How is everyone rating this place so high in a city of great restaurants?! Horrible service (my friend and I felt invisible because the next table was assisted by the server at a 3:1 ratio to us). No one could tell me what is actually in the food that wasn't meat until I hounded the server enough to find out more from the manager. And Brazilian cheese bread made properly is SUPPOSED TO BE GLUTEN FREE. I could have paid the same price for a meal at Cafe Boulud and had better wine, better service and arguably better food (I use that restaurant in comparison because of the marquis chef name attached to it). I spent $85 for a cocktail, a terrible glass of red wine and some grilled vegetables and meat. I was really looking forward to trying this place after having a fantastic experience at a different Brazilian steakhouse by a different name in Detroit on NYE (by the way - the one in Detroit completely blows this place away in service, quality, selection and knowledge on what's in the food).
One positive - the carvers who bring the different cuts of meat to the table are friendly, helpful and the sole reason I left any sort of tip for this meal.
Let me be clear - I have no issue paying a lot of money for a good meal that is accompanied by a great experience and have paid significantly more for a meal than I did last night at this place. But as you climb in price points, your expectations increase in how well you're looked after and how well the serving staff know what they are serving. The service I received last night is what I'd expect from a Jack Astors or a Boston Pizza level of restaurant and I've received better service from restaurants at that level than I did last night at Copacabana.
Also - charging for water?! And not telling the table that you are charging for it?! SERIOUSLY? After travelling in developing countries for 8 months and having to rely on bottled water religiously, I came back with an appreciation of how fortunate we are to be in a country that we can drink the tap water safely and absolutely loathe paying for water. Seeing that on the bill last night was really the final straw for me - especially after not being told it came at a charge on top of the $11 I paid for one of the worst glasses of wine I've been served in a restaurant since I was 19 and didn't know better.