Pampas -- Palo Alto

Ever since Angela and my little excursion at Patagonia -- a major event that led to the birth of this blog -- I have been itching to go back to a Brazilian/Argentinian steakhouse. Since going to either country was sadly out of the question, I had to settle on a nearby restaurant.

The Restaurant: Pampas

Location: Downtown Palo Alto

Price: $44 per person for AYCE dinner

http://www.pampaspaloalto.com/

If you've never been to a churrascaria, go on an empty stomach! For a set price, you have an unlimited amount of both meat and side/salad dishes to choose from. The salad bar is help yourself while the meat is usually served to you at your table. This was the case at Pampas. They give each person at the table a card; face it up if you are ready to be served, face down is you don't want to be bothered. A foreseeable problem in this AYCE-scenario is that the service is so slow that you'll get full before eating your money's worth, but I didn't find this problem at Pampas. The service was quick and attentive. They section off their restaurant so only a hand-ful of servers are making rounds with the meat. And the meats they offered? I thought it was a good variety.

My favorite offering from the rodizio was the top sirloin, which is surprisingly my favorite cut of steak (outside of the filet). Unfortunately the quality and taste of the sirloin fluctuate a bit here. At times I would receive a very bloody cut, but bursting with flavor. Other times it was as hard as a rock. This is one weakness that Pampas has that Texas de Brazil in Las Vegas does not have. The latter would have various temperatures of the same meat at the same time. Pampas, it seems, only gave you what they could. Therefore if you happened to get the first slice of the meat, it would most likely be well-done and dry. If you happened to get a cut from the center, it would be rare and d.licious.

Two items that were surprisingly fabulous: lamb chop and grilled pineapples. I'm not a huge fan of lamb but both Pampas' marinating and grilling really hit the spot here. Also they grill whole pineapples and serve by slices. The grilling of the fruit brings out its sweetness and it offers a nice cleanse of the palate between meats.

The side bar offered a wide variety of salads and sides. My favorite of the night was mashed sweet potatoes. It was absolutely heavenly! Their smoked aged gouda came in close, as did their sauteed mushrooms.

Overall a great experience. Loved the ambiance here, despite the fact that it used to be a club. The decor inside is actually quite nice. The service was also excellent. Although, he did tell me the sangria was good and it really wasn't. Oh well, now you know!

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

--fatty regina