I grew up in Brazil, so when this restaurant opened, I couldn't wait to try it out, and I was not disappointed. The food was excellent! A wonderful salad buffet to start, then the rodizio service, which the restaurant is named for, began -- meat on trays and skewers brought to your table for you to choose. As long as your stone is turned to the green side, they just keep bringing the meat. And there's a terrific selection -- several cuts of beef and pork, as well as chicken and fish.
The first time we went, we left our preschooler at a friend's house, but the second time was for my birthday and she really wanted to be there for it. We knew she would not eat enough to justify paying full price for her meal, and they don't offer a kid's menu, so when making the reservation, we asked if they would mind us bringing in something for her. They had no problem with that, so my daughter had a fast food burger, fries, and chocolate milk, and got to watch her parents eat really good food.
Service was attentive; we were seated promptly, water was poured immediately, drinks brought within moments. When I mentioned having lived in Brazil, our waiter went back to the kitchen and brought out a young Brazilian woman, so I got to try out my somewhat rusty Portuguese. She came back to check on us at the end of the meal -- a pleasant surprise that someone would come out a second time from the kitchen to check on a patron.
The one quibble I had was the lack of the Brazilian soft drink, guarana. Every restaurant in Brazil serves it -- they may not have Coke or Pepsi, but they'll have guarana. When I asked the waiter at Rodizio about it during our first visit, he didn't even know what it was, but wrote down the name and promised to check about it. At our second visit, it was still not available, and I know that it can be purchased here in the U.S.
Other than that one problem, though, it is a wonderful dining experience!
Pros: Ambience, service, food, parking (lot or garage)
Cons: Distance from Syracuse.
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