3.9/5 on the Foodie Foursome Index
4.1/5 on the Brazilian Scale
Mike’s Review: 💸🍗🍛🐟👅
“Are you sure this is it?” I asked Jenna pulling up to the 36 level condo complex on the Bow River, “Yes! Why do you keep asking?” she replied with her tensions rising… “because MAYBE I want to start the blog review with this dialogue” I responded… and thus my review began.
We walked into the dimly lit steakhouse allowing our eyes to adjust. One thing I immediately noticed, I know this is no reflection of the food and should not matter, but the servers were all from Brazil… something, once again, that should not matter but did lend an air of authenticity to the evening (we don’t want to step on dangerous sand here). It also helped when explaining the dishes and helping us to pronounce things! The salad bar was top notch, ceviche, salmon, curry, but both I and Beltline Bites (Aadil) knew those were fillers to stop us from enjoying the expensive Brazilian meats… and when they came… they came like the 2002 Brazilian world cup soccer team against Germany… (I had to wiki that)
We had entered Flavour country! lamb, ribs, pork, chicken, pork wrapped ribs, rib wrapped lamp, at one point I didn’t know what was wrapped with what and all that remained were bones stacked high on my plate. I liked the food, I loved the salad bar, I loved the décor, and I liked the service… but could it compete with Calgary’s growing food scene? Only time will tell… Eating the chicken heart also added a flair of adventure and made me feel like Ozzy Osbourne on stage, which is always a treat. A blemish on the evening was the cost, I didn’t feel like I gorged myself enough to warrant the $50 food tab (plus drinks) but then again they need to protect themselves against the cowboys of Calgary who get their monies worth.
As an interesting side… I went into the washroom at the end of our Brazilian Food Journey, and I saw a man coming out of the stall with a full fancy traditional Brazilian cocktail in hand! What happened?!? What was he doing in there that required nourishment while performing?! The entire scenario just raised more questions than answers, but as I gave him a head nod… and he nodded back… we had a moment where I knew that I had witnessed something either amazing, or terrible.
Jenna’s Review: 🍢🍖🍢🍖😪
Mina’s meat bonanza! That it how I would describe the dinner. If you like protein then this is the place for you. If you are a vegetarian, I would still say you could make give it a try because they have a wonderful salad bar that one could easily fill up on that is quite tasty and has no meat involved! But realistically if you are vegetarian you miss out on the real experience which is a boundless carousel of meats… and a Brazilian BBQ probably should not be your first choice…
I really enjoyed it because I have always loved steak, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey you name it. It was fun having them bring the different varieties to your table to try. Being food bloggers of course I tried everything (including the not so memorable chicken heart) and my favorites included the chorizo sausage, the turkey wrapped bacon and the garlic butter steak. If you intend to go I would strongly suggest a light lunch or to actually go for the lunch and skip dinner because it really fills you up. I believe the phrase is “meat sweats”.
I also tried the Brazilian soda “Guana” I believe while I was there and that was a refreshing treat in between all the mounds of meat. The ambiance was also quite bright and vibrant even though the lights were dim. My only complaint was that some of the meat, such as the lamb and one of the beefs, tasted somewhat like game meat, however that didn’t stop me from eating it so it wasn’t too bad. It isn’t a place you could go all the time but it would be an awesome place for a work lunch or a birthday. I definitely got my fill for a while now. Next up juice cleanse! Seriously though….
Aadil and Shaista’s Experience/Review:
Minas Brazilian Steakhouse is tucked away in the bottom of the Waterfront condo building and would probably be missed by most pedestrians that walk by. Once you enter the space, a cheerful hostess greets you and your senses overload due to the colors adorning every wall. It’s a funky open space with a “private” space at the back of the restaurant that could easily be used for larger parties.
A Couple of Couples 