| rev:text
| - Recently, my family of 4 (my wife, two kids-9 & 6, myself) celebrated my wife's birthday at Via Brasil. She had been there once before, but this was the first visit for the rest of us. I had trepidations from reading so many comments about how "formal" it was, and how it was not good for children. Both of those comments could not be farther from what we experienced!
When I made reservations online, I clearly indicated that we would have two young children, maybe just to see if the restaurant would give some indication of their reaction...but within 10 minutes, I got a phone call to confirm the request and welcoming our children to dine with us. At that time, I also mentioned that it was my wife's birthday, and they graciously said they would "do something" as a surprise. Yes, I know this is becoming perhaps an all-too-familiar 'perk' for restaurants as well as many diners (to have to hear Happy Birthday chanted several times during their meal!).
The decor is upscale and suggests the kind of place with some snoot appeal, where people may come to be seen, but let's face it, this is a suburban restaurant, and what restaurant would risk alienating the down-to-earth folks with an overly haughty attitude these days? Via Brasil gets it just right in that the 'hardware' is upscale and formal, but the staff and service is engaging and friendly, without any pretentiousness whatsoever.
When we arrived, I immediately noticed many parties with children...although I couldn't help but note that they all seemed to be seated in the front section of the restaurant, and that maybe the staff was consciously trying to keep the back part of the large open dining area somewhat kid-free and quiet. It didn't matter to us - the entire dining room is beautiful, and the food is the same regardless of what GPS cell your table is in!
As for the food, I rated it 4 stars and not 5 just because there were some items that were not quite as superlative as others. Everything happened as others have mentioned: you sit for a short while, order drinks, and build up a little more anticipation, but then it's a bee-line to the buffet, which had more variety than the average casino/hotel buffet. Salads, soups, and various hot dishes (stroganoff, a curry dish, a risotto, seafood paella, etc.), along with appetizers that were presented well and tasted great (carpaccio, asparagus, etc.). NOTE: The captain had come over shortly after we were seated to let me know that our 9-year old would be given a very reduced price for the entire meal (around $15, I think), and she would be able to eat anything she wanted (all meats, etc.), and that our 6-year old would not be charged at all. While I don't know if that's their standard policy, I felt that was more than fair, and certainly goes a long way to encourage "family dining" at this restaurant from time to time. The waitstaff was great in handling our children, too, always stopping at each one of them to see if they, too, wanted to try whatever cut of meat they were offering on each round.
Even as we were coming back with full plates of appetizers, freshly grilled meats were being 'walked' around the tables, and the noshing (if one can 'nosh' on meats!) started right away. Before we knew what hit us, we had cuts and slices of so many different types of meats...and most of it was excellent. All of the beef offerings (rib eye, picanha, flank steak, garlic picanha, and the prime rib; we passed on the ribs because they were too huge and wouldn't fit on our plates at the time) were fantastic. My wife enjoyed the lamb chops immensely, though I wish we had stuck around for the leg of lamb to make its rounds. The other offerings - turkey, pork, and salmon - were a little hit-or-miss, probably because I prefer my meats less 'garnished', and these were typically crusted or sprinkled with parmesan or wrapped in bacon. Actually, I enjoyed the salmon, though many may find its smoked flavoring a little washed out and bland, and its texture a little pasty instead of flaky (imagine cooked small roe!). The sausage didn't do anything for me...but then again, I'm not a sausage fan.
Before we knew it, almost 2 hours had elapsed, which is saying a lot when dining with 2 children! They had sampled quite a few meats, too, and while it may not become their favorite restaurant, I think the "bigness" of the experience kept them from becoming restless, and they both said they enjoyed VBS.
I'm running out of room here..so I'll just say LEAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT! They also remembered my quick comment about my wife's birthday, and delivered birthday wishes as requested! Definitely a place to consider for all occasions, but do plan on spending a good deal of time and money (around $150 for the entire experience, even with the generous discounts for the kids, and we aren't wine drinkers). I hope this place stays around a while!!
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)