Orlando Texas de Brazil Review

Even though all of our Orlando Vacation Homes have full kitchens, lets face it – you’re on vacation and you want a nice meal out. When considering your options, your party need only meet two criteria to eat at Texas de Brazil (TdB) – you need to be very hungry and have some extra money in your pocket.

This was my first Brazilian Steak House experience and I’ll get the ONLY negative out of the way at the beginning, for a family of four adults, plan on spending between $240 and $300 for dinner. At $47 per person, the meal, once you add on drinks, desert and the tip you’ll easily be in that range. Granted, some would say that the belt busting quantity and QUALITY of the meal is well worth it. I would agree on both points. However, if a more elegant or intimate experience is what you would prefer, for such a costly meal, Texas de Brazil might not be the best choice. Now, enough with the negativity – LETS EAT!

At it’s core, TdB is just a glorified (or glorious?) salad bar with a premium steak kicker. If you’re thinking Ponderosa or Golden Corral – there isn’t really a comparison – really, not even close. I’ll get to the steak in a moment but for being a ‘salad bar’ TdB has a lot going for it. The quality of the food is top notch and you’ll easily be able to convince yourself to make a few trips to the salad bar for such items as fresh sushi, cold salmon filet, cold season shrimp (peeled), Brazilian hearts of palm, grilled Portobella mushrooms, fresh buffalo mozzarella , various salads, sauces, imported cheeses, gourmet artisan breads and soup de jour – along with many specialities. The soup that night was Lobster Bisque and it was awesome. I ate so much at the salad bar that I didn’t have too much room for steak – lack of proper planning on my part.

Now, on to the steak , the Gauchos ( ‘Steak Cowboys’ – yeah, I know),  and the different way steak is dished out at TdB. As your server will explain, the Gauchos roam the restaurant with various meats (chicken, pork, lamb, sausage and streaks) on sword-like skewers and a rather large carving knife. Each patron is given a token – turn the token to the green side and the Gauchos will descend upon you, proudly presenting their offerings. Turn it over to red and they continue on. Ok, not really. Green or red – it really didn’t matter. If you made eye contact or looked in their general direction you were offered some meat. It’s sufficient to say that all the meats served at TdB were of the best quality and perfectly cooked for my taste. You can even request your steak cooked a little more (or less) as needed. If you’re a steak/meat lover (which would make sense being you’re in a ‘Brazilian Steak House’) you won’t be disappointed.

The servers and Gauchos were very attentive and ever present. I didn’t get the sense that my server had too many tables assigned to her which was nice. The establishment was very busy and when you combine free-wheeling mission focused Steak Cowboys, wait and buss staff along with patrons going to and from the salad bar – it makes for one busy floor. I kept thinking how many people end up with a skewer in their chest each night? Not a chance! The Gauchos knew what they were doing.

After you signal your surrender, you are presented with a desert tray that contains enough calories to send even the most sugar stable individual into a near diabetic coma! Be forewarned, the deserts and coffee are not included with your meal. I only mention this because throughout the entire experience, I was never actually given a menu or anything with pricing – hey, if you have to ask …

My wife and I shared  a $10.50 slice of triple chocolate something and we ended up taking most of that home. With all the desert suitable items still at the salad bar, we wondered how we were suckered into the cake?

Conclusions. Texas de Brazil is an impressive place with equally impressive food, drink and deserts. Combined with a suitably impressive bill, you will still be glad you visited. While lacking an intimaet atmosphere and not for the budget conscious diner, Texas de Brazil makes up for this with quality service and an extremely friendly attitude. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the Orlando area for the experience alone. Enjoy!

Pricing: Adults are $47 each. Children 6-12 are $24 each and children under 6 are FREE!

Contact:

Texas de Brazil – Orlando
5259 International Drive
Orlando, Fl 32819

P: 407-355-0355
F: 407-355-0312

Dress Code: Smart Casual

Tarantino’s Italian Restaurant

My favorite little, local restaurant is definitely Tarantino’s Italian Restaurant in downtown Kissimmee! Tarantino’s is family owned  and operated and has been serving local customers and their family’s for 18 years. As they say, “If you are visiting our area, please come see us for a home cooked meal” and the food really tastes just like a home cooked meal! I love the Chicken Marsala. It is unlike any other I have ever tasted. I’m not sure what they do differently, but it is fantastic! My mouth is watering now just thinking about it…YUM! The other dish I love, and the main reason for going, has to be the home made Tiramisu dessert. It is phenomenal! The atmosphere is great, it is very clean, and the staff is very personable. They have a full service bar and you can get lunch or dinner. They are family owned and operated, so they are closed on Sunday’s and Monday’s, but it is well worth waiting for. They will also host events and are very eager to make your event wonderful from start to finish. They have family recipes cooked to order and my family and I highly recommend them.

- Susan Lattimore, Vacation Home Specialist

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