Review - Rei Do Gado (Downtown)

OMG, so much food, but it‘s soooo good...Rei do Gado

Rei Do Gado is a Brazilian Barbecue restaurant. For those who’ve never been to Brazilian Barbecue, it’s an all you can eat meat fest. They grill various types of meats on large skewers. The waiters bring the skewers around and slice off pieces of meat onto your plate. Your given a little wooden object painted red on one side and green on the other. As long as you’ve got the green side up the waiters will keep coming around with meats. Once you turn the red side up they stop. They’re very quick to bring you meat as soon as they see the green. You never have to worry about waiting for more. You’re more likely to find too much meat on your plate at one time and they'll still be coming around. It’s not just meat either. Before you start getting meat there’s a pretty big buffet of salads and sides. The buffet is great all on it’s own, featuring a selection of cheeses, fruits, salads and vegetables, including both white and green asparagus, hearts of palm, marinated mushrooms and olives, stuffed sun dried tomatoes, and the list goes on. If you’re not a big eater you need to be careful that you don’t fill up before the meat starts coming.

They also have a full bar, a variety of wines and a caipirinha station where a woman stands and makes nothing but caipirinhas, and she’s making them constantly so once you order one you get it within seconds. A caipirinha is the national drink of Brazil. It’s made with a Brazilian liquor called cachaca, distilled from sugar, but it’s sweeter than rum. The cachaca is muddled or shaken with sugar and lime and served over ice. You might want to get one just because you’re in a Brazilian restaurant, but for my taste it’s too sweet. If you still haven’t had enough after you’re done with all the meats, they offer a few really nice looking desserts, but I’ve never had room for them.

What do I get?

A little bit of everything. Ok, that’s an exaggeration. If you got just a little bit of everything your stomach would explode.

What's cool?

In back of the dining area there’s a glass wall that you can see the meat roasting through. Also, many of the wait staff are from Brazil. They’re all good looking.

Rating...The perfect place to take your favorite carnivore for his birthday. It‘s not cheap but you‘re definitely going to get your money‘s worth.

Review - Onami

Sushi bargain...Onami

Onami is an all you can eat buffet featuring sushi and Japanese food. The front entrance features a bit of kitsch, but the rest of the restaurant is subtle and modern. They also have a small patio for outside dining. The menu differs a bit from day to day but the majority of offerings stays consistent. Featuring four different food stations. Salads and crab claws, sushi and sashimi, hot foods and soups, and dessert. They also have a limited offering of pastas. All the food is included in the price of your meail. Drinks are available for a separate charge. They offer sodas, hot green tea or iced passion berry tea, beer and wine, sake and plum wine

What do I get?

I usually start with some of their salads. Sumi salad, shrimp/cucumber, kimchi and smoked salmon. Next is tempura, shumai, fried calamari, gyoza, sweet spicy crab and a deep fried roll with shitake mushrooms. I just eat the shrimp and green beans from the tempura. Next is sushi and sashimi. I usually have a little bit of all the types of sashimi then pick a few types of sushi. Normally I will also have a piece of chocolate cake, maybe some fruit and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert.

What's cool?

The dessert station offers Japanese green tea or mango ice cream. I don’t eat them, but it’s still cool. I also like the women’s restroom. It’s not particularly large or well decorated, but each stall is a little room with walls and a real wood door. However they blew it with the sinks. They’re in a tight space and tend to send water all over the place. The coolest thing though is a smoking area. There’s a somewhat hidden door that leads to a little fenced off are where smokers can smoke…reminds me of an exhibit at the zoo…The great North American smoker. Status: Endangered

Rating...If you like sushi and want a lot of it cheap, go. Just be sure to wear your eating pants.