Palo Alto, CA
650.327.1323
Http://www.pampaspaloalto.com
The Brazilian Pampas is a massive region of fertile grasslands supporting the finest South American cattle. Cowboys would come every evening to roast the freshest meat over and open flame. Over the years, this style of cooking became a tradition to the Brazilian culture. A brick rodizo replaced the open flame, and the meats became more diverse.
One day, Brian wanted to surprise me with a nice dinner date to a place that we both had never been to. As I drove us down the streets of Palo Alto, Brian navigated the way to the restaurant.
"This is it," he said and I parked on the curb. Without a sign, Pampas was unintentionally hidden in an industrial-looking brick building. It did not have a sign because it had just opened a week ago and already tons of good reviews were being made on a place. After entering the brick building, I was surprised to find such contemporary décor. We were greeted immediately and as we were being seated to our table, I noticed servers walking from table to table, carrying large skewers of meat.
“Brazilian?!?”While living in Los Angeles, I was always intrigued by the large slabs of meat hanging in the window of,” Fogo de Chow” when driving down La Cienega, Brian finally found a place where we could both experience the Brazilian cuisine.
After being seated, our hostess placed the menu in front of us and recommended to try the Caipirinha. The Caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail which is made of cachaca (Brazilian liquor), sugar and lime. But at Pampas, they had their own version which also included muddled strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. D-lish!
There was basically only two things you can order on the menu. 1. All-you-can-eat salad bar (side bar), or 2. All-you-can-eat meat and salad bar (Radizio and side bar). Ironically, Brian had given up meat for the lenten season, so he went with the side bar only. But the side bar offered more than your ordinary salad bar!
Not only were there fresh and grilled vegetables, but also an assortment of cold cut meats, an assortment of cheeses, breads, spreads, pastas, you name it! It really was everything but the Rodizio.
But the rodizio it was to die for...
But the rodizio it was to die for...
When I told the server I was ordering the unlimited Rodizio, she placed a hockey puck-like fixture on the table. One side of the fixture was colored green which signaled all the servers to come to the table and offer slices of meat.
What an amazing way to be served?!? With 5 different beefs, 2 lambs, 2 porks, 3 chickens, and a turkey skewer floating around, my plate was never found empty. I would keep the puck on its green side until I had about five different meats on my plate. Then, I would flip it to red as I began eating, but turned it back to green once I got about 3/4 through. Magically, a server with a full skewer of meat came to the table! It was amazing!Not only was the service impeccable, but the meat was to die for. We need to have dinner there again because Brian didn't get a chance to enjoy all the luxurious meats. Each meat was cooked perfectly. Every bite I took was filled with all the natural juices. My favorite had to be the Picanha: traditional Brazilian cut of top sirloin seasoned with rock salt and olive oil. I would never think to put rock salt on steak, but it was just enough to balance the sweet and salty flavor and added a little extra texture, making it much more enjoyable.
While all this was happening, not only were we receiving the best customer service ever, but a live band was playing in the restaurant as well. The sounds of the Brazillian instruments just made the ambiance more pleasant.
As the night went by, it finally got to the point where I felt I could not fit anymore in my stomach. It literally felt as if my stomach was about to pop! The puck remained on its red side and the bill was brought to the table.
"Would you like to see how we prepare our rodizios?"
How could we turn down the offer? After paying the bill, our server escorted us to the kitchen where we were able to witness where all the magic happened. All you can see were rows of metal skewers of meat rotating in the oven. It was such a delight to see what happens behind the scenes. You know the excitement you get when you're VIP and are allowed to go backstage of a concert? Seeing the kitchen to an amazing restaurant is soooo much better!
