The Grill From Ipanema

The Grill From Ipanema is fun, but the meats are inconsistent - Review - Seattle - The Infatuation

"This Brazilian steakhouse in Belltown can be hit or miss in quality, but it’s still a good time. There's (usually) Bossa nova music playing and (always) a nice view of Elliott Bay to admire when you're not distracted by servers dashing around with giant slabs of meat. The restaurant serves a rodízio service—an all-you-can-eat parade where those slabs are carved tableside with flair. Red light-green light cards on each table come in handy, because if you don’t pause, you’ll wake up at night in a cold sweat screaming, “for the love of god, no more tenderloin.” Pace yourself, stick to the sausages, lamb, and ribeye dripping in juices, and you’ll be just fine. (Other cuts, like flank steak, are bland and trend greasy.) Also, make sure the warm slices of pineapple coated in cinnamon hit your table for a refreshing respite before flipping that card over to green again. Food Rundown Brazilian Cheesebread & Fried Bananas The light, toasty mozzarella balls and flat sticks of even toastier fried fruit make for a great appetizer combo. Salad Bar Despite some decent scoops, like a summery mango mix, this is only a hair above a cruise buffet. Stick to the meats and cheeses. Rodizio Some of the carved meats far outshine others. There are excellent slices of lamb and ribeye—and stringy shrimp and underseasoned flank steak. If all else fails, douse the meat in chimichurri from the salad bar. PlayMute video credit: Gabe Guarente" - Gabe Guarente