to go out on a limb and "assume" that they send another discount on those days also. Your birthday is on your license and is easier to prove, so it MIGHT be a good idea to set your anniversary to a date 6 months away from your birthday. That way your offers would spread apart...assuming my theory is correct.

For me, my birthday is within the 30 day window of the initial sign up and I know I won't eat there 2 more times in 30 days. I did set an anniversary date in June.

Also remember this is a chain restaurant with about 15 stores. If they do not have a location near you but you know that you travel to Las Vegas a certain time each year, you might want to set that time as your anniversary. If they do have a location near you or near a place you travel to frequently, you may want to play that different.

Thank you for this temptation -AND the warning to turn down the volume before going to the website!

Joe - I didn't know there was one in Chicago. I'll have to do some investigating!