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| - Hello Everyone:
This is a review of Carvalho's Brazilian Kitchen for lunch. This was my first time at the restaurant, so this review is based on the meal and service on a Wednesday for lunch.
Ordered:
One order of Shrimp Bobo
One order of Black Bean Stew
One order of Brazilian Cheese Bread
Mango Ice Tea
Salted, warm, plantain chips are brought to your table to enjoy while waiting for your meal - a nice touch.
We were only two of four people in the restaurant this day for lunch.
Service was unhurried.
Review of Mango Ice Tea - a bit bland, the mango flavor really did not come through. I was never offered lemon or sugar for the tea.
Brazilian Cheese Bread at $5.00 - these are small knots of bread, per the waiter made fresh to order, so they take a 10-15 minutes. I have mixed feelings about the order we were served. They were definitely hot out of the oven, but the cheese inside the bread was very gooey making it hard to chew. It was like having a piece of gum in my mouth. As the cheese cooled the texture was not appealing. The knots are small, only about one inch. We got eight knots with our order. I think the portion represented more of a $3.50 charge, not a $5.00 charge when you can purchase entire specialty loaf of bread next door at Safeway for $3.99.
But, the bread came in handy to sop up some of the Shrimp Bobo sauce.
There was not any salt and pepper on the table. The waiter asked us if we wanted salt and pepper when our entrees were brought out. Since the salt and pepper was not on the table initially, we assumed it was because the salt and pepper was in a nice grinder of sorts the restaurant did not the expensive grinders to disappear. Instead, a regular salt and pepper shaker you would take on a picnic lunch was brought out for us to use. For the price of the entrees, this was a let down. Freshly ground pepper and salt is a definite need at this restaurant at these prices.
The Shrimp Bobo was $20.00 and involved sauce, a scoop of rice, and ten medium-size shrimp. The sauce was thick with a nice flavor. But, it was not really hot. Rather, the dish was served lukewarm and being seafood, the low temperature was a bit unnerving. I had to ask the waiter for some lemon to bring the flavors to the next level. While the sauce was nice, it was a bit flat for the price and for only ten shrimp, this entree represented a $15.00 portion.
The Black Bean Stew was priced at $15.00 and involved black beans, rice, collard greens, orange slices, smoked meat and sausage. The sausage in the entree served to us was one piece that was one inch long. The smoked meat was two small stew pieces about 1" square, and there was also some meat which had a long bone in it (still in on our plate) heavily disguised by the dark sauce from the black beans, but we found it when we bit into it. The sausage bite and smoked meat were all tender. There was not an abundance of meat served with the entree, perhaps representing an inadequate amount for the $15.00 charge. The collard greens while sliced very thin, were still chewy and could have used one or more minutes of cooking. Two orange slices were served with the entree. Personally, I expected a little more orange flavor to come through in the stew. The black bean flavor kind of took over everything because all the ingredients were cooked in the black beans and sauce. It needed some freshly-grated orange zest on top as a garnish to perk the dish up.
The waiter did not ask us if we cared for any dessert, although there were several selections on the menu.
We were also not offered any coffee or tea or another after-lunch beverage.
Other reviewers indicated the owner came out to their table while at the restaurant and talked about his history and how the restaurant came to be in Scottsdale. We did not experience this during our stay.
It appears the lunch and the dinner menu are the same and represent the same prices.
Therefore, if you are going there for lunch, expect to pay between $22.00 and $30.00 per person including tax and tip (if you get an ice tea or something to drink).
I think with some refinements regarding: temperature of entrees served, upgraded salt and pepper at the table, and a bit more enhanced flavor in sauces, the restaurant could be a hit and we would definitely return in spite of the overall high cost for lunch!
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