Minas Brazilian Steakhouse

 

Minas Brazilian Steakhouse
136 2 Street SW, Calgary, AB 
(403) 454-2550
Reservations can be made on OpenTable
www.minassteakhouse.com


A date and I decided to try Minas Brazilian Steakhouse one Saturday, not realizing the treat we'd be in for.  I'm not a big meat eater but once and awhile I like to indulge in a good steak.  My date on the other hand is all carnivore so he was especially excited when I told him I had made a reservation to a place with an endless supply of meat.  Though "Steakhouse" is in the name of the restaurant, there are many food options, no matter what your food preferences are. 

If you haven't been to a Brazilian Steakhouse, the concept is this.  You pay one price for all you can eat.  In this case, the price was $42.99 per person.  This includes the gourmet salad bar as well as all the skewered meat.  The gourmet salad bar not only includes various salads but also hot dishes, such as Chicken Stroganoff, rice, fried polenta as well as a Brazilian dish served daily called Feijoada, made with black beans, pork and fresh herbs. In addition, there are also delicious homemade desserts as well as fresh fruit & cheeses to finish off with.  If you just want the gourmet salad bar, the price is $34.99. 

On the table there is a plastic token with green on the one side and red on the other.  Servers come out of the kitchen with skewers of various meat, such as parmesan beef, chicken wings, steak and pork ribs.  If your token is turned over to green, the server will approach your table and ask if you would like try the meat.  They then remove how ever much you would like off the skewer and onto your plate.  They will continue to come around to your table with various skewers of meat, until you turn the plastic token to red.  The servers then know to just let you be. 

I found that as soon as I walked into the restaurant, the atmosphere was very warm & cozy.  There was a piano player towards the back playing various Christmas classics that just added to the warmth. We were placed at a little table for two in front of the salad bar, which wasn't the most ideal spot to sit, due to it being such a high traffic area.  The only bonus was that we were one of the first tables to be offered a skewer of meat as soon as it came out of the kitchen. 

Unfortunately, there was one part of the evening we didn't enjoy very much and that was the two Brazilian Carnival dancers.  The nice peaceful music of the piano would stop, loud upbeat music would come over the speakers and then two dancers would head out and do their performance. Though I normally enjoy live entertainment, it seemed out of place and bordered on cheesy, like watching a poorly done Vegas show.  watching a bad Vegas show.

Overall though, we found all the food to be absolutely delicious. The meat was tender and flavourful on the skewers and  the salad bar was abundant with so many flavours and types of food that it really catered to whatever we were craving. The staff were extremely friendly and accommodating.  I would definitely recommend Minas, as it's great value for your money and has a welcoming environment.